Champlain Classic 15K

Happy after the race!

I woke up this morning to a pounding rain shower but it didn't last long and the sun came out. It really came out!  Temperatures reached the 80s.  This has been a bizarre week weather wise. So I got up and did my pre race stuff.  T picked me up and off we went.  We had a lot of catching up to do as we hadn't seen each other for quite some time.  I don't get too nervous until I am almost at the race.  I don't feel mentally nervous but my GI system says otherwise! We registered and got the last two shirts - XL. Oh well, hope someone can use it.

My race - the 15K started 10 minutes before T's race the 5K.  There was some nice excitement in the crowd.  Before I knew it the gun fired and off we went.  I did the first mile way faster than any other mile in 8:15. The rest of my miles were 9s with one in the 10s.  A lot of the race was on gravel trails.  We headed down one trail, crossed a road and headed onto another one. I had actually run on the farther trail last fall after an appt. in Shelburne.  We came upon the lake and it looked beautiful on this sunny day!!!  When we got back on the road, we saw the lake quite a bit.  It was hilly but any hill we went up we got to come down later or of course the opposite which isn't so fun.  I stopped at all 5 water stops which I am not usually good about doing.  I knew that it was much hotter than I was used to and I'd better do it. (In spite of this after the race I drank several cups of water and it was a  l-o-n-g time before I had to pee so I should have been drinking even more!)  I was feeling okay although I didn't think I was going as fast as I would have liked.  I was glad to reach the turn around - both to head back and I am always worried that this race maybe I am last!  I like meeting people and seeing that this is not true.  I had just decided that we were all settled into our places when to my surprise I started to pass people.  It was just before reaching the Mile 7 sign that I really noticed I was feeling tired. BUT I passed - and stayed in front of - 9 people before the end!  One woman I passed came up to me later to tell me how much I helped her because she was fading and after I passed her she worked hard to keep me in her sight!  I finally reached Mile 9 but that last .3 seemed to take forever!!! I felt good when I finished, tired but thrilled to have completed my first 15K.

Rounding the corner as I approach the finish

Closer

Yet closer

And there!

 Recovery food was bagels and cake!!! I love cake!  I had two pieces with lots of frosting!!! Terrible, right?  It's funny because I dreamed about being at a buffet with friends the night before and they were appalled at how much I ate and what I was searching for and couldn't find was cake. I know that is a pretty strange dream. What does it say about me?  Probably that I am not getting enough cake so I am glad I could rectify it today!

T won third place in her age group! :)  Then she won a pair of shoes that she gets fitted for at Fleet Feet! I just may get her back for more races!! (She has already promised to race next weekend with me!)

Age group awards were various fish - appropriate because Champlain is Lake Champlain

The 20 is because it was the 20th year of the race!

I ran it in 1:26:04 for a pace of 9:15.  I was 5/7 in my age group. I did better percentage wise overall than in my age group which is unusual.  I was 67/121 overall.  Then they also had age graded results which I always LOVE!!! I was 25/121 overall with these.  The winner didn't move at all.  But he was about 8 minutes ahead of anyone! Crazy!!! All in all a good race.  And of course a PR since it was my first 15K!