Eastern County 8k

I met up with some friends last weekend to run the Montgomery County Road Runner's Eastern County 8k.  This is one of their low-key races so it was free for members!  I had done this race 2 years ago and really liked the first part of the course but not the last mile or so.  I had heard that year was not the normal course and they had to make a last minute change and that the course is usually nice the whole way.  So we were giving it another try.

The course is in a beautiful, local park. It starts off on the road but moves to a paved trail pretty quickly.  It follows the trail around and then there's a turn around at the half way point, then back the way we came.  We continue to follow the trail back the way we came until the finish, which is by the start.

  

Empty course during my 1 mile warm up

It's a fairly hilly course.  It starts with a nice downhill and then some rolling hills but that means on the way back, there is a whole lot of uphill at the end. Most of the race was pretty shaded except the last half mile or so where the sun really beat down on us.

 

It's a pretty small race.  There were only 139 people this year and the last time I ran this race, there was around 160.  The trail isn't closed so in addition to the race participants, there is the usual use of the trail and plenty of people walking their dogs, out with their kids, etc.  I was in the back of the pack so it never felt too crowded but I'm sure it might have been a bit congested for the middle of the pack, especially since it was an out and back on the same trail.

 

Speaking of back of the pack, I was way in the back of the pack for this one.  I knew it was a small race but I had a minute of panic at the beginning because I felt like I might be the last person.  But then I talked myself down and reminded myself that it didn't matter if I was the last person.  Someone has to be and I should still just run my own race at my own pace.  So I slowed down to where I felt comfortable and tried to just run my own race.

   

I picked off two people by the turn around and picked up 3 or 4 more people before the finish. And more importantly for me, I enjoyed the race and felt good the whole time, in spite of the heat and humidity.

 

So I'm glad we gave this race another try!  I love the location and the trail it's run on.  It was a beautiful wooded area with shade for most of the race.  The only negative this time was that there wasn't much food left at the end of back of the packers.  This is really unusual for MCRRC races.  There is almost always plenty of food at the end.  This time, there were no bananas, no oranges, no watermelon... there were some dates so I helped myself to one of those.  There was also plenty to drink with water, apple juice, and iced tea.  The array of beverages seemed a bit unusual.  Hopefully the food thing was just an aberration.

 

Riley's Rumble 8k 2017

So this past weekend I did the Riley's Rumble 8k again.  I had done this race for the first time last year and really enjoyed it.  8k seems like a great Summer race distance for me.  Riley's Rumble is actually a half marathon and last year was the first time they added an 8k option.  The race is put on by the Montgomery County Road Runners and is free for members.  I love their low key races because not only are they free, they're almost always really well organized as well!

The race is known for "the three H's" which are heat, humidity and hills.  We got lucky with the heat and humidity this year and it was cooler than normal.  People were even in long sleeves at the start!  But the sun definitely came out toward the later half of the race and there was some heat then. The half marathon had a 15 minute per mile limit and since the 8k was on the same course, it had the same amount of time.

   

The course was essentially an out and back with a loop at the beginning.  And it was along a country road that wasn't closed but there wasn't much traffic on it on a Sunday morning.  There was probably more traffic for the back of the pack runners doing the half marathon though.  And it certainly lived up to the promise of hills!

 

As far as my race, it went ok.  I was running late that morning and a bit flustered.  I was rushing to get from the parking to the start line and forgot my garmin in the car.  But I was able to turn runkeeper on so I do have some data at least.  And I remembered my sunglasses and  my water, which were the most important things!

But the race itself was great!  The logistics were really easy.  There is plenty of parking at the race start.  They also had volunteers directing the parking so it was really easy to tell where to go.  There was one water stop, a bit before mile 3, but we were able to hit it on the way out as well as back.  And the race is on a pretty country road with pretty scenery.

One of the friends I run with is usually faster than me but wasn't feeling well race morning so she stayed with me for most of the race, which made it definitely seem to go by faster.  She dropped back a bit around mile 4 but caught up at the end and we had a fast finish trying to beat each other!

It was fun finishing together too because all of the people hanging out by the finish line were hooting and hollering for us as we tried to beat each other :)  My goal was to try to finish in 70 minutes and it was more like 71 but I'm good with that given the hills and my current fitness levels.

 

The finish line had the usual bananas and bagels, but also fresh watermelon.  It tastes like the best thing ever after a hot race!  They also had massages available which was a nice touch.

   

And that was the race!  I would definitely recommend this one for a Summer race for anyone in the area, especially now that they have an 8k option in addition to the half marathon.

