The Beginning
It was colder this year at 16 degrees but there was hardly any wind so
it didn’t feel colder. It was cloudy though where last year the sun was out.
This year felt warmer and I was better prepared (clothing) for the race. A year
of cold weather running has helped in this department. The start was different
from last year. We started at the top of the oval in the park and ran down,
around and out of the park. The first mile was mostly up that stupid hill. I
really wanted to walk but thought to myself NO! So I pressed on. I past a lot
of people on the uphill…all the people that sprinted down the hill at the start
couldn’t run up the hill now. Since I was alone, I had to keep myself going. I’m
impressed at how well I did. The first mile was rough as my hands were
freezing. I didn’t wear gloves, I didn’t think about it. So the first mile my
hands hurt so bad. But soon enough they were roasting and I was glad that I
didn’t wear gloves (I didn’t have pockets to put them in so I would have been
carrying them.) Even with the big up hill, my first mile pace was 11:11…not bad
at all!
The Middle
I don’t remember much about the middle. I know my hands were warm so
that was good, I wasn’t getting over heated so my clothing choices were right.
I past some people as they walked and then they past me as they ran faster but
eventually I got ahead of them for good. I kept picking new people to pass and
that kept me going. There was also a water stop in there somewhere. I stopped
briefly to take a drink but remembered not to drink too much and kept on going.
My pace for mile 2 was 11:21. I was a little concerned about it going down but
then I remembered the hill…oh the glorious downhill. I loved the hill last
year.
The Finish
So the hill was awesome as always, my watch says I got up to 6:42 pace
briefly but averaged around 8:45-9 down the hill…that helps the pace! Unlike
Mankato’s hill which is long and not so steep, this one is just plan steep. I ran
past so many people on the downhill. I don’t know if they were holding back but
I let it go…maybe my excess weight with gravity made me go faster, I’m not
sure. LOL! Of course what goes down must go up and there is a bit of an uphill
afterwards. I was still passing people. We turn the corner and headed down to
the park (down part of the uphill we ran at the beginning of the race). This year they were mean. The finished
required us to go around the circle, uphill. Yes it was an uphill finish. I was
surprised I still had enough in the tank to make the final push to the finish.
I ran past many people on this uphill too.
I came across the finish with a time of 33:36! It is incredible that I finished that well.
The time was 3 seconds slower than Chocolate Frolic but that race was also shorter.
My average pace was 10:55. Yes….that is another “10”!! This was my fastest pace
ever…and it was a hilly course!
Pictures, Maps, Elevation and Splits
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