I've been running this race for 4 years now...though I could have sworn it was longer. I actually went and counted my race shirts to be sure, but anyhow... A month or so ago I wasn't sure this year's race was even going to happen.
You see in a normal year the publicity for this event starts in September with a big T-shirt logo reveal. Then, the Facebook posts about early registration start showing up in your news feed. Followed by asking who wants to put a sign in their yard to help advertise. You get the idea. However, sometime in October it dawned on me that I hadn't seen any news about this year's race. I knew something was up. The old website? Gone. Facebook page? Gone. Local running calendar? Nothing on it.
I was bummed. This is the race that got me motivated to start running again! It's my Thanksgiving weekend tradition. It couldn't just disappear! I posted an inquiry on my Facebook page to see if any locals knew what was up. I few responded that they had heard it might not happen, but one friend found a link to a registration page. No official race details, no event website, but I could register so I did. I crossed my fingers and hoped it was really happening and I kept my eyes glued for some sign of the usual publicity. Nothing. I did eventually get an e-mail about packet pick-up that included race details. Yeah! It was happening! I just hoped the usual crowd showed up.
Ok this story is getting too long and there is more to tell...like the fact that I was out late last night with friends, ate only a few appetizers for dinner along with my cocktail, and somehow still managed to run this race sub 30 minutes for the first time ever! Did I mention the course is hilly? Well, hilly by Texas standards that is! But the story gets even better. I get a text this afternoon asking if I placed in the race. Huh? No, unlikely I say, but the results weren't posted yet and I didn't stay for awards. Apparently a mutual friend had mentioned that she thought I placed. Well, all be darned...I did! No kidding! I somehow managed to get 3rd place in my age group with a finish time of 29:29 (age is a good thing in these circumstances). I also think the lack of publicity this year decreased the volume of competition, but hey I'll take it!
No comments:
Post a Comment