   

Volunteering at the Parks Half Marathon

Several people mentioned in the comments on my last post that they hadn't had the opportunity to volunteer at a race yet.  So I thought I'd write a bit about my experience volunteering at the MCRRC Parks Half Marathon last weekend.

Now, every volunteer experience is different.  I feel like the better organized a race is, the better the volunteer experience is too.  And vice versa.  So if there's a race you're thinking about running but not sure about or not ready yet, volunteering is a great way to get an inside look at the race organization.  Most of my volunteer experiences have been great, but there has been one that was not so great.

In general, I've loved volunteering for MCRRC races.  It is my local running club and I run a lot of their races throughout the year.  So I'm happy for a way to give back as well.  In addition, their races are really well organized and that leads for a great volunteer experience.

So how does it work?  All of the race volunteer assignments I've signed up for start with a web site where you register.  The website generally lists the different type of volunteer assignments and the date/time the assignment begins and ends. There tend to be opportunities before race day as well in case race day doesn't work out for you.  Things like packet stuffing and packet pick up usually.  But you can pick which one works best for you based on time and interest.  In the past, I've done water stops, course marshal, day of registration, finish line bag check, and finish line medal hand out.  The finish line medal assignment is my favorite, but they were all good experiences.

Medals after we had unwrapped them

So this particular weekend, I was back at the finish line.  Before the race day, we received an email from the finish line volunteer lead which provided all the details we needed for race day.  I showed up a couple minutes before our 7am report time, checked in at the volunteer tent, and got my volunteer shirt to wear.  I just put it on over the shirt I was already wearing.  I then went over to my lead, she checked me in on her list, and I went to work unwrapping medals.

Piles of blankets ready to go

In addition to receiving medals, finishers at this race got blankets.  So task number 2 was unboxing blankets and stacking them on a table.  We did not unwrap these because we figured that no body was actually going to want to use their blanket that day since it was pretty hot.  We just organized them so that they would be easy to grab.

As with many events, there was a bit of a dead period once we were done with the preparations but before the runners came in.  The race provided donuts and coffee for the volunteers at this point, which was much appreciated.  This was also a good time to talk to fellow volunteers and get to know them a bit more.  The race lead also took this time to give further instruction, splitting us up into people to hand out the medals and people to hand out the blankets.  I handed out medals last year so I was on blankets this year.  She also stationed a couple people by the tables holding the blankets/medals so that they could make sure none were taken and also providing fresh supplies to us as we ran out.

Volunteers milling around waiting for the first runner to come through

Then the first runner came in, the volunteers all cheered wildly, and he was provided with his medal and blanket.  The runners came in slowly at the beginning and it definitely felt like there were too many volunteers.  But by the middle, more and more runners were coming in bunches at the same time.  And at that point, it felt like there weren't enough volunteers!  It was funny because a lot of runners seemed a bit out of it (to be expected after a hot 13.1 miles) and almost passed by without getting their finisher items.  So we handed out the items and kept an eye out for people who passed by without getting something so we could run after them to provide it.  Or course, it went back to a trickle of runners at the end.  The beginning and end weren't too busy but it was definitely hectic in the middle.

We also kept an eye out for people who seemed like they needed medical.  There were people nearby with wheelchairs and we were to call out for them if needed.  The other thing that wasn't part of our official duties but was good to be prepared for, was to be able to answer questions from runners.  So if you're stationed at the finish line, it's good to know where the food is, where bathrooms are, where transportation is, where medical is, etc.

And that was my volunteer experience!  It was really well organized and really fulfilling, but also hard work.  I definitely had a new appreciation for volunteers at races once I started doing it myself.  I didn't run 13.1 miles but I was also tired and ache-y afterward.  The best part of the day was seeing the looks of gratitude on runner's faces, especially as we handed out the blankets because many people didn't know they were going to get something in addition to the medal.

So if you haven't had a chance to volunteer at a race yet, I highly recommend it!

Riley's Rumble 8k

This past weekend, I met up with a couple friends to run the Riley's Rumble 8k.  This is a local half marathon and this year for the first time, it included an 8k option as well.  Both races are essentially an out and back with an extra loop at the beginning.  The 8k was just the first part of the half marathon course.

