The tartan twosome was certainly something to be respected. That much I learned this weekend lol. The Sunset 5km was at 7pm Friday night, so after working a typical day, making super for the family etc., I laced up and ran with looked like 1000 runners alone Shore Rd. It was charged atmosphere, lots of competitive juices flowing and then nervous ones from those who were trying their first race, ever. I was in the middle, nervous in the big crowd, and I just don't race as much as I used to, and wanting to do well, for me. We heard the loud cannon but it took another 2 minutes before the crowd in front of me started to even budge. We picked up speed as we crossed the start line and eventually I could break into an easy trot. I rounded the corner out of fisherman's cove and we all spread out as soon as we could to run up the gentle incline. I enjoyed the crowd, people were excited, yelling and saying 'thank yous' to the volunteers. A few local musicians were playing Maritime music as we passed, so I didn't feel the need to wear my own music. Besides, it was much safer not to wear earbuds with the size of the crowd. I didn't bother with any of the water stops; it's a 5km in the evening, so I didn't feel overheated. I overheard many of the out of towner's saying how many "hills" there were to go, and I had to chuckle. Honestly, the route is as flat as they were going to get in Eastern Passage. I did point out that it was all downhill to the finish though. I checked my watch at the turn around and I noticed that I was only 18 minutes in, so I knew I was going at a decent pace. I tried hard to hold onto it straight to the finish, but I did slow down as I climbed the last "hill" ;-) I finished the Sunset 5k in 33 minutes so I was pleased to come in under 35 minutes. I didn't go all out but I did push myself at times. I quickly left, cheering on the other runners as I walked back to my car, and got ready for the half marathon at 8am.
The weather was overcast and cool when I got up for the half marathon. I knew it would get humid before it would all burn off and we would end up with a nice morning. I tried to dress accordingly, but looking back I wish I had bit the bullet and wore a fuel belt or a backpack to carry my stuff. I wore a vest over my wicking shirt but it trapped heat in a little too well. The crowd was as big as the night before as I lined up with the other tartan twosome people, and the 5km, 10km, half marathon and full marathon runners. The corral was color coded so you just got in your group and waited. I think it worked out well, the only draw back would be if you were trying to win, say the 10km and are behind the slowest 5km runner since the gun goes off only once and so we all go together. It again led to alot of crowding to the small roads. Thankfully, after the 5km turnaround the crowd's size dropped quite a bit. I decided to walk the Caldwell hill climb this time. It is a steep hill and while I usually gut it out I was feeling the effects from the night before's effort. I saw my friend Deanna first, charging back down the hill, looking super strong, running toward a sub 50 minute 10km. Next I saw my friend Lee as he crested the top of the hill on his way back down, looking good to finish his very first 10km race in just a shade over an hour.
I saw Hannah and my brother waiting to cheer me on as I passed Heritage Hills drive. They had our dog, Peanut with them and as soon as he saw me he freaked out, wanting to run with me. He usually does run with me so I felt badly for him. The runners behind me said he was very cute and clearly wanted to go for a run lol. I ran with them for another 2km, until we got to a hellish hill that just goes on and on for a kilometer. I tried to walk as quickly as I could and eventually I found my running legs again and took off, trying to chase them down again. The next climb was much shorter but it feels like you are climbing at a 90 degree angle, it's crazy steep. I power walked it but just couldn't make up enough time to catch them. After I reached the Moose I decided to put my earbuds on and blast my music. Besides, I run this exact route alot, so I pretended it was just another training run. I put my head down and settled into a steady pace. I ended up passing a few other runners along that road, and then again as we hit a steep downhill on our way back into Eastern Passage. I love downhills. As I finally got to the bottom of the last hill I saw the marker still in place for the 5km turnaround. I thanked the volunteers there and then saw there was a runner behind me. I asked her if she wanted to run the race in together and she said sure. Eileen and I had a great chat about the race and other local races we've done. She had just run her first marathon this past spring. As we hit the final kilometer marker one of the musicians approach us and said a runner was in distress. He asked if we could find someone with a phone that could call the first aid personnel for the race. I checked on the runner and asked her if she had any water She said she did and the volunteer said we were going to go get help. We ran as fast as our tired legs would carry us until we got to one of the road closure workers. I asked him if he had a radio from across the street and told him when he pulled it out that there was a runner in distress and the details of where they could find her. Then Eileen and I continued on, trying to keep a steady pace right to the finish. As we turned onto Fisherman's cove I saw Hannah and my brother cheering from the sidelines. It was great to see them and to finish.
Then it was back to reality and dance practice, groceries and a cat show - oh my! I think I deserved my oxcasa bowl from Feshii tonight.
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