Today I'm recapping the NFL’s Back to Football 5K that I ran last week at Ravens Stadium! My boyfriend was running too (even though he didn't end up training or running at all in preparation, tsk tsk!) so since I was with him, we were running kind of late.
It's the first time I've done a race in the evening (it started at 7 PM) , which felt strange to get ready to race at night but was much appreciated when I felt how nice and cool it was as the sun was starting to set.
I broke out my purple and black tutu that had been collecting dust since last year's Baltimore half marathon and wanted to be festive and rep my second favorite football team (Nice win last night, Eagles!). We lined up with runners in front of M&T Bank Stadium and since it was a smaller crowd, managed to squeeze to the front of the pack. They had a DJ, former Ravens players, the Ravens cheerleaders,and Poe the mascot. Former Raven kicker Matt Stover even started the race with a punt!
It's the first time I've done a race in the evening (it started at 7 PM) , which felt strange to get ready to race at night but was much appreciated when I felt how nice and cool it was as the sun was starting to set.
I broke out my purple and black tutu that had been collecting dust since last year's Baltimore half marathon and wanted to be festive and rep my second favorite football team (Nice win last night, Eagles!). We lined up with runners in front of M&T Bank Stadium and since it was a smaller crowd, managed to squeeze to the front of the pack. They had a DJ, former Ravens players, the Ravens cheerleaders,and Poe the mascot. Former Raven kicker Matt Stover even started the race with a punt!
Scott and I already discussed that it was okay for me to race ahead because he would probably have to walk a bunch of it. Everyone, including myself, started off the 5K really fast, oops. The race route was nice, with some hills thrown in. I had done some sprints at Crossfit in the morning and had tried to eat dinner before race so I wasn't feeling too hot during the middle of the race, especially since I was running such a fast pace. Eventually I was running with only a few people around me and was enjoying the run and all the shout-outs to me about my tutu.
The end of the race looped back around the stadium, then led you inside the stadium and finished at the 50-yard line, which was the most fun part of the race. In the race photos you can see me with a huge smile on my face! It was awesome to run onto the field, see yourself on the jumbo-tron and look into the stands at the people watching! I was the first girl in a tutu to finish :) Post-race there was water, Propel,snacks, beer(if you're of age of course), and a medal. I waited for Scott, who managed to finish even with some asthma problems and walk breaks. I was really proud of him for trying and finishing instead of backing out.
My watch ended up saying it was around 3.05 but maybe that was because I was hugging close to the turns and such. My chip time ended up being 20:52 which is a PR because I've never broken 21 minutes before! Go me! I was 6th female overall and 38/2367 out of everyone! Afterwards I snapped some photos and headed home. Overall, the Back to Football 5K was a great event and nice way to bring people out to celebrate the Ravens and being fit! I loved finishing on the field and would definitely run it again!
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| FYI, The actual Raven's Super Bowl trophy from last season is in a glass case, but this display one is still from Tiffany's! |
Have you ever raced in the evening or at night?
That's such a cool race, I would love to finish a race on my NFL team field! Love the tutu as well, super cute!
ReplyDeleteI have done a few night races. I like them but I rarely PR at them, after working all day it makes it hard for me to get into race mode.
So fun! We did a 5K at EverBank Field (Jaguars) last month, and it was awesome. Except we had to run up to the top of the stadium, and down several times, which was brutal! That was my first night race, and it was definitely a challenge being ready for it. I am running Tower of Terror in a few weeks, and that one will start at 10PM. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the PR!! Sounds like a fun race to run! I sometimes like evening races but they totally whack up your normal eating schedule.
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