Race Reports for March 31 - April 1 and Encouragement/Kudos!

[escape]

Hi everyone! Looks like we have several WISHers participating in events this weekend. If anyone else is particpating in an event, let me know and I'll add you to this list.

Good luck and please report back!

March:

31 - Goofyin08forErica (Erica) Local Half Marathon
31 - pungodingy (Angie) Gilmanton 5k
31 - Big Vic (Vic) 4th Annual Ressurection 10k
31 - hoosmi (Jen) 5k Waggathon

Happy April Fools Day :earboy2:

1 - Mogulskr (Scott), Kristi1357 (Kristi & Chad) Great Bay Half Marathon
1 - hockeychic (Kim) hockeydude ( ) April Fools Run in Whitby 10k
1 - Mouse Skywalker (Dave) Spring Forward 15k
1 - jam217 Spring Chicken 5k
1 - Scoolover (Scott) Danbury, CT Half Marathon

:cheer2: GO, TEAM GO! :cheer2:

[nucpharm29]

GO WISH GO!!!!!!

[Mouse Skywalker]

Hi Susie: I'm doing the "Spring Forward 15K" tomorrow, April 1st.

[gatorphipps]

GO TEAM GO!
I cannot wait to hear the reports!

[monte]

Good luck TEAM:cheer2:

[skfulkers]

Good luck on all the races this weekend, guys! We'll be looking forward to some great race reports!

Steve

[wfloyd]

Good luck on all the races this weekend. :cool1: :cool1:

[Big Vic]

So let me tell you about the 10K that really wasn't.

Today I ran the 4th Annual Ressurection 9K. There was also a 5K run and walk. The 9K was an out and back from the Village Baptist Church in Destin, east along Scenic Hwy 98, turning around at Pompano Joe's, and ending back at the church. Looked to be around 200 runners and walkers.

The weather was great, temps around 65 and not much humidity. On the outbound leg the wind off of the water was a bit of a factor (out of the SE). The return leg posed no problems.

Arrived at the church around 0715. The race was scheduled to start at 0800. Got my packet and bib, and loitered for a bit. A few of our Sheriff's Office folks showed up. Two of us were running, the other two walking.

At 0800 we were off. I settled into a comfortable pace, right at 12:30 mpm, just putting one foot in front of the other. At the 5K turn around point was a water stop. I can''t run and drink out of a cup, so I walked through the stop, drank my water and then continued.

The 10K turn around point was no where close to half way. But, I turned around and headed back. The next water stop was at the 5K turn around spot. Again, I walked through it and drank some water.

Nothing significant between there and the finish. After crossing the finish line I checked my Garmin, it showed a total distance of 5.71 miles. I believe that's a little short for a 10K. But what the hey, I finished in 1:08:06, giving me an average pace of 11:56 mpm.

I felt good, my new shoes felt good, AND I won third place in my age group. Of course being old and having only three in your age group may have had something to do with it. :rotfl:

Fun was had by all, and they gave away some great door prizes.

Next up is the National Child Abuse Prevention Month 5K.

:)

[escape]

Great report, Vic! Great pace, too!

One thing I like about getting older....fewer people in my age group for these smaller runs and more chances of me getting a prize. :rotfl2:

Good job. Sounds like the weather cooperated. :thumbsup2

[escape]

Hi Susie: I'm doing the "Spring Forward 15K" tomorrow, April 1st.

Gotcha down! Good Luck! :thumbsup2

[keenercam]

YAY, Vic!! Congrats on an awesome pace!!!!

Can't wait to hear from all our other teammates, too! Come on, guys, Vic set the standard -- 3rd place finisher in his age group!!! :woohoo: I hope everyone else was pleased with their races! :goodvibes:

And how's the carb load going for tomorrow's race participants? Always my favorite part! :lmao:

[hoosmi]

OK, kids, I finally have a RACE REPORT!!

There was a 5k "Waggathon" in my neighborhood to support the Humane Society. The 5k started at 9:15. We wandered across the park and stood at an intersection. A guy on a bike said "ok, go." So, we went. Pretty fancy start!

