I'm not sure if I like these night runs or not. My gut is just not used to night running. This was my homage to Ragnar...that I'm not a big fan of.
I stopped eating by 3:30, but my gut still just didn't feel settled. I was supposed to pace 1:45, but I was grateful when Doug showed up and he seemed excited and willing to switch the 1:45 for the 2:00. This was a last minute and only 4 person pacing job. Only a few of us weren't out at ragnar. Then there were also only a handful of people running. Even at 2:00 I was alone most of the time. Except when I decided to run racers paces to stay and chat with them. I was a little a head of time on my way out, but was able to slow down and make enough water stops to be only 40 seconds ahead at mile 10. I kept 9:15 average until the last mile when I met a guy running his first half marathon. I knew I had time to kill and he didn't want me to pass him, so I stayed and talked him through the finish until we could see the arch and I sent him sprinting ahead. He was SO happy to have me helping him through that last mile he needed to take a picture with me :) Then he ended up placing 3rd in his AG! What an awesome start to a great running career. I hope he continues on, despite the baby coming in 2 months.
Another girl that I spent the majority of the time with was from San Antonio and I loved chatting with her and dreaming that she was Becca :) She is training for the Orphan Hope marathon this year that Becca BQ'd at last year! Such a small world. She was fun to run with and wish she could've kept up. I think I ran from mile 4-10 with her. Then she asked "Are you speeding up or am I slowing down?" I told her I was keeping a good 9:15-9:20 pace and that she might be having a hard time because of her AF half last week. She wasn't too far behind me at the end.
The race was about .15 short, so I finished a minute early, which means I was about right on time. Can't help a short course that doesn't have mile markers! I also had about 20-30 seconds ahead of that, but on an accurate course that isn't a big deal. I was SO happy that I didn't do the 1:45, 2:00 felt nice and easy and my gut didn't rebel too much, but the legs were a little heavy. Tender mercies! Thanks Doug!!
It was a little creepy running in the dark and alone along the path where you hear about so many people being attacked. I wish there would've been more people racing, but with Ragnar it just wasn't meant to be. If you run this race remember your head lamp!! Lots of tree roots and the turn around is easy to miss and then you'll literally run off the edge of the path if you can't see. Glow sticks just don't do much for you as far as lighting the path!! I told everyone on the out and back to turn at the cone. I hope people believed me and no one got hurt.
Kimberly and I had a great ride down and back, despite getting home at 2:00 :) Including a stop at Krispy Kreme so my kids would love me when they woke up in the morning...and leave me alone when they got hungry! It was weird sleeping in and not running Saturday morning. Really weird. I was going to run a few miles with Cheri at Liberty Park, but she cancelled her 100 mile training run there. So I just hung out with the family.
| 
