On Wednesday evening the rain arrived in Milwaukee. I'd by lying if I said I was not hoping that the rain would continue through to the morning and be an excuse to not run the Drumstick Dash. That evening, I was feeling exceptionally lethargic. I know I commented to Jody that I did not feel like running the 5K.
At 5 AM on Thursday morning, heavy rain could be heard hitting the window. Had my prayers been answered?
No. By 6 AM, the rain had stopped. At the very least, Jody and I would drive to Miller Park and see if the rain would hold off.
It did.
Last year's Drumstick Dash was memorable for how cold it was. At the start of the race, it was a balmy 20 F with a windchill that dropped the temperature to about 0 F. Jody and I each wore about three layers, including gloves and hats.
This year, the temperature was on the warm side. Although there were a number of people dressed up like it was 0 F, the temperature was closer to 50 F. Surprisingly, I was one of the few runners who ran in shorts and a t-shirt.
The race started at 8:30 AM. About 3,300 people registered for the race, but the final results only showed about 2,700 people. There were a few sprinkles at the start of the race, but nothing became of them and the remainder of the race was run under dry conditions.
Overall, Jody and I both felt like we ran good races. We felt our times were better this year than last year. Last year, I ran the race in 24:35, for a 7:55 min/mi pace. I was, however, amazed to discover that this year's time was slightly slower: 24:42 for a 7:57 min/mi pace. (Jody's time was also a couple seconds slower.)
I'm a bit frustrated at the result, but I thought I ran a smoother, stronger race, so I will take it as a push.
This should be the last race of the year. I do not see myself dressing up as Santa and running a 5K in December. Instead, the next race will most likely be the Samson Stomp & Romp at the Milwaukee Zoo in mid-January.
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| Post-Drumstick Dash Selfie (2015) |
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