Close to a year ago I convinced my neighbor to start running with me. We ran a 5k race last December but really started training this past spring when the weather improved. There was some discussion as to what our first race would be and we finally decided on the Emerald City Quarter Marathon. This is a smaller race in our area. It is considered a good practice race for the Columbus half/full marathons that take place in October.
The one thing this race had going for it, other than the relatively flat run, is that it had a great swag bag and all finishers receive some super nice bling.
Race day was beautiful. Slightly warm but not the horrible humid, thick, hot weather we have been having the past few weeks. We had to get up super early to get to the starting area on time and warmed up with a .25 mile walk to the starting line.
There were a few thousand participants, with both the quarter and half runners running together for the beginning and end of the course. The quarter course itself was a 3 mile loop, that was flat and went through one of our lovely metro parks. Our main goal was to set and maintain a comfortable pace through the entire run.
One of the perks that was great, is that they had hydration stations with both water and Gatoraid every 2 miles. Nothing makes me more happy than extra water stations. I hate to carry water and I love Gatoraid. I do need to remember that when I am doing a 6+ mile run, it doesn’t hurt to bring a couple of Chomps with me. I have been wanting to try out the Shaklee Energy Bites. I might have to buy a bag to keep for the upcoming long training runs.
Overall, the run was PERFECT. Great tunes, great pace, great talks. We had a ton of fun. The only thing that was not perfect was the realization at mile 6 that a quarter marathon does not equal a 10k. Some place in my brain, I had those two distances equal. As we ran, my brain started calculating and that is when I realized, oops, we have another .35 of a mile to go. Luckily Christine didn’t kill me and we were fine. As a matter of fact, we finished the race in better time than we had anticipated.
Here we are at the finish! All blinged out!
Up next? Oktoberfest Meiler Vier in a couple of weeks! Going for an improvement in our overall pace. 11 minute miles? Of course WE CAN!
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Emerald City Race or it’s promotion company. This post is strictly my own opinions and experiences. Regardless, I only post my honest opinions. This blog is in no way affiliated with Twitter, Facebook or any other social network.
I get tired just reading your running posts. 🙂 I wish I could run. You should definately try those energy chews. They are awesome.
I have thought about doing a 5K, but I haven’t had the time to get up to that distance yet, Maybe next year!
I tried doing the couch to 5k but stopped after getting pregnant, I hope I can start up again it just feels good to go on a run.
Nothing like thinking you’re almost done and then having a little longer to go! My last race was a “5K” that in reality was almost 3.5 miles… Not fair! 🙂