Race: Love’em or Leave’em Valentines Day Dash 10K
Runner: Andrew K
Date: 2/10/2018
Location: Green Lake – Seattle, WA
Results: 37:57, New 10 PR and 11th Overall
Strava Activity Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/1403042810
3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most?
- Super flat and well marked. Running the path allows nice speed.
- Well organized. Smaller races can mean poor organization but this one was great with some vendor booths, a beer garden and prizes.
- Ease of parking and access. Literally parked 50yds from the start on a Sunday morning which made it easy.
Not so much – Aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you
- Course remains open to public use so you find yourself at times dodging pedestrians, dogs, etc.
- 10K and 5K are blended starts so on the 2nd loop you starting getting into the walkers from the 5K adding into normal pedestrian traffic.
- Similar theme but the ‘back’ of the loop runs along the road on gravel path. Because it becomes more crowded to keep pace you have to work hard with ‘on your left!’ or run in the bike lane.
Weird factor – What’s the weirdest thing about this race?
Nothing to odd except for the funny costumes you’ll see. Nothing beats a grown man in a ‘He-Man’ muscle suit, orange wig and baby stroller next to his Viking inspired Opera singing wife.
Highlights of your race – What did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular?
5K and 10K PRs were really nice. I liked the steady pacing I was able to sustain mostly throughout the course. I run solo a lot so being next to runners to pace was nice for me.
Lessons Learned – Share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner or yourself on the next time around
My biggest lesson is pacing and pushing myself for a 10K. I could have run 6min/mi whole race but once I wasn’t next to anyone, I just settled in w/out pushing myself.
Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race
Very flat, one ‘rise’ into a curve about 1.2 miles in is tricky with oncoming traffic. Course twists at mile 2+ to gravel path more traffic.
Organized and well run – Did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants?
Organized and well run.
Logistics – Anything special regarding getting to/from the race, hotels around the course, registration…?
Parking seemed abundant on a Sunday am near the Lake and park across the street. I drove from Carnation and was there fast and straight to the finish.
Weather and typical race conditions
It was a glorious day, sunny, crisp but not cold. No wind.
Spectators – Is this a friendly course for your friends?
Yes, friends/fam have loads of place to cheer you on.
How’s the swag?
One t-shirt, red with a heart of course. Quality is lower grade as opposed to premium brand tee. Registration is under $50 so I didn’t expect much but I am funny where I’d pay bit more knowing I’d wear it vs use a t-shirt to paint , cut the grass in. 🙂
The Overall Score – How many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it?
3 of 5 and yes, I think it’s a great spring 10K. Lower score is for pedestrian traffic and lower grade swag.
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