The race is known for "the three H's" which are heat, humidity and hills.  It certainly lived up to the reputation!  It actually wasn't too hot that morning but the humidity was 94% according to Garmin.  And the sun definitely came out to visit toward the later half of the race.  But we certainly weren't doing this race for time.  The 8k distance fit into the length we wanted to run this weekend and it seemed like a fun way to try a challenging race without having to go all the way to 13.1 miles.  We weren't worried about the time as there wasn't really a time limit for the 8k.  The half marathon had a 15 minute per mile limit and since the 8k was on the same course, it had the same amount of time.

It was also a relatively small race.  According to the results, there were 416 finishers for the half and 115 for the 8k.  The logistics were easy for this race.  There was race day registration and bib pick up.  If you were already a member of Montgomery County Road Runners, you just used your existing bib and shoe tag so we didn't even have to pick anything up.  Even better, the race was free for members!  For non members, it was only $25 for the half and $15 for the 8k.  The race started at 7am to try to beat the heat and the start/finish was be a local recreation center so there was plenty of parking.  The course never felt congested and actually felt pretty empty after the 8k runners split from the half marathon.

In addition to the low price/free for members, free race photos! (I'm in the pink shirt and grey skirt)

Another plus for the race is that it was a beautiful area with some really pretty scenery which helped to make up for the hills a bit.  The course was on a local road so it was paved.  There were plenty of trees on the sides of the road, so they helped provide shade, though there still seemed to be a lot of sun on the way back.

As for my own experience, it went pretty well.  I didn't have any expectations for pace and I was just trying to use this as a good way for some hill training.  I was able to run up most of the hills though there was one long one near the end where I had to insert extra walk intervals.  I enjoyed the race and the scenery and tried to keep my mind off the humidity and hills :) My official time was 1:05:40 so pretty close to the time from my Garmin below.

Pros: easy logistics, plenty of parking, pretty course, not congested, adequate water stops, low price or free and free photos, watermelon slices available after the race!

Cons:  Not many and none in the control of the race - humidity, hills, and farmhouse smells at some points on the course

All smiles with the finish line in sight, thinking of the watermelon available after the race :)

MCRRC County Road Run review

February 21st, I ran the County Road Run with friends.  This was a 5 mile race with a very small field.  It was also one of the Montgomery County Road Runner's low key races which means it was free for members and only $10 for non-members.  I love these races as they give me an opportunity to race throughout the year without paying any extra money as I'm a MCRRC member.

Like all of their low key races, there is no registration in advance.  If you already have the bib and shoe chip for the year, you don't need to anything other than show up with those things and start running.  If this is your first low key MCRRC race for the year, you have to register in order to get the bib and show chip.

The parking seemed plentiful.  And the start line was at the Olney Swim Center so there was an indoor space that we were able to use to stay warm before the race.  The food was also set up inside the swim center, which was nice.

This was a simple out and back course.  There was a water stop around mile 2 and the same water stop was around mile 3 on the way back.  The roads were not closed so there were occasional cars but it was a quiet road so the traffic wasn't too bad.  And it was a beautiful area.  The road was paved but it went through some farmlands behind the swim center.  The only downside is there was one spot where you could smell the fact that it was farmland.  But other than that, it was a beautiful course and a beautiful morning.

The course was hilly but I kept reminding myself that hill work was good practice for RnR DC.  Plus, I haven't been doing much speed work recently so the hills should help compensate for that a bit.

Me alone, on the pretty course

As I mentioned before, there were only 246 participants.  And I'm in the back of the pack.  I finished in 231st place.  But that was kind of cool because between miles 3 and 5, I kind of felt like I was out there on my own.  Big races are always crowded and I love the energy of the crowds, but this was so peaceful, especially with the beautiful surroundings.  There were times when I couldn't see anyone in front of me or anyone behind me.

My official finish time according to the website was 1:04:45 for a 12:57 average pace.  And I was happy with that considering that I had done my 11 mile long run the day before.  This was an interesting experiment in running on tired legs, both days on hilly courses.

After the race was over, we went back to the swim center to get more water and some food.  They seemed to have quite a spread out but I stuck to a banana since I knew we were going out for brunch anyway. But overall, this was a nice, cheap, peaceful race.  I loved the easy logistics and pretty scenery.  I would definitely do this one again.

MCRRC New Year's Day 5k

This is the third year in a row I've done the Montgomery County Road Runner's Club New Year's Day 5k.  I feel like it's a wonderful way to start out the new year, and let's be honest, a good incentive to not party too hard on New Year's Eve!  I reviewed the 2015 race and the 2014 race if you're interested in those.

