The Charlotte 10 Miler

In March I ran a 10 mile race with my sister, my sisters running buddy (Maria) and one of the trainers whose classes I take at the Y (Carissa). Carissa and I had been doing long runs on Saturdays and our pace was pretty similar so I was feeling good about having someone to run with on the day of the actual race. My sister is wicked freaky fast so I was operating under no delusion that I'd actually keep up with her on race day...especially with a baby on board (which I found out about once I'd already begun training). Don't get me wrong - I love to run but I don't love to run all by my lonesome. When I'm running solo it becomes more of a chore and workout but when I'm with friends the time flies by and it just feels good at the end unlike when I'm solo and the minutes drag on. Because I like to stay in "running shape", I'll run by myself any day of the week if that's what it takes to get the job done but it's not my preference. Clear as mud, right? Anyhow, I digress. 

My sister signed up for the race before me and then it looked really good so I joined in and then roped in Carissa. It was to be run on Charlotte's greenway system which I absolutely love and adore. The greenway system is one of my most favorite things about living here - it's AWESOME! 

Well, the initial race weekend was in February - the weekend of my birthday to be exact. We got lots of rain and all of that snow we had prior had melted and caused major greenway flooding. Most of the greenways are along creeks or streams and so if water is high - the paved path gets covered and so at the 9th hour they cancelled the race on that initial date and re-scheduled it for later in March. Luckily, my sister and Maria were able to make the trip back to Charlotte for the reschedule date. I mean, when I say they cancelled the race at the 9th hour - I mean 9TH HOUR - as in 7 something the night before so they were already in town for the first date. Awesome, right? Oh well, more time with my sister is always a bonus to me :). 

On with the race details! The weather was pretty good and the course was pretty well laid out and organized. The only negative I have about the course is that it was ridiculously hilly through the residential part at the end which just seems like a cruel joke at that point - you know? 

All smiles pre-race

 I tried to eat a decent breakfast to fuel me well for the race and I tried to really get my mind right. Surprisingly, and I do mean surprisingly - Carissa and I kept up with my sister and Maria the entire race. I had no idea what our pace was but I knew if we were keeping up with them it would be a pace I would be happy with. We all four crossed the finish line together. This race was organized by a group called start2finish and I LOVE that after you crossed the finish (like, literally RIGHT AFTER) line you could print out a little ticket that looked like this: 

It's kind of blurry because it's been sweated on and shoved in my purse and everything else, but it has your bib number, name, age, overall rank for the race, your rank within your gender, your rank within your age group, your finish time and your pace/split per mile. Truthfully, the only thing I cared about was that pace at the end. SUPER STOKED with my finish time and even happier that we all finished together. Like I said - social runner party of one. 

How cool is that? I wish all races did that. I mean, for elite runners (which just to clarify is clearly not me) that would be the jam because you'd know whether you needed to wait around or not and you don't have to stand and stare at an ever changing computer monitor or worse yet just wait until the awards ceremony starts and see if you get something. 

The medal was a nice little finishing prize and then they had a photo group there called Tapsnap and we got our picture taken in the booth and they printed one, Facebooked one, and emailed one. Me being a "picture person", I was in love with that whole concept and instant gratification result. I would also like to add that Tapsnap handed out free tubes of chapstick and I don't know what kind it is but it's not some cheapy stuff - I'm still using it and liking it. This is another thing I thought was really cool that I'd love to see more of at races because let's be honest - most people run with a buddy or spouse or group or whatever and if you don't run the same pace, it'd be nice to still get a picture together that is a good quality picture. 

There was breakfast and coffee immediately following the race and then we all entered a raffle to wear a new pair of Hoka One tennis shoes but we stayed until the bitter end and I'm sad to report we weren't the winners. Hoka's are not easy on the eyes, but I have a friend who is a competitive runner and she swears by them. They are in a lot of running magazines and forums I read lately too so there must be something special about them! 

It was a fun run with a happy ending for all! A few last pics before we headed home sweaty and tired. 

Catina and Maria are running a race this coming weekend in Outer Banks. I really wanted to run it with them and figured I'd be ready and able to do it. The idea is kind of cool - they have a double dare challenge where you run a 5K on Saturday and the half on Sunday and I thought that sounded super fun. Bonus: you get two medals! The problem is, my May weekends are INSANE and I just couldn't commit to one more weekend away from Tim and the kids not to mention the financial aspect of traveling, buying food, etc. Anyhow - I'm with them in spirit and I'd love to do it next year because it looks super fun. Good luck girls! I can't wait to hear all about it.