The Dublin Double: 10K and 5K 15 minutes apart

Yesterday I ran two races back to back.  I was a pacer in both.  It was really really cold. It was 14 degrees and feels like of 4.  I was not happy.  I had to leave home at 5:30 am for an hour and 15 minute drive and 7:30 am start time.  I paced the 10K at this same race last year.  This was the first time this event company offered the option of running both races.  The 5K started at 9 am.  As the 65 minute pacer, I was in the second start wave for the 10K so that left me with 15 minutes between races.  I paced with Josh of Clippin Along blog.  This was his first time pacing 65 minutes, he usually paces 60 minutes.  We both had trouble staying on pace!  I had my Garmin set to give me a split every quarter mile and it should have been 2:36 each time.  We had more than a few quarters where we were too fast.  I don't even know if anyone was trying to follow us.  We eventually finished and we were a minute fast.  I went through the finish chute and the pace team coordinator took my 65 minute sign and handed me the 10 minute sign for the 5K.  Josh took the 1st time 5K sign which starts toward the back where there tends to be more beginner runners.  We headed over to the start area to wait to get started in the 5K.  I had just run a 10K so I was standing around in an already sweaty shirt and gloves.  I was FREEZING.  My hands were so cold that they were hurting.  I was wondering if I had frostbite.  I really wanted to just go home.  I was miserable.  Once I started running, my hands warmed up quickly.  I was glad because I was really thinking that I was getting frostbite.  Just like the last time I paced 10 minute miles in a 5K for this race series, people thought I was going too fast.  I was really close to my goal split of 2:30 every quarter mile except one very late in the race where I was nearly 30 seconds too fast.  I came in right at 31 minutes which is right where I should have been so I wasn't going too fast.  The 5K went by really fast.  The 5K starts in the same place as the 10K but cuts over to close to the 3 mile point of the 10K so the course is pretty much the second half of the 10K.  There were still some 10K walkers and runners out there.  I finished and got my Dublin Double medal and turned in my pacer sign and then along came pacer Josh so we got a picture with our signs:

two races, two medals

I was surprised that the two medals looked the same except the one had the addition of the words, "Dublin Double" across the pot of gold.  Oh well.  I'd be fine without the silly medals but they are always given to the pacers. 

Medals for 10K and Dublin Double

 I had a hard time getting a good picture of the medals, the pictures kept coming out so dark and I had help from my daughter's kitten, Ollie:

picture helper

I left right away after the 5K; I didn't even go to the food tent.  I drove all the way home with the heater on high and the heated seat on high. 
I was really stiff and sore by the time I got home.  I was sore the rest of the day.  This is the longest I've run since Key West. 
I was only home 2.5 hours and had to go to my Niece's concert.  She sings in the Belleville Community Chorus so I was off to Belleville at 1:30. 
I  was so tired when I got home that I didn't even work on a blog entry. 
Well, I'm off to go for a short, easy run now!  It's 34 degrees - more than double what it was yesterday morning when I was running these races!

Runner Nerd
going for a run