We were up and about by 6:00, and the race started at 7:30, so we wandered about, eating our breakfast while we waited.
We took a hotel lobby photo before heading outside to wait in the fresh air. I went looking for Dani from Weight Off My Shoulders so we could finally get a pic together! She was an Ambassador, so I knew she would be there in plenty of time for the race. With only about 1000 runners, she wasn't too hard to find!
And then it was time to line up! The 10k runners were starting at 7:30 and we were starting at 7:35. I took a quick pic of the beautiful bling before we headed to the start.
We started off, leaving the hotel parking lot and heading downhill. We were loving that hill until we realized that we would have to run UP it on the way back!
Funny story: we live at the shore, so when we run along the water it is very flat. We sort of thought this would be like that. We were wrong. So very very wrong.
Anyway, the scenery was amazing. We got into our groove, and hoped to close in on that 2:45 goal we had for Philly. The weather was perfect for it but the hills worried us.
The first couple miles, we stopped for some photos....
Seriously, how beautiful is this?
We met a fellow Half Fanatic! Again, gorgeous scenery!
A runner turned her ankle around mile two and had to leave in an ambulance. We wished her well as we passed by, I hope it wasn't too serious!
After mile 4, we turned into a park area, and no longer had to worry about traffic. It was shady and cool, but kind of boring. Well, not all boring...
Yikes! Crazy decor!
I managed to run the whole race so far, and wondered if I could keep it up. I only stopped for a few photos and water stops. I was feeling tired, but so much better than I felt at Philly! I kept doing the math in my head, and knew I would beat my Philly time, but I wasn't sure by how much.
The park was mostly flat, but we left it and wereback in town. A sweet old man told us it would be hilly but beautiful and wished us luck. More hills!
Before we knew it, we were almost done. I had the most awful chafing from my shorts and I stopped at the base of the last big hill to fix it. I lost Eileen at that point, but I could see her up ahead. It took me a minute or two to get back in the groove, but soon I could hear the announcer calling Eileen's name. I checked my watch and saw that she finished in 2:47, so close to our goal! Hooray!
She must have rushed back to the corner, because she was there two minutes later when I ran to the finish!
So close! A three minute PR over Philly and working my way back to where I was pre-injury. So happy!
The bling was amazing but the after party was even better! Mats and foam rollers on the beach, wine, muscle milk, a gift bag with a wrap, salad, and apple, yoga on the beach, live music, and the expo moved outside. It was perfect!
I needed ice, so I went back to the start to get some, and went up to our room to ice my foot and change.
Preventative measures to prevent future injury! Soon it was time to make the long drive home. I want to do this race next year, but stay a little longer! I didn't get to see enough of Cape Cod!
I did score some great pumpkins and a goose neck gourd at a farm stand on my way out though!
Have you ever done a Zooma race?
No I want to do Cape Cod, too.
ReplyDeleteI think I am going to do Annapolis in May and add another state to my list!
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