Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Races for the Roses 5K

4/15/2007

The morning of the race was perfect weather, although a somewhat early start. Brian & Nadine picked me up at 6am and then we headed to the Convention Center. Due to the parking lot clusterfuck, we were glad we left early. We had time to stretch, check in outerlayers, and watch the half-marathoners take off.

Our race started at 7:30, but i ttook almost a full minute to get through the start line. We began at a fast pace and enjoyed the downhill to the Broadway Bridge. The rest of the course was mostly flat and we were happy for that. Nadine was awesome and slowed her pace down to run with me. Although she did push me to kick it up a notch and gave me some help working on my breathing, stride, etc. The volunteers were awesome and there were even 2 aid stations on the 5k course! My favorite part was the turnaround point on Front Avenue with the radio station blaring music and the enthusiastic volunteer (bum?) shouting and high-fiving all of the runners. Great motivator to keep going.

I became a bit concerned when we were getting close to the Steel Bridge and I had yet to see a "mile 2" sign. I guess I must have just missed it. The inline to get over the bridge was a total bitch, but Nadine encouraged me to keep running and reminded me of the downhill relax time coming up. Before I knew it we were rounding the last corner and sprinting to the finish line. Everyone got a rose and a medal for finishing, which was a nice touch. And the food spread was fabulous!

Time: 00:35:08, an 11:19 pace and 4.5 minutes faster than last time!!!

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