Best DAMN Race

I CANNOT say enough good things about this race!!!!!!!!!!!  The race director did a DAMN fantastic job putting on a first time race! 

First off, packet pick up at Sports Authority was a a dream.  It was so well organized that my husband was in and out with in minutes.  Swag bag was ok, nothing stellar, but they did have my favorite mojo bar! WOOHOO!

 

RACE DAY~  Josh, myself, Leah, & Jackie loaded up the race wagon at 5:15am and headed to Safety Harbor, but not without meeting our sweet friends Kim & Tricia.  It was a chilly 43* when we left the house and most racers were stoked about this, I was not!  We arrived in Safety Harbor around 6am parked the race wagon with no problem and headed on to go pick up everyone elses packets.  What a breeze.  The volunteers were a pleasure to speak with at an unreasonable hour in the morning and again this part was very organized!

We all started making the potty breaks.  I don't know about you, but I swear I must pee at least 10 times from the time I get up til the race actually starts.  Ridiculous~I know.  But, what can ya do?  So we pee'd and headed the start line.  Somehow in the midst of getting to the start line Leah, Tricia, and I lost Jackie & Kim!  I was starting to get nervous, this was my first official 10k race.  I don't know why I was nervous.  I had no time to beat and wasn't racing against anybody, so what's the big deal?  I don't know, I still get like that before I teach my classes too.  Finally~time for the national anthem, the gun, and we were off!  YAY!

I almost wish that I had run with a camera because this course was GORGEOUS!  It was the BEST DAMN course I had ever raced!  We started out along the water in Safety Harbor along a quiet neighborhood.  It was seriously breathtaking!  I was getting caught up in the moment during the first 2 miles because the view was out of this world.  The sky was a beautiful pink, purple, orange color with the water and it literally took my breath away.  I kept thinking to myself, "God is good, all the time, God is good."  It was a moment that just spoke to me.  I have never had that happen in a race so it was weird.  Just before mile 2 I started getting hot and starting tearing off the throw away clothes.  Hat, gloves, & shirt~all gone!  I AM SO GLAD I thought ahead!  

Miles 2-3.5 were pretty uneventful we just kinda jogged and Gu'd(gross) and talked.  It was so nice.  Then we hit a few small elevations.  I can't even call them hills because they were not hills, but I definitely felt them, whatever they were.  We ended up on a trail that had pretty scenery and then back out to Bayshore for about another 1.5-2 miles.  I was doing pretty good and then somewhere in mile 5 I started to lose it.  YUP~I said it, I was loosing it.  I feel like a loser for saying so, but running is all mental for me.  When I don't know where I am in accordance to the finish line I get all outta whack!  Leah went on ahead just a little, I could hear her talking to me and yelling for encouragement & I was sooooo appreciative!  SO THANK YOU LEAH!  I wouldn't have got through it without you.  I looked at the watch and I knew I had about .2 left. I told my legs to go faster and they did, but not crazy fast like I wanted AND THEN I HEARD IT!  Do you know what I'm talking about??????  I heard STRIDER NATION and some of closest and dearest friends screaming for me.  Then I GOT IT~those damn thunder thighs finally started to go at the pace I know they are capable of.  ABOUT DAMN TIME!  I chucked my awesome handheld water bottle out into the crowd and took off like a bat outta hell!  WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

*******Official Time~1:07:32**********  I am proud!

It felt amazing to have my friends, my brother, and my boys there cheering for me.  It was special.  There are times when I am so down on myself because they are ridiculously faster than me, but on this day I was grateful.  So thank you so much~Rachel, Kim, Jackie, Cheryl, David, Tricia, Melanie, and anyone else I am missing. 

Cheers to you Nick for putting on the BEST DAMN RACE~can't wait to do it again next year!