5.5 miles on a 3 degree treadmill @ 8:21 pace, on the Tuesday before the Saturday race. Work was taking precedence this week, with a fair bit changing, so I didn't do anything on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.
The Race:
This was a unique race, beer-themed. I wish I lived close enough to Milton, DE to participate in the Dogfish Dash. This was a pretty cool substitute. They had a great tech t-shirt (Will Run for Beer) and a pint glass as swag. You could fill it up after your race.
I realized 20 minutes before race start, while I was still at my apartment, that the race was going to actually start in 20 minutes. Thankfully, there was a parking spot waiting for me. I warmed up on my way to the packet pickup and stashed my stuff before heading to the line to do some dynamic stretching. Lots of adrenaline used, even before the start.
I didn't partake in the pre-run beer, and I had no intention of drinking during the run, either. I was in it to run fast. The crowd wasn't too big, since it was a first annual event, but the group made up for it in enthusiasm.
We took off at the start, and I fell behind a couple. They were running strong, the guy built like an elite triathlete/marathoner, and the girl with excellent running form. There were some rolling hills. They stayed about 50m ahead for almost the entire race. I did gain on them a bit when a beer stop ended up not having any beer. I haven't done speedwork in months, although I did play a game of ultimate Frisbee last weekend, where I was more intent on running my heart out (and diving around) than playing well. Marathon fitness was still in the bank, though. I finally caught up at the last moment, in the final sprint, which was a short but steep uphill. Good for 1st girl, 2nd overall.
It was publicized as a 4K race, but it was actually a bit shorter. I ran 13:47. My arms were really not ready for all the pumping that it had to do in the rather sprinty race.
Afterwards, there was good live music. There was also a keg toss competition. I think I got last place, haha.
(the prize - a cool trucker hat, and a Thomas Creek bottle opener keychain! :))
Looking forward to next year's event. Will run for beer!
1 comment:
Congrats on the win! I saw this at the last minute but was already headed out of town. Next year you will win the race AND the keg toss, lol.
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