This morning Nancy and I did the 5 mile race at the 2012 Canal Run. It was a fun race, and I met the two goals I set for myself:
- finish in less than 55 minutes
- don't finish last in my age group
My time was 54:34.3. I'd honestly hoped for a bit better time than that, but the murmurs we heard before the race were true. That last hill is a killer. At mile 3.5, you turn the corner into Hancock, and it's a steady uphill for the next mile. We'd enjoyed shade up until that point, but now there was no relief from the sun until a shower from a hydrant the fire department had opened for us. I really wanted to hit that last half mile hard once we crested the hill, but the climb and the heat were keeping my heart rate at the redline, and I played it safe so I could still look sexy for the finish line photo.
The turnout was impressive. There were walkers and runners from both the 5 and 10 mile races on the road with us, so we were never without people to chase and occasionally dodge. The shared experience and impossibility of putting on airs while you're embarrassing yourself makes for a great atmosphere during and after the race. No matter what everyone says, running can be fun.
I think we'll be back for the 10 mile run next year.
