Today’s Broadlands Community Church 5K (BCC 5K) recap is as much about friendship as it is about a race, and it all started with a shirt.
But first, let’s talk about the race…..
One of my clients ran in a local low-keyed community race in 2011, and was so excited to get a really nice Nike Dri-Fit shirt with her $25 entry fee that she convinced me to run it with her the following year.
2012 BCC 5K Race Shirt
Once we signed up, we talked another friend into running with us – running her very first race ever!
On an absolutely beautiful, cool and crisp September morning, I ran about three miles prior to meeting my friends at the race. I didn’t plan to race the 5K, so I wanted to add the extra mileage into my day.
We wandered around the Family Fun Fest until race time, and had fun striking some poses with the Ironman. What girl doesn’t love showing off her muscles?
Shortly before the starting horn sounded, we lined up with the other runners around the middle of the pack; then started out at a comfortable pace. Since our friend was pretty new to running and hadn’t run a race before, we stayed with her for about the first mile until the three of us decided to run our own races.
I didn’t keep my splits, but I doubt that my last two miles were much faster than 9:00’s. During that particular segment of my running career, I was all about distance, and rarely worried about speed. Every run was a long run or a short conversation pace run. It wasn’t until a year later that I started training harder again with tempo and race pace runs.
After we decided to run our own races, I pushed a little harder and finished in 31:35 (10:09 pace), and surprisingly, that time gave me a second place in my age group! Ah, the advantages of small community races.
Back in 2012 I ran the BCC 5K with two good friends. Little did I know, I also ran the race with a future friend. Yes, that’s Erin next to me near the start of the race.
Photoshop credit: Bill
Just last week while Erin was looking through an old running album with her son, she found this picture from the 2012 BCC 5K. She texted the photo to me, and mentioned that it was her first race back after giving birth to her little boy. I looked through old emails, and found the other race photos for this recap. I hadn’t planned to write a throwback recap of this race, but considering the story, I had to. Call me sentimental, but things like this make me so happy.
When Erin and I were running next to each other, we might have exchanged a few pleasantries, or we might not have even noticed each other. Neither of us had heard of MRTT, and didn’t realize what a impact that group would have on our future running, and what good friends we would become.
If this race still existed and we were to run this course today, we would both crush our times from 2012, and we would have each other to thank!
- Questions:
- Do you prefer to race with friends, or alone?
- Do you have any favorite races, that are no longer held?
- Did you race this past weekend, and if so, what distance?
That is a crazy coincidence! At MCM 2013, I made a “race friend” — a couple of us “over 30” women were chatting at the start, and lo and behold, one of them finished right around the same time I did. We’ve never kept up, but it was so fun to see her after that long run!
Way to go getting out there in that cold!
Anne recently posted…It’s About the Running, People.
Very cool; and don’t forget that you and I met before the trail race, then pushed each other in the later stages of the race, and it wasn’t until the race was over that we remembered that we’d already met!
what a neat story! i always wonder about the people around me at races — who they are, what brought them to the start line, if our paths might cross again. in the nyc marathon i ran next to a guy who was featured in runner’s world the next month — small world!
kristin | W [H] A T C H recently posted…SUNDAY MORNING
Cool! Did he tell you he was being featured in Runner’s World or did you just happen to recognize him when you saw the magazine?
It’s such a small world!
How wonderful to have a history before you even had a history!
I think I like racing solo. The one race that I ran with Glenn and didn’t mind the company from start to finish was the Shun The Sun Half Marathon in 2013. Sometimes having someone with me is fine for some (or even most) of a race… But I often find myself wanting to be alone eventually.
[email protected] recently posted…Goodbye Miss. Phoebe (“Phoeeebs”, “Girlfriend”, “Sweet Girl”)
Except for my 5K’s, I almost always run with friends, or at least I start with them. Now that I’ve written that, I just remembered that I ran a 20K and two halves last year mostly alone. Ha!
That is amazing. What a heartwarming and wonderful story!
Kim Westrich recently posted…Cheering for the Reston 10-Miler
Isn’t it cool, Kim? I love it!
you just make my heart happy!
My heart does a happy dance every time I see that photo!
Yay more throwback race recaps! 🙂 Those shirts remind me of the infamous Usain Bolt pose. Anyway, how ironic that Erin happened to be running right next to you, right when that picture was taken! It’s a small world, and six degrees of separation is a real thing!
Meagan recently posted…Running a race tomorrow…..?
You’re right about the shirt! I hadn’t noticed that before!
that’s so fun! i love the running community. i once befriended a woman who was running about my pace during cherry blossom a couple of years ago. we ran together from mile 2 on and after the race, took pics, exchanged info and promptly followed each other on facebook. she now runs ultras all the time and just blows my mind. love it!
Courtney @ Eat Pray Run DC recently posted…St. Charles Running Festival
Very cool!
Fun post! A sign you were meant to be friends.
Jennifer recently posted…Friday Five – I Signed Up for a Triathlon
Indeed!
You know I love running with friends!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…5 Reasons To Try A Tri
Yes, I do! 🙂
This is a cool story. Thanks for sharing! Typically I like to race like I train (solo), though I’ve enjoyed the few races I’ve run with friends. Yesterday I ran the Woodlands Half Marathon in Texas and finished in 1:46, short of a PR by a couple of minutes. At first I was frustrated because I would have PR’ed had I not made a rare pit stop halfway through (which led to problem with my race belt, costing more precious time). But then I remembered why I run races – for my sister – and she doesn’t care how fast I run! It was a fabulous experience – I ran this one for Taylor and a 12-year-old boy named Will Herndon who is also fighting Batten disease. I’m headed your way next!
Laura King Edwards recently posted…Running for Taylor in 50 States: Texas’ Woodlands Half Marathon
I think I remember you saying your Virginia race will be in Charlottesville, correct?
That’s fun to look back on and see!
Courtney @ Don’t Blink. Just Run. recently posted…Yaktrax Pro Review
🙂
One of my newer friends has run in several of the same half marathons as me (before we met). In quite a few, we finished in just seconds of each other. I remember seeing her name and thinking – I wonder who that is? I’m glad we eventually met! Yes, I raced another half this weekend.
HoHo Runs recently posted…Centerpoint Half Marathon Recap (Weekend Update)
Very cool! It’s nice when you have a similar pace as your running friends. Hope your half went well!