I did a 10k last weekend and had a fit about not bringing my water. This time I decided to carry a water bottle. I'm finally learning a few lessons-- long race, hot sun = bring water; relatively short race, overcast = carrying water is annoying! That would seem obvious!! I guess I'm not really a natural at this running business. ;)

The first mile was really hard-- I'd run a pretty good chunk of time, and then walk about 10 seconds (I haven't quite got the interval thing down yet-- note the "not a natural" comment).

The last two miles weren't quite so bad-- I was totally distracted by my new best friend in his police cruiser hanging out next to me! That's right, DEAD LAST FINISH, BABY!!:cool1:

Vic may have a medal, but I had a police escort! (Kidding of course-- way to go Vic!)

I hoped to finish under 30 minutes but I kind of just made up that number. I ended up finishing in 30:48. (Provided that "Mr. ok, go" was accurate in setting the clock). Works for me.

I've got to learn to pick my races better. OH, and at the end, one of my friends was talking with another woman about how Disney was having two races in January. So I jump on in and announce I'm "going Goofy" and they looked at me like I might have a mental condition. Hello, I didn't say I was going to try to win-- but I can plod along just fine thank you very much!

It was fun, and afterwards I treated myself to a "fried Oreo" at Swampfest downtown. If you've never had one, I've got to tell you, it's soooo wrong, but soooo right...

Jen in GA

[escape]

Jen, loved your report! If I had particpated in that race, I would have finished last. I don't even think the police cruiser could go my speed. He would have to stop, go, stop, go.....:rotfl2:

Regarding the water, I haven't quite figured that out yet either. All I know is that when I don't have it, I want it. When I do have it, it's a pain and I don't need it.

As for the fried oreo - yummm. I've had a fried twinkie. It must've been 2,000 calories....at least. :rolleyes1

[nucpharm29]

Vic--WTG on the 3rd place in age division!!:cool1:

Jen--Loved the race report. As far as carrying own water--I will if the race is a 15K or longer--especially if it's a small race. That being said, I don't know what I'm going to do for Minnie--probably will be conservative and carry my own

[Big Vic]

Thanks everyone!

Way to go Jen! Ya done good! :)

[keenercam]

Jen -- Awesome report and great time! I am NO WHERE near that 5k finish time, so rest assured that if I were there, I'd have been wayyy behind you! Congrats!

[perfectmatch300]

Vic, thanks for a great race report! Yes, there are fewer entrants in your age group as you get older. Only thing is, mostly the ones who are there take their training pretty seriously from what I have seen. That means a slowpoke like me has a harder time keeping up!

Jen, thanks for a great race report from you, too. Believe me, not only would I have been well behind you, I'd have been well behind Cam, too! That policeman would have been my new best friend! Or maybe not - he would have had to be pushing his curiser to go at my pace! :scared1:

[Kristi1357]

Vic- awesome! :cheer2:

Jen - Fabulous job! :cheer2: I can't believe you were last at that pace! I would have been 5-10 mins. behind you! Awesome job!

Ok, must get to bed for my half tomorrow. I have to say, it doesn't feel like the night before a race. Nothing compares to doing Disney, does it?

[Mouse Skywalker]

Vic- Congratulations on the age group award! Whoo hoo! That's awesome! Great race, and great race report!

Jen- Congratulations on your race. Dead Last Finish, so what, sounds like you had a great attitude about your police escort. Good for you. WTG on getting out there and doing your thing. Your time was pretty good too. That's around 10 mpm pace, isn't it? Fried Oreo? Oh, my...

Good luck everyone on your races today. I'm waking up and fueling up. I have to say an 8:30am start time is soooo much better than hitting the road at 6am.

[TXAng]

Vic – WTG on the great pace!!

Jen – Great race report! If I’d been there, that police escort would have been with me - WAY behind you. What, exactly, is a fried Oreo? It sure sounds good!

Good luck to everyone who’s racing today! :cheer2:

[hoosmi]

Thanks for everyone's replies. The WISH group is such a lifesaver. I called my mom after the race and told her the results and she started saying things like, "they've probably been running longer" and "they probably have older children than you and less baby weight." It cracked me up because I knew she meant well, but she didn't get that I was pleased with finishing last because it was speedy for me. I remember during the race thinking "ok, I'm going to finish, and that's better than not starting!"

