Race Recap: Kansas City Corporate Challenge 5k

Do you know what Corporate Challenge is?  Does your company do it?

What Corporate Challenge boils down to is several differnt athletic events that companies compete against and earn their company points.  It raises money for a good cause, and gives your company bragging rights.  This is my first year participating, and what I thought was going to be some good wholesome sporting fun turned out to be this major competive intense thing.  I signed up for a million events: Dodgeball, Volleyball, 5k, Distance Medley, 800 meter, 1600 meter, Softball, Triathlon, Swimming and Tug-of-War.

May 7th was the KCCC 5k.  Now, I've done my fair share of races but I was not prepared for this.  Unlike most 5ks or races: every participant had to check in the morning of, there was a male heat and female heat, and it was not very, um punctual?  I had to park about a mile away and walk to the start, when I arrived at 7:00 am for my 8:00 am guntime (yeah, that's right I was an hour early for a race!!) I immediately got in line for check in.  I stood in line for 45 minutes waiting and waiting to sign in and get packet.  So yes, by the time I was able to check in and my team as well (who were allowed to cutsie since they preferred teams to check in together and I was up first) it was 7:45 and gun time was in 15 minutes.  The men who were suppose to start at 7:30, still had not gone at this point which was worrysome since the females couldn't start until all male participants were off the course. 

So needlessly long story, females didn't get to go until close to 9am and the sun was out and it was hot.  I was not dressed properly for such heat since I was required to wear our cotton KCCC shirts-and mine stank from dodgeball the night before.

I will take this time to briefly mention, I had been playing KCCC Dodgeball untl 9pm the night before and then had to go home to make two dozen cupcakes for the Bridal Shower I was hosting the next day, and assemble 50 graduation invites for my sister.  So I didn't make it to bed until close to 3:30am.

So finally gun time came around, and we were off.  The first half mile was entirely downhill, and I flew.  I was totally determined to place to get PRA more points because top eight in each division gets more points.  I ran the first mile in 6:30, and that was a huge mistake.  As I was flying down this hill, it suddenly dawned on me that this was an out and back course and I am going to have run UP this hill during the chute.  I really tried to slow myself down, but once I get going it's way too hard for me to slow down.

That is to say until I come to an asscent of 500 feet.  Then I slowed waaayyyy down...to a crawl.  The second I slowed the blood flow in my leg bricked.  My left hip flexor had been bothering me since the OZ and it was definitely pissed now.  I saw my team mates pass me, and I knew my hopes of being the 1st PRA female was down the drizzain.

So my hopes went from division winner to division finisher. Like always.  Super challenging course.  I finished in 28 and change.  I placed 4th in my division.  Then I left.