Tag Archives: fremont oktoberfest 5k

02.19.14
by

2013 Race Awards!

I decided to separate this out from my 2013 in review post, but I want to talk a little about the races I ran last year before I get too far into this year’s races. I ran in a total of nine events last year, six of which were timed races.

Best Medal

Winner: Go Commando 5k

go commando 5k medal

I loved the Go Commando medal! It is very solid, with a good weight. And, bonus: the middle part spins around and has different things on each side. One side shows the name of the race and location, while the other side shows the year.

Runner-up: Music City Fourth of July 10k

Source: Facebook

Source: Facebook


This medal has a great design. The only thing I really dislike is that the year of the race isn’t included on it, so I hope they don’t hand out the exact same one this year.

Most Fun

Winner: Rockin’ Marathon Relay

This one was so much fun because you were on a team! So if it wasn’t your turn to run, you got to relax and hang out with friends. Once you were out there, it was all you, but it was only 1.9 miles at a time and then you were back to relaxing and hanging out. And crossing the finish line with your entire team was a blast! Plus you can say that you’ve done a marathon (relay).

Runner-up: Go Commando 5k

While just a pretty standard 5k, I had fun because I got to run with friends! (Are you noticing a trend here?) Even if I just ran the first half mile or so with them, I loved seeing them on the out-and-backs and waiting at the finish line to cheer them on.

Best Course

Winner: Music City Fourth of July 10k

A lot of Nashville races are held downtown and this one was no exception. However, just before the race, the new convention center opened up, which meant we got to run on the road that goes through it, which was pretty cool, and gives this race the Best Course award, despite all the hills.

Runner-up: Fremont Oktoberfest 5k

While the course wasn’t really an awesome thing of beauty, I’ll give the runner-up spot to the Fremont Oktoberfest 5k, just because it was in Seattle!

Best Shirt

Winner: Go Commando 5k

Source: Facebook

Source: Facebook


When you signed up for Go Commando, you got a choice: did you want shorts or the t-shirt? I figured I had plenty of race t-shirts that I never wore, but I might get some use out of the shorts, so I opted for those. And I do love the shorts. But when I saw the shirt design at the race expo, I shelled out another $12 for it. That’s right. I actually paid extra money for this race shirt. That’s how much I like it. And it does have the distinction of being the only race shirt I really wear around.

Best All-Around

Winner: Go Commando 5k

The Go Commando race was a great event! It was the only race I ran that had a real expo, which was pretty cool. (And, YAY, for free Stick massages after the run!) The food spread at the end was awesome and extensive. They had real race photographers out on the course (the only one I ran last year that did). I am planning on doing it again this year, although now they’ve added a 10k so I don’t know which to run!

Runner-up: Music City Fourth of July 10k

While it rained the whole race, which made me high-tail it out of there after it was over instead of sticking around for the post-race festivities, I did have a lot of fun at this one. The course was great, although I would like it if they had a different course for the 10k, so you weren’t just doing two laps of the 5k course. But I liked it enough to sign up for the 5k this year!

10.04.13
by

Race Report: Fremont Oktoberfest 5k – September 22, 2013

After three sunny days in Seattle (I must’ve lucked out with the timing of my trip), I woke up Sunday morning to overcast skies and drizzle. The race wasn’t until 10am, so I took my time getting ready and (stupidly) ate a fiber bar for breakfast.

My bestie Sabrina drove us down to Fremont, and we parked and walked down to packet pick-up. They had a board set up with your name and bib number. Once you found your bib number, you got in the pick-up line to get your stuff: a neon green t-shirt, race bib, and shoe timing chip.

As I was putting on my bib and timing chip, I looked around at the other runners. Most of them were dressed much more warmly than me, with pull-overs and long sleeves dominating the crowd. I was wearing a skirt and a tank, of course. It was in the low 60s, so I had a hoodie on for warmth, but handed it over to Sabrina before the start, since it was not anything I wanted to run in.

before the fremont oktoberfest 5k

Tired but ready to start!

As I was waiting at the start line, a man next to me asked if I had run this 5k before. I said that I hadn’t and was actually from Nashville. He looked surprised and then said, “I’m from Tennessee too!” Turns out, he was also running on vacation from Johnson City. Small world!

Soon we were off. It had warmed up considerably and the sun was trying to peak through the clouds. I kind of laughed at all the people who were regretting their long sleeves and stripping off their pull-overs while trying to run.

I ran along at a pretty steady pace of 10:30 min/mile for the first mile, but by that time I was really wanting some water. I had (stupidly) failed to drink any that morning beforehand, and since the day before had been spent at on a wine tour and at Oktoberfest, I was probably pretty dehydrated. I had started to get side stitches, which, for me, is usually a pretty good indicator that I’m in need of water. On top of that, I think the fiber bar was making my stomach ache a bit. Usually a 5k will have a water stop every mile or maybe just one at the halfway point. I passed the one mile point with no water stop. I kept going. Shortly before the halfway point, I paused to catch my breath and hopefully try to see if there was a water stop ahead. There wasn’t. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold my pace without any water, so I started doing run/walk intervals for the remainder. I knew it wasn’t going to be my fastest 5k, but I was a bit disappointed that it also wasn’t going to be my first 5k without walking.

I finished in a little over 35 minutes, which isn’t terrible. It was around what I was expecting to run, especially considering all the walking I’d been doing around Seattle and the imbibing from the day before.

My quarter mile splits:
quarter mile splits

Started too fast, eh?

They gave us a beer at the end, but I was way more interested in the water! So Sabrina downed half my beer and then we left to go check out the Fremont troll. 😀

Thrilled about beer, obviously.

Thrilled about beer, obviously.

the fremont troll

Fremont troll!

Shoes: Skechers GoRun 2

07.25.13
by

Planning out the rest of the year (and then some)…

With only a week left of my doctor mandated running break, I’ve been thinking ahead to how I want to spend the next few months. The first few weeks will just be me getting back into the habit: some one, two, and three mile runs a few times a week. Then I still have six weeks of Couch to 10k left, so I will attempt to finish them out before starting official half marathon training on September 23. This should put me in a good place for my 5ks this fall.

Right now I have two 5ks and two fun runs planned. The first of the 5ks is the Fremont Oktoberfest 5k while I’m in Seattle in September. I figured it would be nice to do a race there, and we were going to Oktoberfest anyway, so it made sense. (I’m also excited to get in a few runs around Green Lake while I’m there!) Then I’ve got two fun runs: The Zombie Run and The Color Run. The week after the Color Run is my second fall race, the Go Commando Clarksville 5k, where I hope I will get a nice PR.

Then November and December will mainly be spent upping my mileage in prep for the 13.1 I have to cover in January! I’m definitely not planning on truly racing my first half. Since it’s at Disney, I plan to enjoy myself and stop and take photos with characters. No matter what I PR, right? Then after Disney, I get to start prepping for the Country Music Half, where I do hope to PR.

I’m so excited to get back into it!