For the record, here's my description of a fried Oreo-- They dip the Oreo in some sort of batter that tastes like funnel cake. Then it goes into the deep fryer. It comes out like a really mushy Oreo covered in funnel cake. The final step is a layer of powdered sugar. :love:

Ok, Baby Harry just started eating a purple crayon. Guess that's a sign I need to go.:rolleyes1

Thanks again everyone

Jen in GA

[chimera]

Vic...congrats on your age group finish! I did a 5K once with only 4 in my age group...guess who didn't get an award :sad1:

Jen...you did great! That was a fast field in your race. My best 5K time is just under 35 min.

Good luck Kristi and Dave!

[cdn_gal_eeyore]

Congratulations Vic and Jen! You guys did great this weekend.

I can't wait to read everyone else's race report from this weekend. Way to go for everyone racing!! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

[solotraveler]

Vic-- Great job!!!

Jen-- Sub-31 minutes and you were LAST for a 5K?!?!? Holy cow, that's a FAST race. According to my math, that's under 10:00 miles!! GREAT JOB!!!

Can't wait to read the other reports!

Kevin :earsboy:

[jam217]

Coming in with race report #3 on this thread...I did the "Spring Chicken'' 5K this morning in Allentown, PA. Up until an hour before the race I wasn't sure I was even going to run it because I'm having problems with my right foot. I kept stretching it all morning and it felt a little better so I figured I'd give it a try. The race was a combination run/walk so I thought at worst I could stop and walk if the pain got too bad.

The field was very small -- only about a 100 runners -- and they got off to a fast start. I tried to stay toward the front and did really well until I hit a very long gradually sloping hill at the end and that did me in. I did walk a few steps then began running again....slowly but I ran. At that point, I could see the finish line. And even though I ran with a bum foot I posted my best time ever - 28:13. It's the first time I've broken 32 minutes in a 5K so I'm really, really pleased. Obviously all the training is paying off!!

[cdn_gal_eeyore]

jam217 - Awesome time - Congratulations!

[Big Vic]

Way to go Jam! Congrats!!

[Mouse Skywalker]

Greetings TEAM:

OK, here's my race report. I did my 15K in 1:24.20 min/9:04 mpm pace. I was shooting for a 9 mpm pace as training for race pace at the Flying Pig 1/2M - so I was pretty happy with that time. I came in #237 out of 328 runners, and 37 of 39 in my age group - can you believe that!! The race was sooooooo hilly, but I thought that was good practice for the Flying Pig too. My booty was a little sore but all and all OK.

Here's an image of the topography of the course, if you're interested. It was all hills from start to finish.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f135/dparfitt1/Spring-Forward-15K-profile-bicubic.gif

[Big Vic]

Great job, Dave!

Hilly is right. :eek:

[Kristi1357]

Dave - awesome pace! AMAZING!!!

And today must have been the day for hills. And more hills. :scared1:
Did I mention HILLS??? :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1:

Quick rundown:
- wanted to quit by mile 5
- not enough water stops and I was thirsty (too lazy to bring my own water)
- everything hurts from my waist down :sad2:
- this inaugural half was extremely well organized! :thumbsup2
- I did get a PR, but not the sub-3 hour I planned on. I finished around 3:03. I am too tired/sore, etc. to get up and find my Garmin right now for an exact time.
- got a cool new tech t-shirt.
- Mom & I kept asking each other why exactly we do this. :rotfl:

I had to try really hard not to cry around miles 5 & 6. I got it together until Chad passed me in mile 9 (runners started 1/2 hour after the walkers). I was telling him about all my pains, the hills that sucked, etc. and I started to hyperventilate since I was trying hard not to bawl. I never have hyperventilated before - it was weird & a little bit scary.

Mom & I did manage to run across the finish line. We got our Powerade and some oranges and went to the minivan to stretch since I had to keep moving. I tried to do my quad stretch and couldn't get my foot up to my hand. That's when I cried. I must have really been tired, sore, etc. since I hate crying in front of people!

I thought about Dave and his booty pain during the race since I now have alot of booty pain of my own!

