Race results!

The Saguaro race came along sooner than I thought it would - and before I knew it, Labor Day weekend was here and I had only run the 8 mile length once in the last month.  Really, the last few months if we are being completely honest!  I knew I had been doing the hill run every Monday, but it's only a 4.5 mi jaunt, and half of it is downhill!  Yes, I know, the Saguaro course starts and ends in the same place, but that hill... it seems like it just won't stop!

So, out of bed early on Labor Day and out across town.  My husband decided to do it with me, after all, it's more fun with a friend.  The lazy kids didn't want anything to do with being at a race at 6:30 on a day off from school, so, home they stayed!  We made it with only 10 minutes to spare before race time - which is really off for us.  Usually we are there with plenty of time to spare.  At least we didn't have to wait around a long time for the start!

Still standing after the race!
(And notice my cute running skirt?)

And, then the gun went off and out we went.  Because we had gotten there so late, we were pretty far back in the pack.  It just made for a lot of dodging and dashing in and out of groups of people the first mile or so.  It's kind of hard to enjoy that first mile when you are trying not to run into anyone.  It was hotter than I remember past years being at the start.  Maybe because in past years there was a little cloud cover right at sunrise (that would quickly disappear), but there wasn't any to speak of this year.  Then three miles in, the dreaded hill came.  But, I noticed a difference.  This was not the unspeakable hill of Monday mornings.  This didn't seem as bad as I had remembered it and I kept wondering when the pain would start, after all, I was bracing for it as this was my fourth year to do this course.  It never happened.  And the hill ended and I ran on.  Maybe there was something to gettng up and doing the Hill on Monday mornings?  Too bad after the big hill was conquered, I got a side stitch that never really left.

Final results.  Me: 1:12:38.  I lost two minutes somewhere between last year and this year, but, I'm just going to chalk it up to experience... and resolve to do better for my fifth Saguaro run!  After all, there is a year to train for it!  And, thirteenth in my age group doesn't seem so bad, really.  Though, the kids aren't really impressed when I tell them I was 244th overall.  Hubby: Well, he beat me by about 20 seconds or so.  Darn him.  I could see him the entire time, I just couldn't catch him. 

The even better news?  I was not sore on Tuesday.  After the first year of doing this race, I couldn't walk very well for days afterwards.  The next couple of years I could definately feel that I had done something strenuous.  This year, I couldn't tell a thing!  Yay!  I think the Hill is working!

Stay tuned for my next racing decision coming soon.