York White Rose Run race review

Today I'm a writing a race review of the York White Rose Run 5 Miler than was held this past Saturday in downtown York, PA.

The weather for a race was near perfect conditions: clear, sunny skies and cool weather so you don't overheat. There was no hint of the rain from the night before so there was no worries of the streets being slick and not getting your proper footing.

I think these conditions are part of what always leads to a big turnout of runners at this race. This years race brought out 280 runners and last years race had almost another 100 finishers beyond this years total.

There is also a team race category and costume category for the York White Rose Run which also helps to add to the fun atmosphere. There's also one my favorite things about the White Rose race—the tradition of the man dressed in Irish clothing playing the bagpipes near the top of the hill at Farquhar Park. I'm not really a fan of bagpipes or the sound they make, but for whatever reason it just feels appropriate and it helps me forget about how tough it is going up that hill. I always give the guy a thumbs-up!

I was debating on whether I wanted to just run this event or go out and truly race it. Part of me wanted to just run and take in all the sites along the course: the architecture of some of the buildings we pass, the city residents who stand on their porch & watch (and sometimes cheer) the runners going by, and the bright colors that fall brings to the leaves on the trees. In the end, since the weather was ideal and I don't have too many other events coming up on my race calendar, I decided to race.

My PR for a 5 miler is 31:17, so I knew it would take a great effort to beat that mark for I haven't been doing as much running lately—especially speedwork! That previous PR translates to a 6:15 per mile pace, and from past experience, I know that is very hard for me to maintain.

Even though I was a little boxed in at the very start of the race, I ran the first mile in 6:08. Part of me was happy for I was indeed on pace for a new PR, but part of me was worried too because I thought perhaps I went out too fast for I know I'd never maintain that speed. The second mile contained the hill at Farquhar Park, so I knew that one would definitely be slower. Last year I attacked this hill and it took quite a bit out of me while running the flat section going around the top of the park. This year I backed off some while going up the hill but I'm not sure that made much of a difference. I didn't feel quick going back down the far side of the park and could never regain that speed I had in the first mile. Even with the course being relatively flat past the park, I just couldn't get my legs to move me any faster. When reaching the mile marker at mile 3, I knew the overall pace my watch showed would be too much to make up in the last 2 miles. I knew then it wouldn't be a new PR set. I still pushed as hard as I could through the rest of the course and it wasn't until the very home stretch at the finish that I could really pick up the pace. I sprinted across the finish line with a finish time of 32:49 which was 38th place overall.

I was mostly satisfied with my time for I did the best I could on this given day and I had some doubts going into it that I would be able to PR since I just haven't been devoting as much time to running in the past month. I probably slowed up just a bit around Farquhar Park too because the color of the leaves on the trees was simply so rich and vivid, I had to take in a few quick glances of all nature had to offer.

For anyone considering a shorter race, I would highly recommend the York White Rose Run 5 Miler. The entry fee is very affordable, it's held at a beautiful time of year, and there's also an after race party at the White Rose Bar & Grill too. And don't forget about those bagpipes either!