On Saturday morning I ran the Witch City 5k in Salem. I’ve run this race a few times in the past but it has been a while. I signed up for the race on a whim because I’ve been wanting to get back to running.
(via my Snapchat: emilyh1020)
I haven’t run since early summer and now that the weather is perfect for running (IMO), I want to get back out there. I went into the Witch City 5k thinking that I just wanted to run and had no goals in mind but to finish and stay in a good head space.
Just for fun, I looked up my results from previous years:
2008 – 25:44 // 8:16 min/mile
2009 – 27:47 // 8:56 min/mile
2010 – 27:01 // 8:41 min/mile
I figured if I finished at around a 9:00 min/mile I would be happy.
Witch City 5k {Race Recap}
I got up early on Saturday morning because SL had class so I much more time than normal to get myself together and make the 30 minute drive to the race.
For breakfast, I had my usual coffee with almond milk and collagen and a Chicken Avocado burger. Totally a weird race day breakfast but it was what I wanted so I went for it.
Knowing the race well, I knew parking would be a breeze but still left my house about an hour before the start of the race. I arrived in plenty of time, finished my coffee in the car then headed to the bathroom line.
After a quick bathroom start, I was at the start line with 10 minutes to spare. I took to the time to take in everyone’s clever Halloween costumes (it is October in Salem so costumes are everywhere) and then we were off!
Witch City 5k Mile 1
The race starts with a hill (ugh) then follows the water of Collins Cove into downtown Salem. The Witch City 5k can sometimes be overwhelming with the crazy October crowds in Salem but the views are worth it.
I didn’t get any pictures while running but this is what I was dealing with for views along the first part of mile 1. Not too shabby.
- Mile 1 – 8:47 min/mile This was my fastest mile and also my favorite 🤗
I felt really good about this mile but my left foot was a bit numb. Not sure if it was because of the cold or because I just haven’t been running at all but it did concern me a bit.
Witch City 5k Mile 2
Mile two is also beautiful but in a different way. All of this part of the race is through downtown Salem. The decorations are amazing. Everywhere you look you see Halloween oozing out of both the houses and the company buildings. 🎃 👻
- Mile 2 – 9:09 min/mile
Somewhere during mile 2 my foot stopped being numb. Know I am thinking it was due to my tootsies just being cold.
Witch City 5k Mile 3
This is my least favorite mile of the race. You begin to leave the downtown area and run down a boring road filled with nothingness.
- Mile 3 – 9:18 min/mile
I was not surprised to see that this was my slowest mile. It was all flat and nothing interesting to look at.
And to finish…
- Last little bit – 8:58 min/mile
This is a fun part of the race because you run through the Salem Willows and see all the spectators and other racers. I could feel my jets turning on a bit as I neared the finish line.
My RunKeeper stats were: 3.12 miles | 28.16 mins | 9:04 min/mile
My official race time, which got texted to me seconds after crossing the finish line (love that) was 28:06.
Needless to say this wasn’t one of my faster races, no PRs to be had on Saturday. But it also wasn’t my slowest. The best takeaway is that I felt good running again. I hope there are more fall 5ks in the near future.
I did a 4-mile race in February in NYC and I couldn’t feel my feet for the first 2 miles! I was nervous I was going to land on it wrong because I had no idea where they were landing haha.
I felt the same way! But it certainly wasn’t as cold as February in NYC, my foot obviously doesn’t realize its no longer summer.
What a fun 5k!!! Way to push it at the end! 🙂