Standard intro :)
I have not been running races very much so each one is special.
Race with Grace is doubly special because it is a family event.
The Grace Foundation is a great organization to help those battling
all forms of cancer. Find out more at:
http://www.marygracefoundation.com
Well this year, several of the nephews bailed on the race and
just did the walk. So there were only 5 of the family running.
Two weeks before the race I had gotten some severe back pain.
Now I hate to take anything stronger than aspirin, but the
pain was bad enough that I used a couple left over prescription
pain pills left over from some dental work I had. I was concerned
because I did not know if this was a pulled muscle or a possible
kidney stone. Thankfully the worst passed in a couple days.
Now the day of the race and I am still slightly worried about
the back pain. Will it flare up and cause me to have my first DNF?
I decided against taking any preventative pain killers. I did feel
much better so just had to sick it. But I did try something.
Although I have been caffeine free for a few months now, I
figured that I could use every boost I could, since age and
lack of regular training certainly would not positive factors!
So 20 ounces of Breakfast Blend and about 8 pretzels were my
breakfast on the way to the race.
This race keeps growing. I had to park at one of the outer lots
and take the shuttle to the starting area.
It was slightly cooler than last year when I arrived, but the
rising sun was quickly burning off any remaining fog and starting
to warm things up. Stupid me forgot to pack a hat or even a
sweatband. That did make it difficult during the race as I had
to wipe my eyes regularly. (official race time temp was 72F
I haven't been running regularly, but I had a goal pace of
8 minutes per KILOMETER. Impressive? NOT. But as a dear friend
used to say, it is what it is.
Once I started actually running (lots of walking at the start
due to the crowd of runners), I remembered how much fun this
could be! I varied my pace quite a bit meaning that I passed
some folks and then got passed back in return. I did play this
leapfrog sort of game with my nephew (in-law) for 4 kilometers.
A couple young ladies encouraged me on that last kilometer.
I must have looked worse than I felt! 8^) We ran about the same
pace, but they pulled ahead of me in the final straightaway.
I crossed the line at 41:10. Of course I forgot to stop the
timer app on my phone! So it says over 42 minutes. But it did
tell me that I managed my pace fairly well. First kilomeeter
was right at 8 minutes, and the fastest was the last kilometer
at 7:29!
I checked and last year I did it in 38 minutes, so I am off
by 3 minutes (1 minute per mile)! I need to make that up!
Well thanks for reading and remember
Enjoy the run!
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