The big difference this year is that the location of the race moved. It was previously at Seneca Creek State Park, which is a beautiful location. This year, it started at Manna Food Center, a local food bank.  This was great because we could have registration and the food inside to stay warm a bit.  We could also drop of canned food donations, which was nice.  There was also plenty of parking in the vicinity and it was easy to get in and out.

But the big downside was the course. It was nowhere near as scenic as the park where the race had been held in the previous years.  The roads were closed but it was mostly just running in kind of an industrial area.  Also, it had one really big hill (a bridge over the highway) that was unpleasant.  The park was also hilly but it was more rolling hills and not one giant hill.

In addition, in order to get to 5k we had to do the course twice.  I felt like this wasn't communicated clearly and it led to some course congestion.  Around the time I was at mile 1.5, the leaders were coming back through.  Those of us slower runners didn't really know that the course was a double loop so were of course taking up the whole width of the course.  I heard people yelling "runners back" but didn't really understand at first.  I mean, of course there were runners behind us, it's a race.  But then someone zoomed by and I realized they meant there were really fast runners back.  A couple more people zoomed by and I realized that these were the leaders and that meant we would have to be doing the whole course again.  This was particularly disheartening as I had just finished with the giant hill and knew this meant I would have to do the hill again.  

Once we realized what was going on, we all tried to move over to one side so it would be easier for the faster people to go by.  It had to have been really frustrating for them to have to essentially pass all the slower runners and try to weave through us.

Other than the course, my race experience was ok.  I felt like I was appropriately dressed for the weather and didn't have breathing problems again.  I tried to make sure to start a bit slow so I could ease my breathing into the cold air and I feel like that helped.  I struggled a bit with the hill and this was no where close to a PR, but I was able to push at the end.

So the pros were the indoor gathering area, the food donation, the plentiful parking and easy access. Of course, the fact that it was free for members and had free photos is a pro for all of the MCRRC low key races.

The cons were the lack of scenery, the big hill (twice) and having to run the course twice leading to more congestion.  I hope they move it back to the park next year and that this was a temporary change.  If it's in this same area next year, I might be tempted to look into one of the other New Year's Day races in the area.

What's next?

Well, I'm done with my major races for the year and not currently training for anything.  So what's next for me in terms of running? 

I'm planning on a couple small races between now and the end of the year.  I'm not signed up for a Turkey Trot since I'm going to be at my parents' place in Ohio for Thanksgiving, though I am hoping to get a 5k in on my own Thursday morning.  I am signed up for Pacer's Jingle All the Way 5k the first weekend of December.  I'm really looking forward to that one since it was a lot of fun last year.  I loved all the costumes people came up with.

Last year's Jingle All the Way 5k

I'm also planning on the MCRRC's Jingle Bell Jog.  It is close to my house, their last low key race of the year, and free for club members, so why not?  I missed this one last year because of the flu so I'm looking forward to experiencing it this year.

And then, I start training again.  My next big race is going to be Rock and Roll DC again in March.  I signed up right after last year's race so was able to register for $50.  I really loved the course and am excited to give this one a try again.  

 Running through the rain at last year's RnR DC Half

Even more exciting, I've talked two of my friends into running it as their first half marathon!  So the plan is for the three of us to train together through the Winter. We're using one of Hal Higdon's beginner half marathon training plans and I'm really looking forward to doing their first half marathon with them.

So that's the plan for now.  A couple weeks off and then back to training.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!

MCRRC Eastern County 8k

I ran the Montgomery County Road Runner's Eastern County 8k this weekend.  It was a really small race but I wanted to go ahead and review it anyway since I had a hard time finding any information on this race before hand.

The race is one of MCRRC's low key races so there is no sign up in advance.  If you are a member, you just show up with your bib and shoe tag and you're ready to go.  If you aren't a member, there was a registration table set up under a tent where you could pay the $10 fee and get a bib and shoe tag for the race.  The registration looked like it went smoothly and there was never much of a line.

The parking also seemed to be ok.  I got there about 45 minutes early (I had lost my bib and shoe tag) and was able to park fairly close.  There were alot of parking lots and my friend who cam later was able to park in one of the further lots.  She said the only downside was that it was unclear of where to go for parking, but once she parked it wasn't a far walk at all.  All the logistics seemed really smooth and I'm sure that is helped by the fact that there were less than 200 participants.

The race was at a local park in Silver Spring and it was beautiful.  There was a lake in the middle that we past a couple times.  We ran on the street for the beginning of the race, and then on paved paths for the middle and end of the race, and there was a portion on side walks.  It never felt that crowded because of the small field.  But there were moments on the paths that were a bit tight because they were out and backs so people were going both ways.

