The course was varied and interesting, starting at the high school, then with a great uphill toward the Mt. Timpanogos temple at about the first mile mark, followed by a nice downhill slope, and then down a nice shaded path that ran along a little river, leading out into the final stretch back to the high school. Besides me, Jonny ran with the kids, and Cami and Jake ran (Jake's first, and with a great time for his first 5K), and Melody, the hardcorest of us all, was up at around 4 am to board the bus that took her and the other half-marathon runners up the canyon for their earlier start and much longer race (which you can read about here). It sounds like such a nice course that, although the longest race I've ever done so far is a 10K, it makes me wish I had taken her up on her offer to join her for it. I might have died though, so it's probably for the best that I held off for now.
So we had a great time, and I came in at about 21:19 (though by my count it was closer to 21 even), about 6:52/mile, which seems to be about my usual pace for the last year or so of races. I kept a pretty good pace and didn't quite feel like I would die to keep it up, and I even managed to pass up Jonny toward the first half (because he was pushing two kids in the stroller, let it be clearly known--the only times I can outrun him, ha ha), and it seemed to me that I was pretty close to the front of the pack, though I lost track of the head of the team as soon as the half marathon runners merged with us for the last mile or so. There were a lot of runners, so I wasn't looking to place or anything, so imagine my surprise when I checked the results sheet and learned that I was 6th place overall, and 1st in my division! That was a pleasant discovery. (For the record, Jonny was less than a minute behind me, kids in tow and all). There were some discrepancies with timing on the website's posted times (19:52?? I'll take it! New PR!), but it seems to be all sorted out now.
We all placed first in our division! It's so nice that for now Jonny and I are a year apart so we can both win for a while. |
Melody liked Cami's face better in this one so we kept it. I think I look a little more, um, something in it too. Jonny looks classic. |
It's an inside joke! And a long-running one too. |
Even though it was a new race, it was very well-attended, and it was really nicely organized. The breakfast/treats supplied were really great, the cause was good, the atmosphere was fun, the shirts were great quality and the weather was perfect. Maybe we'll make a tradition of this race. It seems a little better than what Strawberry Days has become (though rumor is that race has taken a slight turn for the better since last year's disappointment). Though, if we do run it next year, we'll surely sign up a little earlier and take advantage of all the early-registration discounts and perks, and hopefully those who were absent and missed will join in the fun next time. Thanks for the heads-up, Melody! Also, much thanks to Melody for the pictures. We forgot our camera this time.
Afterward, I took some breakfast to The Wife (just a little jealous that she was able to have a little bit of a lie-in), and we celebrated the morning's victory by going to the early bird matinee of Kung Fu Panda 2 and sharing a delicious lunch at Zupas, after which we met my new goshdaughter, Keira. That's a good morning.
Yeah, getting first place is the cool thing to do these days. I will work on coming in first in the half next time I do it. Psyche!
ReplyDeleteIt really was so fun and motivating to know you all would be at the finish line when I came through. Yes, let's make it a tradition. And you could totally do the 13 miles if you trained for a few months. It really is a fun challenge.
P.S. "Hardcorest" is definitely one of the most awesome adjectives ever used to describe me.