The Charlie Post Classic 5K and 15K race is a local favorite in the Charleston area, taking place on beautiful Sullivan’s Island.
Before the Race
Everyone knows that I love my sleep, so fully planned to sleep until the last minute. Thanks to night before preparations, I tend to roll out of bed and into the car minutes before we leave. But this time it was different. Jonathan woke up early, as usual, and I heard him use the bathroom before heading downstairs to make coffee. Then I smelled the coffee. Somehow I managed to be fully awake an entire hour before we set to leave. Probably deserved a prize for that!
My favorite pre-race breakfast is egg salad. Why? No idea. When I first discovered the ketogenic lifestyle (although I don’t keep strict keto, I maintain a higher fat, low carb lifestyle) I added add salad into my diet. Two hard boiled eggs, a tablespoon of mayo, and some salt and pepper is quick to make in advance, and easy to eat in the morning.
We’ve really grown close to this lovely bunch of runners over the past few months. Some things may be rolling to get more members of our little team. Fingers crossed for that coming into actions.
Although Sassy and I had made the hike down to Mt. Pleasant the day before to pick up our packets, we still arrived an hour before the race started. Old habits die hard. It meant we had an amazing parking spot 100 feet from the starting line, so we could make multiple trips back and forth. Yes, I did stay wrapped up in a blanket.
The Run
The Charlie Post Classic start line was packed like sardines, with both races starting together, but split off a few blocks away. As the crowd spread out, it was easy enough to find a good pace. The course sighed and zagged through neighborhoods, under beautiful oak trees, through the city streets, and even by beach parking. Sullivan’s Island is gorgeous, and we were lucky enough to see much of it.
Unlike during the Sweet Tea Half, I hadn’t mentally prepared myself for the exact distances where I would refuel. I actually forgot I had two gels until more than halfway through. The Skratch Labs gummies truly helped to push when it got tough. And the gel, though I accidentally grabbed a chocolate instead of the salted caramel (yuck) gave me much needed energy.
Outfit: Jacket | Leggings | Sneakers | Bracelet | Watch
This race used RaceJoy, an app affiliated with RunSignUp, which uses GPS (instead of the chip) to send live updates to friends and family. Though the app was a pain in the peach to set up, it worked great. Not only did it alert me during the race of my own details (average pace, estimated finish line, etc) but also sent it to Jonathan who was waiting at the finish line. I also opted to have it tweet my information at each mile marker.
Results
I completed the 15k (9.35 miles) in approximately 1:30, which was where I hoped to be. Surprisingly, my speed and pace consistently stays where I plan for it to be. Maybe one day I’ll be a pacer. The first mile, thanks to start line congestion, took 10 minutes, but my average pace was a 9’42. It definitely gives me motivation to set a good goal for the next half marathon (probably Sweet Tea again, next November).
I was 16th in my age group and 286th overall. Definitely proud of my effort and maintaining the not fast, not last mentality today. If I had attempted to sprint out the gate like in the past, I wouldn’t have kept the pace I wanted to reach this goal.
Jonathan, who had bumped down to the 5k a few weeks before the race, ended up receiving 3rd in his age group. It’s safe to say that the stroller dad still has it speed. Unfortunately there’s no photos since we were still on the course. The joke in Small Group is that he was actually 4th, since Charlotte-Ann was in the stroller and finished before him.
Since we all love free beer, we enjoyed a can of Island Coastal Lager at the finish line. There was also Starbucks, which we enjoyed that morning. But nothing beats beer at the finish line.
Looking forward to an amazing year filled with more running and friends.
Huge congrats! Looks like a great race day all around. Charlotte is on my list of places to run someday
It was definitely the best race I’ve done since moving here!
I could never be a pacer…too inconsistent.
Egg salad??? I always eat oatmeal. To each his own.
Running friends are the best, aren’t they.
I never thought I could but my last three races have had splits within 20-30s of each other. So it’s something to consider.
I was team oatmeal forever, but then I started reducing carbs (long story, I have a neuro disease) and egg salad was easier than scrambling eggs at 5am.