Go Out and Smash It! Like Oh My God!

So Saturday, D, A and I traversed to Marietta to do the Polar Bear Run 5K. D and I did it last year. It is in the 'burbs. It is at a church that is humongous.

So A picked us up at 650 and off we went. We got to the main road, and commented how it looked like 3 other roads that were in different burbs. Moes-check, garage-check
Strip mall that is half empty-check.

We were one of the last cars into the one side of the church. Apparently it's ginormity isn't big enough, so they are expanding. Because of that, they changed the course. From the looks of it, it looked better, because it wasn't a loop-and a half around the church, but took you out on some roads. We got our stuff, and put everything in the car, and hung out in one of the many hallways in the church until the race started.

Now, a typical Atlanta race means there is not chip timing. This race did have chip timing for its 2000 participants. However, they didn't have a start mat, so basically, there is no point for the chip, imo. The race started. I guessed where the start was (my guess was a tree...D said it was a fire hydrant). Pretty close. And we're off. Down Johnson Ferry. So many people. And traffic cops kept yelling to stay in one lane.

HUGE BOTTLENECK. Walkers started out in the front, so it was hard to pass, but I did. I got yelled at by the traffic cop 4 times. Crossed Lower Roswell RD. I'm willing to bet this is not connected to Roswell RD (you can tell me, I'm not that pressed to googlemap it). Mile 1 was 12:15. Hold up!!!! 12 :15. WTF? I can't be going that fast. There are so many people. OK, my Garmin must be broken, nope Polar says the same thing. We pass these really huge houses that are on top of each other. Either have a lawn or don't. But don't have this piddly patch...

Turn onto Powers. Down the hill. Lalala! I'm counting, 7, 8, 9 ,10. I never seem to count 1-6. Lots of little kids. I must speed up or I'm going to hit the woman who is yelling at her 3yo that she is doing this for him, and he better start acting appreciative. Really, woman, he is 3. Up hill. Still a bottleneck. Still running on the outside of the cones and getting yelled at. Start thinking about A, who had told me that earlier this week she was thinking about D when he goes up hills. D speeds up on hills, so A was trying to emulate him. So guess what I did...I sped up on the hill. People were all bitching how hard the hill was. It was long, but it wasn't hard. I started thinking about cheating on a treadmill. You can't cheat on the real thing. So finally I got to the top and the volunteer yelled "1.50 miles." We turned at the top of some road. The water was at the 2 mile marker. I didn't need any. I looked at my watch. 25 minutes. OK, quick calculation. I only had to run 14 minutes mile to get to 39. I could do it. Picked up my pace. Another hill. Just plugged along.

Crossed Lower Roswell again. And a middle school. I kept running to street signs and then looking at my watch. Just run, dummy! Finally I saw the megachurch. I got to the parking lot, and my Garmin read 2.5 miles. Ugh! To run to the other side of the church was another half mile!!! OK, you can do this. My watch said 38. I finally got to the church, and the watch said 2.8 miles/36:30. Obviously I didn't read the watch right the first time. I came around the turn, and pushed. Then 3 people crossed the race in my path. Curses! I slowed down, but finally crossed (no coming to the puke threshold). Then, about 10 feet after I stopped running, someone scanned my chip. I went by Garmin.

Last week's PR of 40:26 stood for one week.

This week I got a new PR!

38:20!!!!!!

I was so proud of me. D and A were so proud of me.

D and I had a quick celebration at Fox Bros. I got a Fox Bros Burger and Fox-a-roni (Mac & Cheese, mixed with Brunswick Stew). Then we both went to work.