After we ran a story about encouraging people to learn CPR that also mentioned the Salisbury Paramedic Foundation 5K on Get Well Delmarva, I decided I wanted to run the race this year and support the cause. I’d seen that several others who work for TidalHealth (like I do) had signed up.
The race began at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 9. It started at the Salisbury City Park Bandstand, not far from my house but far enough that I didn’t want to run to the start, bring any swag back home and then run back, so I drove. The swag was a T-shirt with the Salisbury Paramedic Foundation logo on it and a bag (participants could choose a Salisbury Paramedic Foundation tote bag or Wor-Wic drawstring bag; I picked the tote bag).
Since the race was at the City Park, where I run all the time, I was extremely familiar with the course. In the first half-mile, someone mentioned how it was a nice place to run, and I said something like I run here all the time. I’m thankful to have such a great park near my home.
I was hoping for a sub-30 finish, but I ran the first mile in 9:42, and I didn’t really feel like I was going to drastically speed up. I’d had a minor cold the week before, and while I felt fine, at least when not running, I was wondering if that was potentially still impacting me. I had run 30:30 at the Tortoise & Hare Dare 5K a few weeks prior. That was a road course, and this course was on a crushed stone path.
I finished the second mile, with a water stop, in 10:05, then sped up to run the last full mile in 9:33. I thought we were going to turn at the white bridge, but we ended up turning at the brown bridge, making the total distance 3.2 miles. I looked down at my watch and was at 30:20 at 3.1 miles, finishing the race in 31:02.
My average pace on my watch was 9:44, so while my finish time was slower than the Tortoise & Hare Dare 5K, my pace was slightly faster (I ran 9:47/mile there). Sub-30 had still eluded me at a race this spring, even though I ran 29:27 when I did a fast solo 5K on the Ocean City Boardwalk in March.
After crossing the finish line, there were water and snacks available. Winners received a certificate for free shoes from VP Shoes, and age group winners received VP Shoes gift certificates. It looked like I was right behind some people in my age group, and I was, but I gave it what I had and couldn’t catch up.
This was a nice small-town race for a great cause and I was happy to support the effort! After we ran that article, I also renewed my overdue CPR certification.
It was also my first race in my new Eastern Shore Running Club shirt. It was a great day for a run, though I can always take it a bit cooler. This was my second of three official 5Ks this spring. Stay tuned for the next post, about the Ben Layton 5K, which took place a week after this one.
She Runs by the Seashore 