The course was a little weird.  As mentioned, there were lots of out and back sections.  And at approximately mile 3.5, you ran right past the finish line.  I always hate that and it always seems confusing.  Plus, the runners that had already finished were milling about right on the race course so it made it a bit tough to get through.  I realize you're already done but the rest of us are still running!

The other thing I didn't like about the course is that there was a lot of uphill action toward the end of the race.  It felt really tough at the end, both because of the uphills and because the sun had come out.  The shaded portions were all early in the race.  So I did have the opposite of negative splits.  I knew that I would have a harder time at the end of the race so I tried to push it a bit in the early portion.

Mile 1 was my warm up before the race started.  Mile 2 through Mile 6 was the actual race and mile 7 was my cool down after the race.  So you can see my slow down as the race went on.  But given the elevation and the sun, I'm ok with that.

My official time according to the race website is 1:02:14 or a 12:32 pace.  This was an 8k PR for me!  I haven't done a lot of 8ks and the last one was in much hotter weather so I'm happy to have a better 8k time.

 

Photo from MCRRC photographer...yay for free photos!

After we finished our cool down, we went back toward the finish line and there was still food!  I was prepared for everyone to have packed up since we were toward the back of the pack and since we had chosen to run a bit extra after the race.  It was awesome that people were still there.  In addition to the usual oranges and bananas, there was watermelon.  The watermelon was amazing in the heat! There were also some bagels, donuts, juice, coffee, water, etc.  But to be honest, I didn't look at anything other than the watermelon.

 

So pros for the race ... small field made logistics easy, the location was beautiful, there were great volunteers, the cost was low, and the post race food was great.  Cons... the elevation increases at the end of the race, there were weird out and backs, and having to run past the finish line when you have more than a mile to go.

As an aside, Disney just announced a Star Wars Half Marathon in Orlando in April 2016.  The Orlando race will be themed after "the Dark Side." I am so tempted but I'm planning to stay strong!  I would love to do this race one year but I don't think next April is it.  If any of you are interested, I think registration will open up September 22nd and I'm sure it will go fast.

Rockville Twilight 8k

Sigh.  I've been having a hard time writing this review because how many times can I start a race review talking about how hot it was and that it made me slower than I wanted to be.  I feel like that's been the trend in my last several races, the Pike's Peak 10k and the Lawyer's Have Heart 10k for sure.  And that every hot race makes me retreat to the air conditioned indoors so of course I fail to acclimate and then the pattern continues.  But I have a plan for that, so on to talking about the race for now.

Packet pick up was offered at a local running store in the couple days leading up to the race and it was very well organized and super easy.  We were in and out of there in a couple minutes with my bib and shirt.  I was able to pick up my friend's stuff too with no problems.

Festive start and finish area, complete with live music

The race starts and ends in the Rockville Town Center area.  This is fun because it makes logistics pretty easy.  There is plenty of parking in the nearby garages.  There are real bathrooms in the public library that can be used before the race.  There is also a fun celebratory area set up for the start and finish of the race. This is especially important since it's a night race :) The race is run by the Montgomery County Road Runners so it is very well organized, just like all of their races.

The course starts behind the town center and runs through neighborhoods, as well as past a local college.  I really enjoy the course.  It's kind of shaped like a capital "B" so not a straight out and back or even a loop.  The neighbors sit out and cheer you on so it felt like a nice amount of support, especially given that this is an 8k. There were lots of little kids offering high 5's :)  It was a little hilly, just enough to make it fun and keep it from being too boring.

This is a July race, so hot and humid.  Last year we got lucky with really mild weather but not so much this year.  The good news is that the race is well prepared for this.  There were plenty of water/gatorade stops.  There were also multiple spots on the race where a sprinkler system was set up so that you could run under the cool water and this really helped with cooling us down.  Some of the neighbors also had their hoses out and running to spray runners, which was much appreciated.

After the neighborhood portion, the last mile or so is on Rockville Pike, a major road, which was shut down for runners.  Last year, I felt like they were trying to open the road back up early but this year was much better from that perspective.  The road closures were still in place even though I was slower than last year. I'm not happy about that but I think it's just the difference in temperature from last year to this year that caused it.  I know I'm a stronger runner than last year and I have to stop letting the heat make me feel like a failure.

How can it not feel like a party with all that free beer?

The finish area feels like a big party and everyone was happy to be done with running in the heat!  I love finishing near the town center because there are so many bars and restaurants around to get into the air condition and celebrate inside.  We went for delicious tapas and sangria and ended the night on a high note.

