10k...the full story!

So the race recap….I arrived about 7:30 am at the BOO Bash Dash 5k/10k. The race was to start at 8am. It was POURING RAIN!!! JOY JOY JOY! So of course the 1st matter of business…find the rest rooms. It was being held at and sponsored by Ham’s, a chain restaurant in NC. So that meant REAL RESTROOMS!! The restaurant was open and I went inside where most racers were crowded b/c of the rain. Guess what…the restrooms were having “issues”. Toilets were gurgling, sewage was coming up out of the drains in the floors (ewww) It was NASTY! They SAID it was b/c the restaurant was not prepared for all the flushing associated with pre-race jitters…what-ev. So I went in there anyway and got in and out…GROSS. Luckily I located a port o potty outside for later…but just 1 mind you. They were NOT prepared. I met up there with a friend of mine who runs 4-5 miles every time she runs…so she is a real runner. She had signed up for the 10k and it was her 1st organized race ever…and my 1st 10k so we were sort of in the same boat. I told her she did NOT have to stay with me but that I would try to keep up with her as long as I could.

Stacey, OG & Me

Gotta have a pre-race Mommy & OG pic

Soon the race was about to start…one more jaunt to the potty….then we lined up. Because it was pouring one minute and sort of raining the next we couldn’t figure out what to do…jackets on or jackets off? We decided right before the gun that it was jackets off and around our waists. It was not really too cold so we knew we would warm up quickly.

Gun went off….off we went….and what did I do? Forgot to set my watch!! UGH…and it was not a chip timed race! So a few mins in I started it. It was an out and back for the 5k’ers who started out at the same time as the 10k’ers….the 10k route was out and around a neighborhood and back on some parts that were the same toward the end. When my friend and I got to the 1.55 5k turn around point I said to her “we are insane, we should turn around…we have about 4.7 MORE miles to run!” And she just laughed…but we kept on. We stayed together till about mile 2…then she was slowly creeping ahead….I did not want to hold her back as I felt I already had...so I told her to go on. And off she went. Eventually she was so far ahead I couldn’t see her…and we were running through neighborhoods so there were twists and turns and she was gone! lol But I was fine…I was ahead of a big group so that was nice.

The hills were brutal. The neighborhood was an area where I grew up so it was like my old stomping grounds…running by old friends houses…hill after hill. And the rain kept coming. But it was nice…no sun, no heat…just cool rain. After mile 3 it got easier…always does. And I kind of found my running groove. It was about this time that I inquired with a man what race time he had on his watch. I realized then that his watch was 2 mins 30 secs from what mine said from where I set it a short time into the race. So the whole rest of the way I calculated time by what my watch said and added 2 mins 30 secs to it. It kept my mind off other things. LOL At 4 miles one lady was about to pass me and she said “I have been trying to catch up with you since the beginning” and I was thinking “GREAT, thanks a lot…and NOW you pass me”. Ha At mile 4.5 my lid came off of my nice water bottle so I had to go back to get it…only lost about 5 secs but it was precious time. About this time a group of 6 people passed me. OH NO I thought. Here we go. I am gonna be last. But the good thing was I knew that other people were participating in the 10k and were WALK-RUNNING it. So they would definitely be behind me. Hee Hee YES!

Also at around the 4.5 mark was when we got to the BACK part of the out and back of the 10k…home stretch!! HILLS, HILLS and MORE HILLS! We were about .5 miles from the end when we ran a way we hadn’t before…past where we should have turned to go to the finish….and then they made us turn around and we then headed the right way. I guess they needed to get in that extra .2 to the course or something with that crappy detour. So there it was…the finish line was in sight…the rain was pouring…I was running up the hill….and some stupid clown jumped in a ran beside me (it was a Halloween race afterall) to almost the finish line. I wanted to punch him/her…but I just went on. And I DID IT!! I finished my 1st 10k in 1:08:04. Not bad. And like I said before, I wanted anywhere between 1:10 and 1:15.

Home stretch and last AWFUL hill!

Stupid clown...beat it!!!


I did it!! 10k! 1:08:04

I could have kept going if I had to…I was tired but not sore…AMAZING!! Bring on the 1/2!!

Mileage YTD: 162.7