I kept thinking of Cam too. She's lost 70+ lbs. and finished a gosh darn marathon! If she can do that, I can finish a silly half marathon! :hug:

I aslo was thinking of Christa in hilly NC and how she would do so well on this course. :thumbsup2

So, even with all those crazy huge hills and hating the race the entire time - I did get a PR. Not the one I hoped for, but I will take it!

I have pics - might take me a bit to get out of this chair and go get the camera though... :rotfl2:

[Mouse Skywalker]

Dave - awesome pace! AMAZING!!!

And today must have been the day for hills. And more hills. :scared1:
Did I mention HILLS??? :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1:

Quick rundown:
- wanted to quit by mile 5
- not enough water stops and I was thirsty (too lazy to bring my own water)
- everything hurts from my waist down :sad2:
- this inaugural half was extremely well organized! :thumbsup2
- I did get a PR, but not the sub-3 hour I planned on. I finished around 3:03. I am too tired/sore, etc. to get up and find my Garmin right now for an exact time.
- got a cool new tech t-shirt.
- Mom & I kept asking each other why exactly we do this. :rotfl:

I had to try really hard not to cry around miles 5 & 6. I got it together until Chad passed me in mile 9 (runners started 1/2 hour after the walkers). I was telling him about all my pains, the hills that sucked, etc. and I started to hyperventilate since I was trying hard not to bawl. I never have hyperventilated before - it was weird & a little bit scary.

Mom & I did manage to run across the finish line. We got our Powerade and some oranges and went to the minivan to stretch since I had to keep moving. I tried to do my quad stretch and couldn't get my foot up to my hand. That's when I cried. I must have really been tired, sore, etc. since I hate crying in front of people!

I thought about Dave and his booty pain during the race since I now have alot of booty pain of my own!

I kept thinking of Cam too. She's lost 70+ lbs. and finished a gosh darn marathon! If she can do that, I can finish a silly half marathon! :hug:

I aslo was thinking of Christa in hilly NC and how she would do so well on this course. :thumbsup2

So, even with all those crazy huge hills and hating the race the entire time - I did get a PR. Not the one I hoped for, but I will take it!

I have pics - might take me a bit to get out of this chair and go get the camera though... :rotfl2:Kristi- Good for you for sticking with it, finishing, and getting a PR to boot. You've done your team proud. WTG! I can't wait to see pictures.

[Kristi1357]

Me & Chad before the race:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n278/Kristi1357/KristChadBefore_emailsize.jpg

Me & Mom (Debby) before the race:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n278/Kristi1357/KristMomBefore_emailsize.jpg

Race start for walkers:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n278/Kristi1357/Start_Walkers_emailsize.jpg

Me & Mom in crowd at start:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n278/Kristi1357/KristMomAtStart_emailsize.jpg
Do you see that guy in that red hat behind us in the above picture? What an inspiration! He had on a hat for the stroke association, and he had a stroke himself. You could tell his right side was paralyzed. I saw him at the beginning of the race and then again at the end - he finished before us! It was just too awesome!

Me & Mom coming up to the finish:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n278/Kristi1357/KristiMomBeforeFinish_emailsize.jpg

Me & Mom finishing:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n278/Kristi1357/KristiMomFinishing_emailsize.jpg

Me & Chad after:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n278/Kristi1357/ChadKristiAfter_emailsize.jpg

New medal for the collection:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n278/Kristi1357/GreatBayMedal_emailsize.jpg


My Garmin says 3:03:47. Official results are not up on coolrunning yet.

Chad's ex-girlfriend was there. She beat him at Applefest and beat him again today! I don't think he finds that as funny as I do. Speaking of Chad, he finished in 2:19. He wanted 2 hours, but again - those HILLS!!!

Ok, off to lay on the couch awaiting the Dominos pizza delivery person's arrival... :-)

Dave - no pictures???

[cdn_gal_eeyore]

Kristi - so sorry to hear about all those hills, but congratulations on your PR!! It sounds like a tough race, but way to go for powering through it. Terrific pictures too, BTW.

Dave, congrats on your great 15K today at such a great pace. Your elevation map was scary!!! :scared1: WTG!!

