Milton Optimist Club 10K a/k/a Adventures in Africa

So, again we are at the number 13.  Avg speed for this race: 13:13.  One day REAL soon we are getting back to the 12's or lower.......

So anyhow, here is the Independence Day Lucky 13-

1) It's been a while since I've had a race shirt I've really liked.  This is one of them.  I love the slogan "Optimism - Play it Forward."  It kinda sums up my goals in life: Keep a positive outlook, do good things for other people for no reason, that kind of stuff.  Not that I always achieve it, mind you - sometimes I am a snarky beyotch- but a girl's got to have a goal.

2) This was only the second run of the week for me. Probably should spend more time running if you want to  get faster...... but the bike is sooooo much more fun.

3) It was hot out there.  it is always hot out there on this particular run (imagine that, a hot day in July..... who'd think??). Not just hot, but that overwhelming Africa grade heat where you expect to see a lioness come pouncing out of the brush after a zebra or two. Holy Hell I hate that kind of heat on a run.  Add in some open road with little to no shade and you have there a recipe for some serious whininess.  In all seriousness though, the bulk of the water stations were out on the open part of the course, as well as a sprinkler station at a local farm, so the heat was thwarted as best as the RD was able.
4) This is a great little race.  No frills.  Cotton tshirts.  No chips.  No times posted online.  They barely advertise it at all, not on active.com or any other registration site, just a little blip on the Milton 4th web page.  Registration is a paper only by mail or in person affair (*GASP!!*) only. And yet, there are a ton of people there, mostly locals who do it every year or a newby or two who decided to give it whirl since it's in their backyard. Kudos to Kris Koeffler for putting on an event the community can really get behind.
5) Five.... the number of people I passed after the halfway point. On this race, I know that I generally make the most headway on others after the 5K mark.  Lots of folks can wing a 5K.  I am not particularly speedy, but I keep a slow steady pace and can do some distance for a long time.  So the rabbits take off and go hellbent for leather and I plod along doing my thing and pick them off on the back half when they fizzle out after the hill on the turnaround. Best of all, most of the folks I overtook appeared to be over the age of 10 and under 70..... so they were more in my age range than the people I usually pass :)  I think there were at least 13 people behind me overall.  I love that.
6) Phil and CJ (and Tucker, one of my favorite puppies) were at the crossroads that was both the 1 mile and 5 mile mark.  You gotta love having a cheering section on the course, thanks guys. Shortly after seeing the Gredler gang, I came across a kiddo trying to attack me with a dinosaur machine gun style squirtgun.  I was pretty hot, wish he'd had better aim - totally missed me with every drop of water.
7)  After the 5K mark, I set my sights on a lady about my age up ahead.  I spent the last 5K trying to catch up to her.  She was running just a bit faster than my pace the first half and was slowing a bit.  I tried to keep running when she did and to keep running a bit longer when she stopped for walk breaks.  I made up distance on her each block, each mile.  At the finish, I was just  a few steps behind her. I patted her on the back and told her I'd been chasing her for miles and she gave me a good run for my money. If it had been an 11K, I'd have caught my pace bunny.
8)I love that the whole Wilkinson clan came out.  I spent most of the first half as a Wilkinson sandwich, with Jack and Brendan leapfrogging with me off the front and Michele and Sparky leapfrogging on the back.  Those kids did awesome.  We stuck around for the end to cheer the kids, because really, that's what life is all about.... cheering in the next generation and lighting the fire.

9) At the finish line, was my favorite preschooler, my niece Izzy.  She was hot and tired and crabby, but still just about the cutest thing ever.



From my sister at the finish.  All I see are eyes, boobs, and hips, everything else is a washout.



Coming up on the first corner just after the 1 mile

Heading into the last mile

10) Remember what I said about this being a no-frills kind of race? There was no official photographer there either, as evidenced by the super-terrific photo documentation of the race shown here.  Sadly, I think they are some of the best race pics I've ever taken, mostly because they are blurry  so you can't see all the stuff flopping around in high def.

11) Mike puked on the course and still managed to almost PR.  What's up with that?

12)The best part of this run is our usual post-race dip in Storrs Lake nearby.  It's about 1/3 of a mile across, a good distance for some open water time.  The water is nice, there are just a few fishing boats to contend with, and it's rarely wavy or rough.  This year, Mike and I were joined by Alison, CJ and Phil, Jamie, Steve, and Jeff. It's always nice to swim in a small group to help you pace and sight.  Plus, it felt awesome to get in the water and cool off.  Win-win.

13) We stopped at McDonald's on the way home specifically to get something cold to drink.  Have you had one of those new Mango Pineapple smoothies there?  Those things are delicious!  I do not normally advocate for fast food, but I think I have found my new go-to treat.  O.M.G.