Even after the drive to Northville and all the moving around before the race, I was still yawning up until the start of the race. I could have taken a nap right there on the Northville Downs track where we started. Yes, we were all running a horse track for the start of the race. After we got going, I was half-tempted to let out a whinney or two. With it being a Hawaiian-themed race, I saw a couple women, and a few men (most notably the one in a coconut bra) in grass skirts. There were a few Hawaiian shirts as well. One guy had on both, and I recognized him, but didn't figure out until later that he was at the Flushing Evening race dressed as a bunch of grapes.
After the lap around the track, we headed out to the roads and hit a big hill immediately. The entire race was up and down, and for 10 miles (at least for me) that can be pretty taxing. It was definitely the hilliest race I've ever done, but the first hill was probably the toughest and it was nice to get that big one out of the way early. After that we ducked into a nice suburban neighborhood where there were a few spectators at their houses watching us go by. I heard another runner say, "No more 3 Musketeers for me mom, I'm a runner now." I kind of wonder if it would have been any more amusing to me if I heard it in context, but probably not. Besides, I'm more of a Milky Way guy.
There wasn't much else about the race to note, though. It was nice and overcast, which made the race a lot easier than it would have been with the sun blasting down on us. I didn't really battle anyone around me too much for any consistent amount of time, except for one run-walker who ended up pulling away from me at the end. I hate when that happens. I had a really tight calf and my hamstring kept acting like it wanted to pull on me, but I begged them back into good graces without having to stop and stretch (which I was heavily considering). Other than that, I just took it slow and steady, fighting off the hills (both uphill and down) as I went.
I raced without music again for this one. It just felt like one of those days that I wanted to go without it. Other than the 3 Musketeers comment, there wasn't much said around me to hear, though. I got a few courtesy "good jobs" and one "nice shirt" for my Team Zissou shirt (if only I had the Zissou Adidas), but other than that everyone was pretty quiet. I blame the hills, and perhaps the early 7:30am start for that. It just was not a very lively group out there.
I finished (at yet another Ford Field!..what the H?) with a 1:38:28, which is the first time I've been able to keep it under 10 minute pace for anything 10+ miles. I was pretty happy with that, considering I was planning on dedicating the race to my running partner Jason for Running Buddy Appreciation Day, and I was out there pushing with him in mind while he was up north being considerate enough to have an artist at the Comic Con draw me an Ood.
I also got another medal for this one. Between that and the Re-Tread plaque and the rest of the races, I'm afraid I'm becoming a bit of a "trinky whore." Yes, I mean trinket, but we call them "Trinkies" thanks to one man's slip of the tongue when talking about engagement rings. They had some good stuff after, but I only wanted water. I may have considered some pizza if it wasn't ruined by pineapple and ham (stupid Hawaiian theme, although that abomination isn't even their fault) They had some hula dancers and a lot of other good theme-related things after. The organizers (Running Fit) really did a nice job.
No comments:
Post a Comment