10/5/13 Onalaska Apple Harvest Festival 5K

Six days post Bellingham Marathon.  Legs felt good enough on Thursday that I decided to run this 5K today.  I really like these small low key events.  $20 day of race includes a stainless steel water bottle.  Proceeds to charity. Easy parking and a nice course.  An hour drive from home, but easy to get to, and now the fog has lifted to a beautiful Fall day

Start and finish at Carlisle Lake by the old mill site.  The smoke stack is about all that remains.

I should have known that we would run around the lake.  I like the big course map that someone made for display.

I warm up on the road and only peek at the trail.  Nice and wide but gravelly here.

 Single track and rougher here.


Start - 73 runners plus some two mile walkers.  Kids run was held earlier. Great pre race announcements gets the walkers and those not concerned with time in the back.  I think this is the 5th year of this race, but my first time here.  Warm up went well, so I place myself near the front.  We start smoothly and proceed onto the narrow and rough trail.

Mile 0.25 - Stuck behind a few folks.  Going slower than I usually do at the start of a 5K, but that is fine.  I dodge around a couple of people when I can and then I feel like I am going fast enough.

Mile 0.5 - Just a little mud.  Then two small hills.  Wider trail, but leaf covered and some places with large angular rocks.  I squeeze between two runners.  One will soon pass me again.  The other will stay just behind me and be the woman's overall winner.

Mile 1 - Out of the lake and on to the smooth flat roads.  I am trying to keep the guy ahead of me from getting too far ahead.  Legs are OK but not great.  I forget to check my mile split time, but I know that I am going faster now that I am on the road.

Mile 2 - Gaining on the guy ahead, but not enough to catch him.  We run along the main street where the parade and fair will be later this morning.  At times I am not sure if I should go onto the sidewalk or stay on the road.  Soon enough it is back to the lake.

Mile 2.5 - Second time around the lake.  The two little hills do me in.  The guy pulls way ahead.  I keep up the effort and wonder if I can break 24 minutes.  Slowing and feeling tired but it is almost over.

Mile 3.1 (5K) - 3.09 on the GPS.  In to the finish chute and pleased with how it went.  No one passed me after the 0.8 mile mark, but I also did not catch anyone.  Hardly a fast time for me, but I can blame it on the trail or last weeks race.  At least I got in some faster miles today.

Cool down, cheer on the other finishers and then very quickly the results are ready.  1st in age group ribbon.  Raffles.  Hope I do not win the pedicure from the local Onalaska shop......hope I do win the shoes from South Sound Running.  No luck today, I do not win anything.  But a very nice event that I would do again for sure.

23:51
8th of 73
Race# 304, 5K#78
*****