11th Annual Chattahoochee Challenge

All week (all year) it has been really nice out.  50 degrees at least.  Of course the day I have to do a 10K it is 41 when I wake up and 20mph winds.  The news says the temperature is falling.

So that was at 545.  True to form, A and I decide we need to get to the race at an obscene early time.  After D and I get ready, which for him was putting on clothes and for me was "Will I be cold in this?  This is probably too hot?  I don't know what to wear," we left.  I forgot to get a pre-race hair picture.

So we picked A up at 615.  Had I read last year's report, I'd have known I could have picked her up at 620, but oh well.  A had on more clothes than I have ever seen her run in... a long sleeve YELLOW shirt (she says it is orange), and a vest.  Later in the day, I noticed she had another top below her LSY shirt.  We drove to Roswell, chatting.  One of my run songs came on (I had My Chemical Romance playing).  I told A about how when the song came on at the Smuttynose Half, I totally picked up my pace (in the 11th mile).  When it was over, I slowed down.

We got to the Chattahoochee Nature Center early, meaning we could still park at the CNC if we wanted to.  We decided to park a mile away at the school. It would be easier to leave.  We walked to the CNC and luckily no lines at one of the bathrooms. In fact I believe A and I were the first women of the day to use them.  When we were done and walking, I said I didn't pull up my pants right. D was like, "Excuse me?"  A knew what I meant.  I wear underwear everywhere, because you never know when you will be arrested and the last thing I want is to be in jail with no underwear (I read about this in Hints for Heloise when I was 9 and have stayed true). So I had the underwear slightly rolled with the compression shorts over them and the wind pants over them.

We got our numbers and waited for L and D and M.  3 men were talking about shaving their junk.  We wondered if that made them faster.  M arrived.  She was nervous.  It was her first 10K, and she didn't think she was ready.  I think she thought we might not wait for her either.  Of course we would. We didn't find L and D.  We ran into R, another friend.  Then we started toward the start line.  M had to use the rest room, so A and I decided to go again.  Not a big line.  This time when I got out, I was walking weird, so I fixed my pants in the parking lot (the underwear was fine, I didn't pull up the shorts far enough).

A and M were chatting and got way ahead of us. D and I just walked.  Finally we got there and finally the race started.  This is where things got odd.  As I crossed the start line (chipped timing), I hit the Garmin, like all Garmin people do.

I ran my 9-1 thing. I had my gloves off on the first walking interval. I was running slower than usual on this race, but I wasn't very upset about it because I also know that I tend to fall apart on miles 4, 5, and 6.  So we got to mile 1 at 12:17.  Again, because I felt off in my training, I was happy with this. Around 1.6 the eventual winner of the race passed me (the race is an L, so there are 2 out and backs).  I drank some water and got to mile 2 in 12:40.  D and A passed me.  D looked relaxed and had his hat and gloves off, A's face was bright red.  She waved though.  I got to Roswell Rd and turned around.  I saw M.  She looked determined.

I saw the Mile 3 marker up ahead.  I paid attention to the people around me.  Some were walking, some were sprinting then walking.  I looked up and the Mile 3 marker was gone.  WTH?  The sweeper truck already taking it down. I was irritated.  I know I'm not fast but you should at least wait for 40 minutes to pass.  Mile 3 was 12:39.  I got some water and continued.

The police wanted to open the road so they told me to get on the sidewalk (it is asphalt but it is windy, not with the road).  This irritated me.  It had also started to sleet.  I had 45 seconds before I needed to walk so I ran those on the road with the cop yelling at me to move.  At the walking spot, I did.  I'm glad I didn't do it while running because I would have rolled my ankle.  I decided to run with the road so I cut over lots of grass.  My first attempt at trail running...haha.  I reached Mile 4at 13:31.

So yes, the race was starting to fall apart.  I decided not to let that bother me.  I would just keep my own race.  A PR was gone, enjoy yourself.  My timing was perfect.  I reached a walking period just as I had to go up a hill.  Only 2 more hills and you are done.  I passed the finish line.  Didn't see D, though.  I kept going.  Finally got to mile 5. 13:48.  At this point I decided to switch to 4-1 walks.  My breathing was fine, but my legs were getting tired (obviously).  I was hot too.  I saw A going the other way.  She was bright red and looked like she was going to pass out.  I wondered if I looked like that. I had to run up most of the next hill.  I noticed people turning around before the hill.  This irritated me.  We were at mile 5.65 and people are cheating?  I mean really.  Ultimately these people are just cheating themselves, but I don't get that.  You've made it that far and you are going to cheat the end.  I ran down the hill did the turn around and started back up when a walk break came.  Hooray!  I saw M.  She looked spent, but was still going.  I was so proud of her.

I resumed running and tried to keep up my speed.  I was happy to have been doing the 4-1s because I was now really tired.  I kept telling my legs to move, but they weren't cooperating.  I finally reached 6 miles at 14:15 (79:10) right here).  The last .3 miles (the race is 6.3 miles...I've run it 5 times and get 6.3 every time)), I tried to be all smiles for the camera.  Except once again the photographer wasn't there.  This pissed me off. D said he got too cold.  It is your freaking job!  I crossed the line and stopped the Garmin at 1:23:13.

M came in 45 seconds later.  L and D were cold, so they hugged me and left.  We got M some dixie cups of water and she started walking toward the car. We told her we were getting our t-shirts.  She didn't seem amused by this since we had to go up a hugeass hill (I bet the cheaters went up that hill).  So we got up there and got the shirts.  We got some more water and found A.  D was cold (the temp had fallen) and wanted to go.  M was ready so we walked back to the cars.  It started to snow and the wind picked up.

At the cars we went our separate ways.  In the car I looked up my times from last year's 10Ks and saw this was my 2nd fastest.  So go me.  Later in the day, A said they had posted the times. She got a PR!!!

This is where it gets weird.  And you all have to decide for me.  My posted regular time was 1:23:04 and my chip time was 1:22:41.  My Garmin time that I started and stopped on the mats was 1:23:13.  So what time would you go with? All times still don't change it is my 2nd fastest.  I'm tempted to go with the Garmin time, because I know it is how long I was out there.