[Big Vic]

Way to go Kristi! :thumbsup2

Congrats!!!

[scoolover]

Vic - 3rd place in the 30-34 division. Way to go. ;)

Jen - Heck with the race. Send me some Oreo's. DLF, well you and my son have something in common.

Jam - 4 min PR. Wow, great stuff.

Dave - quite the course. At least the last 2/10 was down hill. Nice time.

Kristi - Congrats on the PR. Sorry about the misery.

My report:
I ran the Danbury, CT half. Short version, 2:07ish and now I am very sore.

Longer Version:
The kids race started at 10:00 and my family came to watch it. My son just turned 5 and was really looking forward to the race. He loved the Disney kids race. It was a 1/2 mile and about 100 yards in, he starts crying. "I can't do it, it's too far". "I want mommy". I took it in stride but was thinking, lets go Sally. The 65 year old lady with the one year old kid beat us. As did the lady carrying two kids. He was pathetic but I did not want to look like some crazy dad pushing his kid too hard. Anyway, DLF in 8:11.

The half started about 15 minutes later. I decided that I had to pick up my pace because most of my long races have been really slow. I had a goal of 2:10.59 which is sub 10 minutes. My first 6.2 would have been a 10K pr. That made me nervous. I ran the second 10K in about the same time which pleased me. My official time was 2:07 and change. That would put my pace in the 9:45 range. My garmin told me that I ran 13.55 miles at a 9:21 pace. I was real happy about that.

The course went up for the first 11 miles. I kept wondering when we would go down. The 12th mile was a steep decline. I ran a sub 8 minute mile for that one. A guy sprinted by me at the finish like I was standing still. I felt like tripping him :rolleyes1 Best of all was that the post race party included pizza and doughnuts. It's 5 hours since I finished and I am more sore than either marathon.

In summery:
My son is a whimp and running faster hurts more.:thumbsup2

Scott

[Big Vic]

Great report Scott. :thumbsup2

Congrats!!

[TXAng]

Jam – WTG!! Congrats on the new PR!

Dave – Wow, look at all those hills! Great pace!

Kristi – Sorry that the race was so rough. Great job on the PR!! Love the photos.

Scott – Awesome job!

[TiffJ]

Kristi-Awesome job! PR with all those hills:thumbsup2 I was wondering earlier today how your race was going. And tell Chad that I agree with you. Ex beating him twice is pretty funny :lmao:

Scott-good job!!! My DS6 would have done the same thing. He has wisely decided to just stay out of our whole family racing scene. I think that is wise for now.

Dave-:wizard: for the booty :)

[Kristi1357]

Scott - fabulous job! :cheer2: And my 3 year old is like your son. Suffice it to say that we will not be signing him up for the Disney kids race again this year. :rolleyes:

Tiffany - Chad doesn't know I think that his ex beating him is funny. I just know he hates it (then I chuckle behind his back!). :rotfl:

[nucpharm29]

Dave--WTG:cool1: and wow on that elevation map--Looks like you're set to go for the Pig!

Kristi--I can remember having those "WTH am I doing" thoughts about mile 14 into my marathon--almost crying and wanting to quit--Your strength shows through your determination to finish!! WTG!!!:thumbsup2

Scott--WTG!!! And yea on being fast, even if it did hurt a little!!

Jam--WTG on your race--woohoo on a 5K PR!!!

[MouseDogMom]

Vic - Isn't it nice when the course is actually shorter than it's supposed to be? Sounds like you had a great time all around!

Jen - Remember - DLF>DNF>>DNS! And I too can't believe you were dead last with that time. I would have been at least another 5 minutes behind you!
I haven't had a fried Oreo yet, but we had fried Coke at the state fair last year - that was different!

Jam217 - Terrific 5K time - great PR!

Dave - You should be thrilled with that pace, especially with all those hills.

Scott - Sorry your son isn't ready to be a runner quite yet! Your pace was awesome!

Kristi - Way to go on a PR! Isn't it wonderful to have all the WISHers to get you through the moments when you don't know if you can go on? You did great getting through it.

