It was my first Cross Country race, so I was a little nervous about how I would handle it. I was also worried about the 7 Miles, as I have never ran more than 4 or 5 miles at a time (I'm planning on running my first full marathon next year). We arrived at the race at 7:30 AM. It was 27 degrees and local weather forecasters were saying it felt more like 18 degrees. I can tell you, it definitely felt like 18 degrees!
As we all stood around freezing, we discussed the many costumed people gathering around us. One thing I forgot to mention about this race is that everyone normally wears costumes or funny outfits. Don't ask me why...tradition I guess...
Our costume choice was a t-shirt that said "What's In Your Cloud?", and we also wore clouds around our waists. It was a fun idea that I came up with for a play on a company radio ad. I was hoping that when we ran next to other people, they would suggestively ask us "What's In Your Cloud?". The theme worked out perfectly!
The race started at 9:00 AM...although we were all confused on when the race actually "started". We were stuck behind thousands of people meandering towards the woods. We assumed the race had started, but we were walking so slowly we couldn't tell for sure. The crowd of people was so loud, that we didn't hear the gun shot start. I started my timer on my watch as soon as we spread out enough that I could start running.
We eventually came to our first creek crossing. I made it across without getting wet only to realize that at the next crossing, I would have no other choice than to wade through it...
So, there I was only about 3 miles in, and my feet were wet with ice cold water. The rest of the race I felt like I was running with sponges on my feet. I was getting muddier and muddier, but I was still having a ton of fun.
I made it until about mile 6 without really feeling tired. Once mile 6 ended, the last creek crossing was up the steepest, muddiest hill yet. By the time I made it to the top, I was exhausted. I still was able to run most of the rest of the way to the finish. Mainly only pausing while getting stuck behind some slower runners.
I had a blast, and I'm proud to say I finished my first 7 Mile run! Above is a picture of my team. I'm 3rd from the right. I've always looked so goofy in a hat!....pick a hat, I bet you've never seen a goofier face in it!
My finishing time was 2 Hours, 10 Minutes, and 13 seconds. Getting stuck behind thousands of people at creek crossings really hurts your overall time!
No comments:
Post a Comment