2015 Baltimore Women's Classic 5K Race Recap

Disclosure: As a volunteer Charm City Run training group coach I received a complimentary entry to this race. I had already planned on registering before this opportunity. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I love the Baltimore Women's Classic 5K in Baltimore. You can read my recap from the 2013 BWC because I forgot to recap last year's race (it'll be a throwback recap one of these days when I finish the draft!) 

This year was the race's 40th year and is the largest all-women's 5K in the Mid-Atlantic region. I love this race because it's all about girl power, benefits Cancerve which provides direct support to female cancer patients and their families in Maryland, and is truly a fun, family event. They have many nice little touches including a kids fun run after the 5K. 

Pre-Race: 

I had a higher mileage week because it was my first real deal week of following my marathon training schedule. I also raced the November Project Sunrise 6K on Wednesday in 21:10 so my legs already had some speedwork done. For the first time, my main reason for showing up on Sunday was because I had been a volunteer coach for the Patterson Park BWC 5K training group. I was got there right before the race started, but I was excited to hang in the training VIP tent for a bit and see everyone after the race. 

After a really dreary, wet Saturday it was lovely to get down to the Inner Harbor and find that it was cooler and sunny. I had spent all of Saturday on the couch feeling knocked out by allergies or a summer cold so getting some fresh air felt great. 

I love this view! 

I was running a little late so I popped down to Rash Field 15 minutes before the race started just as Brick Bodies was leading a pre-race warm-up.  This event is so big, and I loved seeing some many lady runners and their families. 

I dropped my stuff off at the VIP training tent and grabbed some water before heading over to the start. They had more clearly marked pace markers at the start which helped keep it a little more organized. I even ended up walking right over to the area where my friend happened to be lined up! 

Clouds gave way to sun! {photo courtesy of Charm City Run}

Race: 

Going into the race I knew I wanted to stay around 7:00 minute miles. The weather was cooler, and my legs weren't feeling too bad minus some tightness at the beginning. I'm familiar with the course and decided to give it a go.  The only thing I regretted was forgetting my sunglasses because it was way sunnier than I expected. I ran my first mile in  7:12 which is not bad because there's a bit of a hill and I always have trouble pacing myself the first mile of a 5K. I stayed consistent and ran the second mile in 7:13 and picked a few ladies to try to stay with to keep me on pace. 

Once I got into mile 2 I wanted to pick it up a little bit. I saw a friend around mile 2.5 who said I looked really smooth and comfortable which is great to hear because with all the thoughts in my head I always feel like I probably look tired and pained when I'm running fast! I pushed it a little harder and focused on passing some people and coming around the harbor curve faster. I finished mile 3 in 6:56 and pushed it to the finish. 

I'm in the pink shirt coming down the home stretch! {photo courtesy of Charm City Run}

I ended up coming 8th in my division, 25th overall with a time of 22:02, average pace 7:06 min/mi. Not bad!  It's slower than I ran this race the past two years, but I really just wanted  to run a faster, comfortable race and knew after Wednesday's Sunrise 6K that I probably  wouldn't be moving as fast.  It was pretty warm by the end of the race. 

Post-Race: 

After getting my medal, cold towel, and red rose at the finish, I quickly grabbed some water, found my friend, and made a B-line for the watermelon. Besides just freaking loving watermelon, it is so refreshing after a warm run.

Okay so I snapped this afterwards and the watermelon was almost gone!

They had lots of food for training group members at the VIP tent so I went there and grabbed a cinnamon bagel, a cup of coffee and some more fruit. I quickly had to stop at the port-a-pot and was really surprised to find tables set up outside of them with hand sanitizer, feminine hygiene products, bug spray, and sunscreen. What a great idea and lovely touch to the race! 

The best part of the whole morning? Talking to the ladies in the training groups and seeing how awesome everyone did.  Our training group attendance dwindled a bit towards then end but having two of the ladies in my beginners runners group come up to me and thank me for motivating & encouraging them made all of my time volunteering with the training worth it. I loved hearing how they both rocked their races and had a great time! 

I'm trying to spread the running love, one person at a time.

Overall: 

I think this is a really great event that all the female runners in Baltimore should support! It's well-organized and really caters to women.  I think the course is really nice and not too challenging. The BWC always has a really pretty medal, and the shirts keep getting better and better. Charm City Run also does a great job with the race support, timing, and training groups.  

I'd love to give a shout-out to Lily Trotters. They sent me a pair of their USA-made compression socks to try out, and I've worn them a couple of times before the race. I love the adorable polka dot pattern and the pink ruffle at the top. They have graduated compression, but aren't tight enough that they are uncomfortable. They are a lot softer and thinned than other brands which made for a perfect mix of practicality and comfort! 

I literally put them back on after I showered and stretched out to help with recovery after tacking on extra miles later in the afternoon to make up my long run mileage.  I also like that they didn't get itchy after wearing them all day which I find with some other brands.  They have a Kickstarter campaign starting July 14th so be sure to check them out! I'll definitely be keeping them in my sock rotation from now on. 

This post was linked up with Weekend Snapshots, MIMM,Weekend Update, and Race Recap Link-Up {10}.  

Have you ever coached a training group? Did you race this weekend? What's is your favorite new pair of gear?