Bunny Hoppin' Around Columbia

Of all of the 5Ks that I've completed over the last 3.5 months, the Columbia YMCA Bunny Hop 5K is one of the only two that I've run in prior to this year. In fact, this is my third time bunny hoppin' all around downtown Columbia.
 

{2015|2016}
 

They did end up changing the course a little bit this year due to the new location of the downtown YMCA. It didn't change too much though and they kept the fun little loop that you have to run through twice in the middle of the race.



My friend Kayla had a goal to do her first 5K this spring & I convinced her that this one was a good one, so she signed up for it! Yay! I always love when there is someone else that I know doing the same race as me.
 

I went into this race with only two goals: run the entire thing, finish in under 29 minutes. Despite PR-ing in this race every other time I'd run it, I had no grand plans to beat my current 28:18 PR from the Brookland Cayce Race to the Plate back in February. Those goals changed about 30 seconds into the race though thanks to how toasty it was on Saturday morning.

 {yes, a real feel of 72 is considered "warm" in my book when it comes to running}
 

Mile 1

{9:06 / mile}
 

Loved the new start line location! We started a little further from Main Street this year on a shady section of Hampton Street. The shade lasted for like 30 feet though before we ran through the sunniest roads of all of downtown Columbia. Seriously. There was no shade to be found! Since the race started at 8:30, the sun was already out & shining and warming things up nicely. For this #coldweatherrunner, it was a little too warm for my liking. I ran hard for the first mile knowing that I would be slowing down for the back half of the course. We hit mile one right around where a random yard sale was set up {with about 3 microwaves for sales} and in one of the only shady spots along the course.
 

Mile 2

{9:51 / mile}
 

Mile 2 is always a fun one during this course. This is when the slower runners & the walkers start getting passed by the speedy runners who are completing their second lap of Laurel / Pickens / Barnwell / Richland streets loop. My goal was not to get passed by too many of these runners and I ended up getting passed by the top 8 male runners & the top female runner. Only 9? I could live with that... but I couldn't live with the warming temperatures anymore & had to stop and walk for a few seconds. 72 degrees isn't that warm outside but y'all, when I'm running, it feels like 95.
 

Mile 3

{10:22 / mile}
 

I completed my second lap around the Laurel / Pickens / Barnwell / Richland streets loop and started to head back to the finish line. The complete lack of shade on this part of the course + the temperatures = more walking on my end than I'd like to admit. Part of me might have even been wishing for the torrential downpour that we ran through back in 2014! One guy ran up next to me when I stopped to walk and was having none of my walking. He slowed down to give me some encouragement to start running again and who am I to ignore someone taking the time to encourage me to run? Picked up the running again and took off once I saw the finish line in sight. We crossed over Bull Street & barreled down towards the finish line.

{Photo by Columbia Running Club}

Finish

{8:49 / mile}

Once I saw the clock, it confirmed my suspicions that this definitely would not be a PR kind of day for me. It was already over 30 minutes but I still sprinted it out to the end. It wasn't my slowest 5K of the year but it was over two minutes slower than my best time. The wide range of times that I've managed to clock this spring would be a lot more confusing if they didn't directly correlate with the temperatures outside. Cold = fast, hot = sloooooow

 

Final Results

Watch Time - 30:32

Chip Time - 30:28

Pace - 9:49/mile

Age Group - 2/18

Gender - 41/164

Overall - 116/280


{I love being able to print these out as soon as you cross the finish line!}

Somehow, despite turning in my slowest time ever in the Bunny Hop 5K, I walked away with 2nd place in my age group! I'm definitely not complaining over here. The award was a sweet Bunny Hop 5K pint glass to add to our already extensive collection of pint glasses {which grew by 2 lately thanks to 5K age group awards}.

I'll absolutely be running this race again next year {fingers are already crossed for cooler weather} and I really liked the new course. Despite the lack of shade, it was an insanely flat, straight course. Plus, they have great t-shirts every year and the age group awards are sweet.
 

... aaaaaaand DONE!



That's it y'all. All of the running is D-O-N-E. Ok, well, the racing is done but I'll probably still throw my shoes on some mornings or on cool evenings after work or on Saturday mornings down at the beach. I won't be signing up for anymore 5Ks until August {looking at you, RBHS Stomp the Swamp!} and I am more than a little excited about that.
 

Adios, race recaps! See ya in August!