Notes
A dissappointing race. Not at all well run. No one even there until 15 min. before race time. The race started 15 min late. It was very cold because of the wind. A really small race - 5 K and 2K. The people who ran - old and young alike all very eager and friendly, but it was not well run. I had been told the course would be the same as last year, but it was a little different. The course was barely marked, but that did not matter to me, because I live in this town, and figured it out. The woman ahead of me with two young children went the wrong way.
It was sort of loney , because last year Econo, Mariposai, Valerie, and Aidan were also running. There were about 30 people in all. One good thing was that Al clame and walked part way with Robby Dog, who looked very cute.
I started out slowly on the boardwalk, which makes me nervous because it is uneven, and all the real runners - mostly school kids- quickly ran out of sight. The walkers were behind. I got out of breath, and made myself slow down for the first part of the race. I am happy to report that I ran 99.5% of the race. There was quite a head wind for about a third of the time, and it was hilly. I think the wind slowed me down some.
Traffic is a problem with this race, so a runner or walker has to be careful. There are no bibs to identify racers to traffic. If they had provided any kind of bib at all, even with no number, it would have been safer. I knew after the first mile that I was a couple of minutes off on my desired time of 41:30. The 2nd and 3rd miles were not too hard, and I think my pace was about even the whole race, after the slow start.
Fortunately, I had punched my watch when I started, and when I came in at 42:45 for a pace of 13:46. Nuts! Al was the only person at all to be seen at the finish, and the clock had been removed! Hey, I wasn't THAT slow, and there were at least three adults and three kids behind me. The person with the bag of little gifties was not around, and I had to ask to get my coupon for coffee. Most of the people who put on the race had gone home! In other words, no hoop la, but the run is really a personal thing in the long haul.
There will be a similar race on Jan. 1, and I will probably do that one too. I do know that after that race, people congregate in a local coffee cafe, and I will have expectations more in line with what might happen. I hope to pick up my pace. I will say that I had prepared well in all ways for this race, and that is never lost.
I am thinking of running a race in Corvallis in 8 days, and think I can do that.