The Lawyers Have Heart 10K is the race I love to hate. Or maybe it’s the race I hate to love. It’s almost always hot and humid, and the course is pretty dreary with no crowd support. But, I am a lawyer, and I do have heart. I like to support the American Heart Association. And, my law firm pays for my race entry. So, I sign up year after year. 🙂
A few months ago when my son’s girlfriend started getting back into running, I encouraged her to sign up for the Lawyers Have Heart 5K. When she agreed, I decided that was a good reason for me to do the 5K instead of the 10K for a change. After my experience this weekend, that may be a change that sticks.
2018 Lawyers Have Heart 5K Race Recap
To stay within the guidelines of the new Friday Five format, I’ll keep my Lawyers Have Heart 5K race recap short and sweet. If you want to read more about the course, you can check out my previous recaps here.
The race was supposed to start at 7:00 am, so we left the house at 5:45, and were parked in the Kennedy Center garage–free with the parking pass downloaded from the race website–shortly after 6:00. We joined other runners on the 1/2 mile walk to the race staging area at Washington Harbor, made a quick pit stop at my office bathrooms, and still were ready to run by 6:30.
Lawyer Humor
I did a short warm-up run, and lined up at about 6:50. Luckily I spotted a co-worrker and his wife because (i) chatting with them helped pass the time until the race started at 7:24 and (ii) once the race started I chased them all the way to my PR finish.
Patent Lawyer Humor
I haven’t run a 5K since I did the National Press Club Beat The Deadline 5K (26:13 /8:21 pace) as a comeback race after I fractured my foot in 2015. Based on my spring race times and Orange Theory Fitness treadmill paces, I was ready to push for a sub-8:00.
The 5K route is in purple.
Once I made it up the K Street ramp and onto the Whitehurst Freeway, I checked my Garmin and saw that I was at a 7:50 pace–perfect. My mile splits were 7:51, 7:54, and 7:56, and then 6:45 for that final push to the finish. It was hard, but it was over quickly!
I got my medal and some water, and headed back to cheer in my son’s girlfriend–who also nailed her sub-10:00 pace goal!
Only later did I learn that I won my age group!
Too bad there’s no prizes for the 5k.
All in all, I’m glad I did the Lawyers Have Heart 5K this year. I liked the challenge of pushing my pace, and pushed harder knowing it would end soon. I liked it so much I may never go back to the 10K–unless they change the course. That said, my son’s girlfriend is ready to train for a 10K, so now I’m on the lookout for a fun one we can do in the fall.
I’m joining the Friday link up at Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness.
Do you run different race distances or stick with your favorite?
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Congrats on winning your age group!
Thanks so much!
Wow! What a fantastic race! Great pace and congrats on the AG win! I actually love to run a 5k. I hadn’t done any in a few years until this spring either. I am going to have to find another one to sign up for soon. Love the wacky lawyer humor. 🙂
I haven’t done a 5K in ages — maybe I should give them another chance too. Lawyer jokes are pretty unique. 😉
Isn’t it fun to find your speed like that? You’ve been running so well this year. Congrats on that AG win!!
Thanks! That’s so rare for me with so many “older” runners in this area.
How cool that you now have your sons girlfriend to do races with!
Congrats on placing first! Too bad there was no prize. Did you get a medal? What would have been the prize for the 10k?
Thanks! it is fun to have another runner in the house. There were cash prizes for the 10K – a few hundred dollars?
Fun to have your son’s GF doing races with you! And it must feel good that you’re beating her. 🙂 Congrats on your well earned AG win!
Hah, no, I don’t have a superiority complex, but we do have to decide which of us is running with the dog. 😉
Great race and finish time. It’s rare that we get medals for 5ks here.
Super fun that your son’s GF ran too.
I wish I had a family member to run with. No one is interested.
Really? No 5K medals? So many races make a big deal about their medals. But the races aren’t cheap either. I think this was $55 and included a t-shirt too.
Wow! Great PR. I liked that this race gave medals since it was your son’s girlfriend’s first race. Getting a medal on my first 5k really motivated me to continue with running. I run different race distances. I like all of them. The only distance I haven’t done is a full marathon.
I think most races have medals these days — except the really low key ones. I haven’t done a marathon either – and have no plans too!
I love seeing you run so well. I think you have all your hard work at OTF to thank for that PR. Congratulations!
Thanks. I think PT probably helped too – working on all those “little” things can make a big difference.
Great job! 5k’s can be tough, but fun ones are always good to run.
Yay! Well done on your new PB and placing! And I especially love that you are out there with your son’s girlfriend – such a great way for you to create your own special bond.
Oh, I was glad she was willing to do it with me!
Way to go on the 5k! I was never a fan of them either until I was basically challenged to run one “as fast as I can”. I do think it’s all mental and like you said, way easier to give it all you got because it will be over quickly. Congrats again!
That was sort of my approach to this one – to see what I could do.
Excellent job!!! As you know, I’m all over the map with race distances,but the 13.1 is my favorite 😉 That said, I have a couple of 5K’s on the roster…one of which is tomorrow…
Oh, good luck!
Congrats! I’m a big fan of the 5K. They’re so much fun. Short and sweet!
I usually don’t like the ratio of time spent running vs. not running, but it’s not too bad once in a while.
Heat and humidity always do me in when I’m running! Congrats on winning your age group!!
wow, well done!!! did they ever say why the race started so late though?? that is annoying! in either case you did really well to push your pace – your prize being the personal satisfaction that you did it 🙂
I run all sorts of distances. I don’t really know what my favorite is! I have hardly EVER done a 5K. Usually at RnR races I will do the 5K, but locally I always do 10K or more. That said at the end of the month I’m going to do a 7.5K while my husband kills himself again at the marathon distance (I’ll be drinking a beer in his favor while he’s going up and down the hills in Apeldoorn). I *may* do a 5K and a 10K the next day as well since that race and those distances are a stone’s throw from my house and I have a 15K on my schedule that day…
Great time! Congrats! Why did the race start so late? That would annoy me. That would royally screw up all my pre race bathroom rituals…
It’s really fun to see you running so well! You will have to give me some tips. Congrats again on a fab race and age group win
Sounds like you had a great race- congrats on winning your AG! I usually opt for a longer race if there is an option, but sometimes is better to go for the shorter one.
That’s amazing! Congratulations on such a strong finish and your AG win!!!
I think we all have those races we feel compelled to run but that we don’t necessarily love. This one is clearly yours, but you owned it!
Running in the humidity is no joke!
Way to crush your pace and get 1st in your AG. And congrats to your son’s girlfriend as well!
Cute shirts! Love the lawyer humor!
Congrats on the age group win. Love the humorous shirts!
5Ks are weird for me. I have my annual Frozen Penguin, and then a whole mess of 5Kish fun/charity runs. Doing an NYRR one in July that I’m curious about as I never knew there was a 5K loop in Central Park
Your OrangeTheory workouts have definitely paid off! Congrats again on such a speedy race!