Smiling cause the finish line is in sight!

 Overall, I love this race and will probably do it again.  It's really well run, it's fun to do a night race, I like the course and the support from the neighborhood as well as the water sprinklers set up to cool us down, and the overall fun atmosphere. The only downside is the heat but there's nothing that anyone can do about that in a July race.  Also, free photos just like with all MCRRC races.  All photos in this post are courtesy of the MCRRC photographers.

So my new tactic to deal with the heat is to just avoid thinking about the time at all.  I'm going to force myself to get out there and do my runs, knowing that they're just going to be slower.  I'm going to just have to have faith that putting in the work will result in speed gains when the weather cools down.  And for now, I'm going to concentrate on enjoying my time running.  Last Sunday, I met up with friends, explored a new trail, and enjoyed being goofy together.  Yesterday, I met an old running group on the track and had interesting conversations while we did our track work. I feel like if I concentrate on these types of incentives for now instead of the heat or the slow times, that's going to work out better for me.

Pike's Peek 10k

This race was a couple week's ago, the same weekend as Ben's Run.  I did Ben's Run on Saturday morning and this 10k on Sunday morning.  This review is hard to write because I had really built this race up in my mind.  I had heard so many great things about it, it has a reputation for being fast, I've been PR'ing 5ks recently, and I really thought I was going to PR this 10k since I've only done one other 10k and that was last June.  But it was not to be.

The logistics were great, as with all MCRRC races.  Let's start with packet pick up.  There were pre-race hours on both Friday and Saturday at a local running store.  The store happens to be between my work and home so I stopped on the way home Friday.  It was super quick.  Since it was predicted to be cold and rainy for the race, I also bought a waterproof running jacket that was half off.  It even converts into a vest. Score! There was pre-race packet pick up as well and it seemed like it was efficient, according to a friend that did that. They also had an option to drop off old running shoes for recycling, which was nice.

Here's the rain jacket I picked up

The registration came with a tech shirt that I really like.  Unfortunately, I can't find it at the moment to take a photo.

It was a point to point but both the start and end were at metro stops with plenty of parking.  So you could park at either the start or finish and take the metro as needed.  My dad was volunteering at the medical tent at the finish so we dropped him off first, then Mike dropped me off at the start. There were plenty of signs and it was easy to navigate.

My dad having fun at the finish while waiting for runners to start coming in

I was at the start pretty early but that turned out to be good.  There was absolutely no port-a-potty line at that point but the lines for both that and bag check grew really quick.  I met up with a friend and we got toward the back of the pack.  The race started on time and this is when things began to go downhill for me.

There we are, running up the hill in our jackets and pants, way overdressed

Remember when I talked about the cool rain?  Nope.  It was beautiful, sunny, and warm.  I was completely overdressed in a long sleeve shirt and jacket.  Plus, the start line for the race shifted this year and started with a short but steep uphill that I went out way too quick on. I was dying by mile 2 and told my friend to go on without me.  The course was mostly a straight shot down a major local road but not all the lanes were closed so we were running in close proximity to traffic. And since it was in the middle of the road, there wasn't much shade. One good thing was the net downhill.

I had started with 6/1 intervals but shifted to alternating between 3/1 and 2/1 intervals. And since I was feeling so poorly, I was just not in a good headspace and really failed the mental game. Once I knew I wasn't going to PR but also wasn't going to be swept, I kind of gave up between miles 2 and 4.

Once I got to mile 4 and knew I only had 2 miles left, I got myself together and started pushing again. It wasn't a PR but it wasn't as bad as it could be, I guess.  My 10k PR is 1:18:52 and my official chip time here was 1:20:32.

The weather just really got to me.  But I finished strong and that's something.  I was able to see Mike and my dad at the end, which was great. The finish area party was great with lots of food and music.  A local Italian restaurant was a sponsor and they provided pizza and pasta.  I didn't feel like eating any of that but there was a cool machine making fresh squeezed orange juice that tasted like the best OJ ever!

Fresh squeezed OJ machine!

Instead of a medal, the race gave finishers a bottle opener.  I like that it's something practical that I can use.  And my dad got a hat for volunteering. 

Overall, I'm not sure if I'll do this race again.  I'll probably try it again at some point for redemption. It was well organized, there was a fun finish line festival, and it was really close to me in an area I'm really familiar with.  I didn't love the course but that may just be due to the weather and my head space.

At the finish line, after getting rid of the jacket!