Sam D'Alessio's Anthem Great Pumpkin 5k

Pumpkins, ghosts and ghouls - oh my! Fall is a great time of the year to run a local road race. They tend to be festive whether it's a pumpkin race, turkey trot or jingle bell run. Everyone arrives decked out in their best holiday garb. At the finish line awaits Oktoberfest beer, a plate filled with turkey and mashed potatoes or a splitting headache from listening to 10,000 jingle bells for the past hour. Families come out to cheer, kids run in costume and the weather is gorgeous.

I signed up for The Anthem Great Pumpkin 5k in Reston which was held during Reston's Oktoberfest. I was coming off a long tri season and did not have any real goals other than to have fun and run hard. The weather could not have been more perfect - 50s at the race start and sunny. I completed a good warm-up then worked my way towards the front of the field to wait for the gun.

5ks are funny races. You can either jog along and enjoy the scenery or go all out leaving nothing on the course. As my husband and some friends told me - 5ks are supposed to hurt. I wanted to run hard but I decided not to set a specific time goal. Regardless of my finish time, I wanted to be proud and happy with my effort.

The gun sounded and the field surged. I was close enough to the front to get comfortable running room within a few hundred feet. The only bad thing about the start was my HR; it zoomed through the roof. I had hoped my warm-up would prevent that but when I hit 182 bpm going up the first incline I thought that I needed to get it under control or it would be a long 3 miles. So I focused on my breathing and form and paid attention to my legs making sure the burn didn't settle in during the first mile. I kept it together through Mile 1. At the first downhill section, I was hoping for some recovery. Once I reached the crest of the incline, I was happy to start running down Reston Parkway in front of the Town Center towards the toll road exits.

Only one problem, my HR was not dropping. At that point, I knew it this was going to hurt. The next mile was flat to slightly downhill as the course made a right onto Sunset Hills. Just as I made the decision to keep the hammer down, a side stitch popped up on my right side. I tried to relax and think about my breathing in order to get rid of it. Luckily within half a mile it was gone.

As I approached Mile 2, I realized that I was on pace to smash my 5k PR. I was surprised and excited by the chance to have not a good race but an awesome race. My HR was still through the roof but I had serious motivation to keep going. There was more uphill than flat or downhill on the last mile especially the last quarter mile of the race. I stayed focused on my form and increased my turnover but shortened my stride as my quads and hamstrings started to tire.

I made the final turn straight up through the Town Center to a large crowd. I was really hurting by this point and my breathing was labored. I passed my family and gave a quick wave. It’s always nice to hear “Go Mommy” and it gave me just the last boost I needed to finish strong.

Everything was hurting at the finish. My legs were heavy and my lungs burned but I pushed all the way through the finish. My time 24:06 – more than a minute faster than my best 5k race. I grabbed some water and banana as I staggered out of the finish chute. Luckily I recovered quickly so I jogged back down the sidewalk for big hugs from my kids. We watched and cheered for other racers finishing.

I finished the morning by cheering for my 6yr old son and 4yr old daughter as they participated in the kids pumpkin dash. They enjoyed every minute and I celebrated with a well-earned Dominion Oktoberfest beverage.