The BIG race

So what is it like to run with 15,000 people? It STINKS! Bridget and I ran in the Race for a Cure this morning and it was rough. First off we were meeting 7 other people who are members of Partners in Medicine who were on my team. The last couple of people didn't show up until 5 minutes before the race started. This left me only a few minutes to get toward the front of the pack. Well, I didn't make it! So I started behind a LOT of slower people, which was sort of fun to try to pass around (I felt like a guy with a bad case of road rage). However, this was very energy consuming and difficult to get into a rhythm. My first mile ended up at 7:42, which is right where I wanted it....but it was so jerky (fast,slow,fast,slow,fast) that I was really winded. Mile 2 began with a hill which zapped what energy I had left. Then I did exactly what I didn't want to do, I walked. I was disappointed to say the least. Mile 2 and 3 were nearly identical with one walk each mile and seemed to be a very inconsistent pace. Mile 2 was at 8:53/mile, mile 3 was 8:54/mile, and then there was the remainder of the 5K which is .12 of a mile. My overall time was 27:00 even, my goal time was 24:00 - 25:00 minutes but I really had dreams of finishing sub 24 minutes.

Bridget had an even more difficult time with the 2 kids in the jogging stroller. She couldn't find 10 feet to run without needing to swerve around a slower person. Plus they made those with strollers start at the very back, which meant she had a lot of people to try to pass. She was sort of excited when she said "I got to pass THOUSANDS of people!"

In the end we decided that a race with 15,000 people that is only 3 miles long is not the place to try to set a personal record best time. Some of those big races like the NY marathon, Boston marathon, or Chicago marathon have the luxury of spreading out that many competitors over 26 odd miles. In three miles it turns into bumper to bumper people, I clipped so many people in the beginning that it started to feel sort of claustrophobic. Oh well, you live and learn!