Jackie

[wfloyd]

Scott - Great job on the race. Our DS is quite fickle about when he wants to do kids races. At RFTT he wanted to run it until he found out he wasn't going through cones. :confused3 Then at the marathon, he did the race without any problems. We are hoping that this trend continues since he has done one race since then and seemed to have fun.

Bill

[Mouse Skywalker]

Scott- Nice job on the 1/2 M, and you had the warm up 1/2 mile beforehand too. Your report made me laugh.

Jam- Great job on the 5K!

[mogulskr]

I race the Great Bay 1/2 as well yesterday.

Kristi I looked for you, but was looking for a wish shirt. Glad you tough it out, I'm sure you are happy you did.
I think I passed Chad around mile 2, now that I see a picture I'm sure I did. I noticed the Disney shirt.
It was very well organized I thought, through the whole process.

Now on to my race. This was the first race I have every done as far running. I'm a bike racer by trade. So I was not to sure how everything worked. I got my bib and chip and put them on, then pinned my gel to my shorts and was ready to go.

I warmed up for about 15 minutes by running up and down a small hill right behind the start area. Then I took my place near the 9 mile pace sign. I had trained only on a TM for this race and my program was set up at a 9:12 pace.

Air horn blows and we are off. I get to the edge of the road and move up a little until mile #1 9:13 - right on pace. I hit the wrong button on my watch. I hit stop instead of split, but manage a few seconds later to turn it back on.

I some how miss the mile #2 sign, but after that I see the rest of them. From mile 1 to 10 I just cruised getting a little faster on each mile. I felt really good. Here are my splits.

Mile # 2 & 3 - 17:58 (remember I missed the sign)
Mile # 4 - 8:41
Mile # 5 - 8:39
Mile # 6 - 8:41
Mile # 7 - 8:14
Mile # 8 - 8:38
Mile # 9 - 8:09
Mile # 10 - 8:22

So I am coming up to mile #10 and look at my watch. It reads 1:26 and I do some math, if I run sub 8's I can break 1:50. Now my goal was 2:00 so I figured even if I blew up I could still make that.

Mile # 11 - 7:59

From this point on I just kept telling myself to leave everything on the course, over and over again. I have been in bike races were I didn't give it everything and felt awful later. So when it hurt I kept saying it.

Mile # 12 - 7:48

1.1 to go and it's uphill. I am pushing with everything I have at this point. I can see the finish and I am looking for my wife and boys.

Mile # 13 - 7:44

Leave it on the course! Leave it on the course! I feel queasy so I know I am on the rivet.

.1 - :52

Total for the 1/2 1:50:58.

My kids were right at the finish and it was great to see them. I felt really good and I knew I gave it everything I had.

I don't post a lot here, but I read a lot. Hearing how you are all trying to accomplish something be it big or small helped me when I was running at 5am on a TM going no where.

So thank you.

[Big Vic]

Way to go Scott!

Congrats!!

[nucpharm29]

Scott--WOW!!! Can't believe your splits in those last miles!!! You were flying!! And flying uphill I might add!! WTG!!!:cool1:

[Pungodingy]

Ok, here’s how I did…

I went into my 5K pretty optimistic. I’ve been doing a LOT more walking, and can even run a little now. I felt I was much more prepared this time than last time (Oct 06). I wasn’t as scared this time, had an idea of what to expect when I got there, just felt pretty good about it. HA! I got to registration early, I was pre-registered so I just had to check in, get my number (and my free gloves) and was good to go! Of course, I stood in the waiting-to-register line for awhile before realizing I was in the wrong line, and had to get in the right line, and, well, I got through it. Lots more runners in this race compared to my last one, kids too this time, but I wasn’t going to be intimidated. We lined up, I was sort of in the middle of the pack, being a mostly walker I didn’t want to hold up the runners, but didn’t want to be the last to take off either. Couldn’t hear much, even though there was a loudspeaker, we were just making too much noise. The women behind me were talking about a hill, but I didn’t realize it was for THIS race (and I’m glad I didn’t know then…) Everyone starts moving, figured they must have said “GO” but didn’t hear it. I started off running (‘cause it was moving slow, and I can do slow…) and ran for quite a bit, very proud of myself! Slowed to a walk, figured I was more towards the end now, but not last. The course was a gradual downhill for the first mile and a half or so, then leveled out. Not sure of my exact times, but I was moving along pretty well (for me), no issues, feeling pretty good! A few people passed me, but there was still a crowd behind me. Got to a turn, can see people making a sharp right, no biggie, I just keep going...at about 2 miles now, and hit the water stop. Also happens to be changing to a dirt road, and it’s very muddy. Asked if it was dirt the rest of the way, and it was. I stick to tar, tracks, or treadmill, so am now a bit nervous, with the mud and the gravel, but very quickly realized that was not my biggest concern. Turns out the last mile or so is all UPHILL. This hill went on FOREVER (ok, it went for a mile, but it seemed like forever..)! I started slowing right down, I don’t do so well on hills, and this was a killer! About halfway up, I was barely moving. My feet were still moving, but they were barely moving. I was breathing so hard, it hurt to take each breath. People are now passing me pretty regularly.

