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Monday, June 19, 2017

Hitting the Wall (RDC 2017)

I'm not quite dead yet.  I swear.  For the last month, I keep opening blogger, readying to write a post about a race (yep, I've done 3 in the last 6 weeks, you heard it - a half marathon, a sprint tri, and a 5k), how much work sucks (no, I'm not outing myself on social media, it really legitly is pretty terrible right now, save a few people keeping me sane) or how my flippin 20 month old still won't sleep through the damn night.

Who needs to hear this?  No one.  No one at all.  You don't tune in to hear what you can hear around the dinner table, even if I tell it with colorful anecdotes and quite a few four letter words.  I also have in my "write dammit, rae" folder (no, I didn't stutter) quite a few healthy recipes to share, crock pot time savers, more "how to play for less" concepts, and some other gold star worthy pinterest shit.  That, you might want to check out.  But I have been blocked.  Just freaking blocked.  And every time I open up the blog, something else super important, like a school project, laundry, or tweezing my eyebrows, just seems to get in the way (no I don't tweeze.  Have you met me??).  Bllllazity blah.

Anyways.  Last week one of my faithful readers (actually, he might be the only one left - are you there god?  It's me, Rae) asked me if we put the blag to bed.

Nah.  He's just napping.  So it's time to just sit and let shit come out.  Just dedicate 15 minutes twice a week and do it, Rae.  DOOOO IT.  So fine. We will start small.  How about a race report?  We can go backwards......to Saturday.

My friend Jen (who bless her, has twin boys Rob's age) race directs a 5k each year to honor her older brother, who passed away from cancer in 2014.  She donates all the money to Wilmot Cancer society, and quite honestly, puts on one of the best 5ks I've done - in terms of course, amenities, and cost.  It's $18 to run, discount if you run with a team (which we did, even though we lost a few prior to the race!) and you get a nice (not flat) 5k in Mendon Ponds, a tech t, post race pizza and TONS of goodies, free kids race with ribbons, balloons and a DQ cone, and also entrance for tons of door prizes!  Whats not to love?

Team "SASS" (Stubborn and Spirited Sloggers)
Greg and I gathered a team of 10 (7 race morning) and decided to race for fun.  Race morning dawned with 82 degree temps by 9am (WHAT!) but hey, it's "only" 3 miles.  Right.  In 2016 I did the race in 26:20, but I pushed Biz in the jogging stroller, so I figured 24 something was about right, heat notwithstanding.  I missed placing in my AG but thhhismuch, so I was itching for some payback.  Grandma agreed to watch the kids on the playground (of course they were gonna do the kids race!) so Greg and I met up with her, got prepped, dumped ice water on our heads (you bet I did) and got ready to go!

Mile 1 (6:45 - WHAT??) So, clearly I went out way the hell too fast.  My usual pace for a 5k is 7:45ishish (I haven't run enough to know) but I haven't seen a 6:xx on my watch...ever.  So that was fun.  I sorta half cheered myself on and half grimaced when I thought about hanging on for 2 more miles but hey, embrace the suck.

Mile 2 (7:43) Much better.  There were a few uphill sections, but Nothing too bad - it was cool to see the fasties cruisin back, i counted out and I was 6th OA woman, which Greg also let me know when i passed him - earning a chuckle from the guy next to me about my pit crew! Saw the rest of my team on the way back, everyone looked great but...hot.  Heat was starting to climb.

Mile 3 (8:23) File this one under what the eff was i thinking at mile 1.  I actually stopped to walk - my legs felt ok but it was so damn hot out that my throat started to close.  I had almost caught #5 woman too but she was tougher than me today!

 Hit the top of the last hill and ran in the last nubbin for an overall time of 23:52 for 3.16 miles - 7:35 pace overall. Short of my PR (22:45) but it was a hilly course, hot as hades, and hey, two of the women in front of me were a Kenyan and an Olympic trials qualifier (seriously!)  Overall results - finished 27th out of 124, 6 out of 65 or 70 women, and won my age group, which netted a nice medal and a $15 med ved gift card - new shorts for me!

Post race we hung out, cooled off, watched the kids run (Rob came in 3rd and immediately threw a fit because he wanted to run the BIG race - next year, kid!) and stuck around for raffle prizes -which was good because I won an Attayne gift card for some more running gear - feeding the obsession :-)

Rob's Race!

Anyone interested in Running Down Cancer in 2018 - HIGHLY recommend this race!  I also put in a word with the RD to make it about 60 and cloudy next year.....