This race fell on a REALLY bad day for me for various reasons. I couldn't believe how much came up that day! I had signed up for the race probably 2 months ago? I can't remember exactly, but I know it was awhile ago. First, we realized that it fell the same day as the Easter thing at the Zoo we wanted to go to but we just decided to skip that. Luckily, The Husband was able to come home Thursday night at we made the Friday Eggs, Paws and Claws instead. Then we got a call Thursday that the kids had their first soccer practice at noon that day and the race started at 11. To top it off they are on different teams for this league and we needed 2 people there for practice. Finally, the local Easter Egg hunt was that day at noon as well so I had taken to them to a tiny one at the library on Wednesday. Smaller egg hunt= less candy. Yay!
It all ended up working out fairly well, however. I took my 14yo twin sisters with me to the race and my dad went with The Husband to the soccer practice and everyone was where they were supposed to be.
I picked up B&B at 9:30 to head to the race. I wanted to be there by 10:30 since the race started at 11. I had plugged the address into the GPS and I don't know what she was doing but she got me all turned around! Turned me down one street then told me to go back and get back on the road I was just on. I am very glad I gave myself a buffer of about 15 minutes.
I got there at about 10:20ish and we went up to pick up my shirt and race bib. They had little drawstring bags with our number stapled to them and our shirt, a couple lifesaver mints, an ink pen, and a flyer for a half marathon inside. I was VERY glad that I had put the safety pins from my race last weekend in with my running stuff because they didn't seem to have any and I hadn't brought any from home.
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| Can't say I am a fan of the shirt. It may never see the light of day =) |
We wandered around a bit to try to figure out where the starting line was, ran to the restroom, and waited.
At 10 minutes to start time they led us around behind a building and got us ready to take off. The course was 2 loops around a couple road and up a sidewalk. I normally run one big loop on my distances so the 2 loops kind of got to me! I had been sick all week and spent the whole run coughing and with the feeling of having something the size of a golf ball in the back of my throat. Which brings me to my only real aggravation with this race.
I went around the first loop and noticed a water station at the 2 mile mark (less than a mile on the first loop). I passed it but when I came around the next time I was coughing quite a bit and needed a drink. The girls were standing there and I was pretty much alone running except for a couple people. I pulled a headphone out of my ear as I came up on them so they could see I was stopping. They still stood there. I had to stop, ask if they had water, and wait for them to pull a small bottle of water out of a cooler. It was pretty aggravating to have to stop but I realize that this is only the second year of the race. I got a quick drink and moved on. I got up a little hill and around a bend and saw another water station! DOH! I hadn't noticed it before but these women had cups sitting out and ready. Oh well!
At the end I was coughing again and was getting pretty tired. I had gone out way too fast for me (8:49 mile 1) and it was showing in the 3rd mile. I didn't think I was going to beat last week's time and I was just ready to finish. This guy who had run in the general vicinity of me the whole time was slightly in front of me at the last turn. He turned around and gestured to me and said "come on! It's right there!" I needed that this time, because while 3 miles has become fairly easy for me, this coughing had done me in! We ran in together at the finish and I got a time of 29:24.3. Just barely faster than last weeks 29:26.5 but a PR is a PR, right?
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| Finish line =) |
That time put me 1st in my age group again but the breakdown doesn't show how many others were in my age group. I know at least 2 because they did the first 3 places in each age group and there were other people called up. I also got 24/86 and 6/43 of women.
Afterward they had some pretty good food. It was $5 donation for non-runners and free for those who ran. There were pulled pork sandwiches (I assume this is why it was called a "pig out?"), cole slaw, baked beans, and various desserts. It was a nice way to fill in the time while waiting on rewards.
I don't have another race until The Flying Pig on May 5th so I am just going to work hard until then and keep getting in my long runs on the weekends.
Happy Running!
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