What a Race

I think I'm finally recovered from the race yesterday.  It's called Too Hot to Handle and it lived up to its name!  15k, aka 9.3 miles.  Started at 7:30 a.m., at which time the temp was already 84 and humidity 56%, and it only got warmer.  Ugh!  Maybe it should be called Too Hot to Enjoy. 

So I've run this race a bunch of times.  Until last year, I had this cool streak going -- my finish time was always faster than the previous year at the same race.  Then last year I missed my 09 time by about a minute and a half.  But last year was a late start (some issue with a water stop delayed the starting gun about 20 minutes, which means several degrees in Dallas in July) and 09 was surprisingly pleasant for July (hot to be sure, but at least it was overcast that year).  I was thoroughly bummed to end my course record streak. 

This year I managed to beat last year by 2010.  If you do the math, that means I missed my personal course record by almost 30 seconds.  Argh!  Such frustration.

I knew a PR was not possible.  I don't think I'm ever going to get a PR in July at a race that I've raced in cooler temps any time in the last few years.  But I was hoping I'd hit a new course record.

Oh well, maybe it was a streak of 5 years with constant improvement, and then I started a new streak in 2010? 

But the race is always fun in that shared misery way.  Only about 2,000 runners, and an out-and-back now (used to be a lake loop), so you get to see your speedy friends on their way back before you hit the u-turn.  A lot of people I know run it, and then everyone hangs out for a while afterward -- beer and pizza. 

And yes, I had a beer, again before noon.  Oh my!  I guess I have 3 exceptions to when I drink before noon -- after a race sometimes, Christmas morning eggnog sometimes, and bachelorette weekends sometimes. 

I hung out most of the time with one of the guys from my current weekend group.  I thought we were going to run together, but he took off right at the start and I had no desire to try to keep up.  He said he ended up struggling, which I believe.  Very easy to go out too fast on a race like this -- I did it too.  So he only finished about 2 minutes in front of me, which is surprising considering how quickly we separated.  When I saw him on his way back, I could see he was slowing down, but I was still expecting him to beat me by over 5 minutes. 

So another non-PR race under my belt.  I'm really sucking the last year or so, PRs just aren't that common for me these days.  But I have to keep going back to Boston.  I got a PR that I cared about.  It was funny b/c I mentioned to hubby when I called him post-race that I'd gotten passed by a girl from boot camp in the last .3 miles yesterday.  She's fast, definitely faster than me, but I somehow beat her in Boston by about a minute.  He was sweet -- he said, well, that's okay, you got her when it counted.  Haha.  I'm not really competitive at all with other people -- in my age group, friends, anyone, except for dear Adam.  So I wasn't actually bummed that she beat me.  It seems that most my friends are faster than me, but I kind of like it that way since it gives me an incentive to push myself. 

Anyway, all this to say it was a well-earned (pre-wedding too) pedicure!  But of course, I went and picked a toned down shade of pink, then late last night I got an email from the bride saying she wants all of us to do French manis/pedis.  Oops.  So it will be 2 pedicures for me in about 5 days, but who would really complain about that? 

And I almost never get manicures.  It's funny b/c I got tips for my wedding and one of the first things I notice when I look at my wedding pictures are how great my nails look.  So it will be nice to have pretty finger nails again.  I have NO IDEA how they're going to do a French pedicure on me -- remember, I've had one toenail that's been dead since September, and then I lost 2.5 more at Boston in April.  Only one of them has come off completely, but it will be a real challenge to paint all 4 of the affected toes.