11.19.2013

Mustache Dache 5K Race Report

Just like last year, I was on the fence about running this race.  I wasn't sure how it would fit in with the Chicago Hot Chocolate 15K and the Seattle Half (last year it was the Snohomish River Run and Seattle Half, with the same hamstring acting up, too!)  Luckily, the awesome folks at Gametiime provided me an opportunity to win an entry!  Score!  Although I'm pretty sure that next year I will not hesitate to pony up for men's health and run the Mustache Dache, as it's been a fantastic race two years running.

For those of us who live in the 'burbs on Seattle's Eastside, it can be a real pain to get into the city for packet pickups.  I was so very appreciative that our bibs and shirts were available at the Road Runner store in Bellevue.  Apparently lots of folks were happy about this opportunity, as there was a long line already forming 10 minutes before packet pickup was supposed to start.  

grey mens shirt
Really awesome simple and cool shirts.  I went with the mens (pic from the Mustache Dache website above) to have a good tee for sleeping in, and the fabric did not disappoint/isn't cardboard stiff.  The women's tee was the same logo on red fabric.

One of the (many) cool things about this race is the start time.  I really love me some sleep, and I lose my day to sleep in when I race.  Wah.  The Mustache Dache starts at 10am!  I rolled outta bed around 8am - unheard of for race day.  Additionally, there is plenty of parking at Magnuson park - also unheard of on race day.  The parking lot closest to the start did fill up crazy fast this year, but I only had to drive a 5 minute walk away to the next closest lot.  

I utilized that walk to do a couple of strides and attempted to warm up my hamstring.  Boy, I was feeling SLOW.  But the sun was shining, I had a good night's sleep and was looking forward to seeing lots of familiar faces.  So many running peeps come out for this race: friends from Oiselle team, Nuun, Twitter, my local Y - it's a big party.  After making a quick lap around the sponsor tents to find and say hi to friends, I lined up in the start corral just between the 8 and 9min mile paces (which is exactly what I ran) and spotted Bethany, who I met at Ragnar (again, peeps everywhere).  It was so great to have someone to chat with and diffuse any race day nerves.  

Pretty soon the air horn sounded and we slowly made our way to crossing the timing mats.  As we moved up, we realized that there was a ton of folks merging into the designated start corrals from the side towards the front.  Thus, the beginning of the race was pretty crowded.  I had to do quite a bit of slowing down and strategizing to find some holes.  However, once I got into a groove with people going my pace, the course opened up considerably.  I spoke with the race director afterwards and they did indeed change the course from last year where there was a total bottleneck situation.  It's nice and flat, with a few of twists and turns going in a sort of circle around the park's playing fields and beach path.

ANOTHER great thing about this race? FREE PHOTOS - courtesy of Woodinville Bicycle.

No, I didn't wear a stache; last year it sweated off within a quarter of a mile and I didn't have enough time to get one drawn on beforehand.  Maybe I'll draw my own next year...  As per my usual with a 5K, I started out kind of fast in the first mile, felt like giving up/lost steam/prayed for death in the following mile and a half, then kicked it up a notch for the final half mile or so.  This was all exacerbated by the fact that my hamstring felt about an inch long and my lungs are still getting rid of yet another bug from the kids.  So, yeah, I was rather pleasantly surprised that I was within a minute of my PR (25:29) - clocking in at 26:18.  Of course my first thought on learning my time was, "I want to find a small/less crowded out-and-back course to run ASAP for a PR!"  Maaaybe I should wait until my leg is feeling better though...

After crossing the finish line, I was immediately handed my super-awesome-I-don't-care-if-it's-only-for-a-5K medal:

photo_m
From the Mustache Dache website


My only complaint with the race, and it wasn't a HUGE deal, was that the water was hard to find at the finish.  There was some Muscle Milk (which I do like, but not right away) and some kind of carbonated energy drink, which usually upsets my stomach.  It was only a short walk to get the water, again - not a huge deal, but it wasn't immediately apparent and people were getting upset.  Also, I'm much more a fan of bottled water (easy to recycle, transport, dispense) than coolers with cups.  Just keepin' it real.  Once I downed about five cups of water, I partook in some of the lovely spread of cookies, muffins, bananas, chips, etc.  There were also lots of good samples: Clif bars, Builders Bars Vita Coco coconut water, among other things I'm sure I missed.  There was also a plethora of cool food trucks and Iron Horse Brewery beer.  But, I gathered with running buddies for smoothies and breakfast sandwiches at the Cloud City Coffee outpost in the park's Tennis Center - easy peasy hidden gem right across the street from the start.  Six of us were able to sit down together right away to eat and chat.

Being a bit too literal about where the stache should be placed on my face...  With Rebecca and Becky.

If you're in any of the cities on the Dache's ever expanding list, I highly recommend giving it a go.  It's a great race for a great cause.



10 comments:

  1. That's such a great race pic you got! It's especially great with your sunglasses perfectly matching your race singlet! :) It was great to see you!

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  2. Happy to hear it was a great race for you!

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  3. I love the race medal and the group photo of you guys "wearing" them! I need at least one or two good 5K or 10K runs in January/Februrary. I'd love to see a post with some local race recommendations for the winter months :)

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  4. I love the medals! I haven't run this one but am tempted each year. Maybe next year;)

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  5. It was great to chat with you also. Love the picture! I will have to look at them closer, I couldn't find any of me. Let me know if you find a small 5k I was only off my PR by 3 seconds.

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  6. Hey sweet race pic! It was great getting to catch up with you after, will I be seeing you at the Seattle half after all??

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    1. nah, I don't think it's worth pushing my leg further :(

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  7. I was so upset by the lack of bottled water at the end! It didn't help that I was using the race as part of my 12 mile run for the Seattle Half. I ended up buying a bottle of water from one of the food trucks. I'd much rather have water at the end of a race than energy drink or Muscle Milk.

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  8. Such fun photos! And I still love those mint green sunglasses.

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