Just as the title indicates, I am chipping away at my time. At the start of this month, I was 2 minutes slower and that was timed on a track! Now, I am chipping away at that time and soon going to accomplish my next goal. Before I get into that, I want to tell you about the Jewel Jog.
The Jewel Jog 2020 Race
I arrived at 8 am in the small town of Landingville in Schuylkill County Pa. While it was early in the morning the humidity hung heavy in the air. It was one of those cloudy mornings where the sun never pierced through. Despite the heat, the humidity, and the cloud cover, there was a jubilant and welcoming crowd at the Jewel Jog.
Having worked with their organization I knew a large number of people there and had a great time. I found it extremely interesting how different people approached social distancing. The organization as a whole did a wonderful job spreading out the start time and every aspect of the race. I was able to warm up like normal and preparations for the 5k were on their way.
Socially Distanced Race Start
The weirdest thing to get used to with the race was the socially distanced race starting line. It was essentially set up that you could start the run any time between 9 am-11 am. The chip in your race bib would determine your time. While this was great, it made the start of the race really weird! I didn’t have the beginning burst of speed that normally got me in the mindset of a 5k race. Yes, I still started the race at a sprint, but it didn’t have meaning when you weren’t trying to get ahead of the pack.
The funniest thing was passing someone. Because technically, I passed them 30 seconds before that, but neither of us knew. In the end, it resulted in the calmest 5k I have ever run. While I liked the experience and understand the need for the socially distanced start time. I look forward to when races are normal again.
Second Wind Race Timing
If you get a chance to go to a race that is timed by second wind race timing I cannot recommend them enough! Their race results are automatically uploaded online and they do an extremely professional job. They also create a way to communicate with other runners on the results. A great experience with them and this race all the way around.
My Personal Running Goals & Next Steps
I’m a few steps faster and a few steps closer to my running goal of getting under 20:00 on a 5k. After that, I’ll chip away minute by minute until I can beat my high school 5k PR of 17:02. I’m not sure how long that will take, but I look forward to being in that physical shape again. I have a few other running goals I will accomplish, but these are the closest ones in sight. If you know of any upcoming races near Pine Grove Pennsylvania, please message me! I’d love to run and meet up with you!
