Why I Love Racing

I am determined that if I keep racing, one day I'm going to make a good friend out of one of the strangers that run near me.  It's one of my favorite things about racing. We all take off in a big pack, but in the first half mile everyone starts to space out and you quickly can spot who you're going to be running with for the next hour.

Today, I started next to an older-than-me gentleman who celebrated with me when we reached the 1 mile marker before we even had a chance to think about it.  He kept running, even when I stopped for a walk break, but I caught up again once I started running. 

I finished up near a mom in her 30s.  She had started out behind me, but caught up with me on one of my walk breaks. She said something encouraging as she passed me, which got me running again.  Then, somewhere between mile three and four, we were running next to each other when we appeared at the top of a big hill.  I said, "Whoo hoo, look at that awesome downhill!"  It really was a thing of beauty, so long and not steep, it was going to be a joy to run down.  You couldn't even see the end where it would inevitably rise.  Then eventually we could see the rise, and she looked at me and said, "Yeah, but what goes down..." and I finished her sentence with "Must come up!"  We kept each other going through that uphill and stayed close the rest of the race.  In mile 5, I ended up having to walk more than I would've liked.  My friend passed me and  kept going.  I saw her after I finished, and we congratulated each other.    

Besides the random runners near me, the other thing I love about races is the determination of each runner and the spirit of the volunteers.  We stayed around after and watched those who finished after me cross the finish line.  Each one finished at a run with a big smile on his or her face. It just makes you proud to watch, knowing what that person is feeling as they finish.  Plus, out on the course, there are a lot of volunteers at key intersections or water stops.  They are all so supportive and encouraging of us runners, it just makes you feel good.

So, you're probably wondering how I did.  I finished in one hour, eight minutes and 44 seconds.  I walked more than I would've liked, but I finished and not far off my goal of 1:06.  My pace was just over 11 minutes per mile, so I'm pretty happy. It gives me room for improvement when I run the Hot Chocolate 10k in Asheville in January, too!  Here's some pics!

Me and Jess, one of my running inspirations, just before the race, which was just after sunrise. The 10k was Halloween-themed, and lots of people were in costume for the race, so we felt the need to pose with something Halloween-y.

Go 352!

Post-race orange slice pictures are a must for me.