Funny thing : There was a man & his puppy playing in his yard, the puppy came out to see all of us. I asked the man who followed it if I was almost to the top, I could just see it on his face that I was not even close, so before he could answer me, I blurted out “just say YES” …he laughed, said I was “getting there” AARGGH!

I kept going, no way was I quitting, not concerned about my times anymore, I just need to finish. I had my WISH shirt on, and had gotten lots of comments, there was just NO WAY I wouldn’t finish. I may have been going slow, but I was still going! So, I see a reporter ahead, and remember to smile, just in case, I’m sure it came out as more of a grimace, but also figure a reporter is probably not too far from the finish, and that’s good news! A runner goes running past me, bad news, but I didn’t find out ‘til the end, he was the race winner, and had gone around a second time, and STILL passed me. Oh well. Sure enough, it FINALLY levels out, and I can hear people up ahead, got my breath back, and my feet started moving faster. I can see my DD jumping up and down, and hear people calling out encouragement. Finally crossed the finish line, 56:09, worse than my first race so I’m kinda bummed about my time, but thrilled that I finished. AND, this time I was not the last one in (ok, second to last, but still) Headed inside to hear the winners and raffles, had a cold drink (snacks were all gone), and headed out. Heard a lot of the elite runners (or masters, as they were being called) talking about the hill, many said it was rough, so I felt a little better that I was not the only one that struggled with it. Saturday night, my legs started tightening up, cramping and achy, but Sunday morning was even worse. I could barely stand up (my feet were fine, but my legs all the way up to my butt were SO sore!) Today they are much better, hopefully by tomorrow they will be back to normal!

Congrats to all of you with GREAT times, maybe someday I'll be one of you, for now, you are my motivation!

[westcliffemom]

Scott, great race report! Thanks! I'll remember "leave it on the course" when I do my first 15K at the Minnie next month.

Angie, Oh my goodness! What a race! That's really neat that you stuck it out and finished. You'll always be proud for that!

[Big Vic]

Great job, Angie!

Congrats!

[Kristi1357]

Angie - great job on your race! Don't hills suck? ;) I really feel your pain as I was not trained for hills during my race & had an awful time. You did awesome and finished. And really, that is all that matters!

Scott - I was hoping we'd somehow meet, but I knew it wasn't going to happen without a WISH shirt. And don't ya know - mine came in the mail today. Just one measly day late! Oh well. Those hills kicked my butt so I might not have been very happy or social if you did find me! ;) And I can just say, Chad & I are in awe of your splits & finishing tim:worship: e!

And not to go on about myself even more (but here we go), I wasn't too far down on the list of walkers for my race. I felt much better when I saw that this morning! I was 26th of 122 walkers.

Now, I just keep thinking how much faster I can do the Minnie this year. Last year I think I finished in 2:18. I am definately going to shoot to be under 2 hours on a nice flat course now.

[mogulskr]

And not to go on about myself even more (but here we go), I wasn't too far down on the list of walkers for my race. I felt much better when I saw that this morning! I was 26th of 122 walkers.

That's great! I could not find any results. Did the link come in an email? I can't seem to find it on the web.

[Kristi1357]

Scott - I found results on coolrunning:
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/07/nh/Apr1_GreatB_set1.shtml