Keith and I got there about 30 minutes before packet pick-up began, mainly because we were already in town, and there wasn't enough time to go home and come back. So, we just got there early and cooled our jets in the parking lot. I was super excited on several levels:
- I got to run on not one, but two famous tracks...normally reserved for famous people. How many non-famous folks can say they've done that??
- It was my anniversary, and therefore doubly cool. What a great way to celebrate nine years of marital bliss?
- It was also the very first time that Keith has ever actually been able to attend one of my races! That may have been the most exciting aspect of all for me, honestly.
Since we were so early, I wound up being the second person at the packet pickup window, and if there was any part of this race that was disorganized, it was this. The attendants had a hard time getting their shizz together, getting the mikes turned on, etc., so I wound up not getting everything I was supposed to get in my race packet. The only two things I got were my bib, and my T-shirt. Turns out I was supposed to get a glow necklace, too. It was a night race, after all...
Anyway, they loaded us on a tram and carted us all to the back entrance of the racetrack complex, where the start line was. We waited another hour or so for the start of the race, but it was all good. I ran into three other co-workers that were running the race, too! So we had a good time catching up and comparing notes while we waited.
Finally it was Go-time, and we were off! Of course, I dropped behind the other three immediately, but I expected to, so I didn't really mind. We had started about 3/4 of the way back in the pack, mainly because nothing is so demoralizing as to have hundreds of people pass you as soon as you start running. I'd rather be behind them to start with...then, I have nothing to do but gain.
We ran down the hill toward the entrance to the drag strip...our first 'race' experience of the night. The course took us from one end to the other, which was seriously cool. Even cooler was the fact that this was one of the many festivities planned during Bristol's annual 'race week', so there were hundreds of campers lined up along the fences the entire length of the course, cheering us on for all they were worth. I tried very hard to get a pic, but my pace at that point was looking pretty good, and I was feeling awesome and running strong, so I didn't want to ruin that by stopping long enough to get a clear shot. I did slow down for a sec, though....after all, we may never pass this way again, carpe diem, etc., right?
At the end of the drag strip, the course turned and ran along an access road between the strip and the main racetrack arena that they had turned into more camping space. Here, there was no fencing between us and the spectators, and their cheering got even more intense, spurring us on. The course descended pretty quickly at the end of that stretch, so I was able to get a nice little burst of speed going, down and across the main road, through the hospitality village set up for camping race workers. It was there that I saw my first prize: A glow necklace some unlucky runner had lost. Until that moment, I hadn't realized just how bummed that I hadn't gotten one in my race packet.
Did I stop to pick it up? You betcha.
Coming out the other side of the hospitality village, we hit the main access road again, and headed up the hill to the entrance to the main racetrack. This was where I'd been told to have Keith wait for me, since spectators were not allowed inside the racetrack. I was clipping along pretty well, at that point, and wishing Keith was standing right there to take a pic. I did look for him, but expected to be up farther, closer to the track entrance, so I never actually saw him. He did get a couple of shots of me coming up the hill, though, and told me it was hard to get one that wasn't blurry, since I was running much faster than he expected. That made me feel really good.
That was much later, though. Heading into the track, I kept looking for his face among all the spectators lined up along a stretch of wrought iron railing they had there, and was bummed that I didn't see him. But there was a long stretch of hands sticking out for me to high-five as I ran past, and you can believe I did. What a rush.
The racetrack was every bit as cool as I expected it to be. We had to navigate a fairly steep bank coming onto the track, but once past that, the track itself was as flat as a pancake, even around the turns...but the banks, holy cow, they were intimidating! Standing at the bottom, it's hard to believe a car wouldn't just slide down....centrifugal force is an amazing thing.
One runner stopped ahead of me and ran to the top of the bank to have someone take his pic. I slowed enough to get a couple of pics (blurry, too), and pick up two more glow necklaces (take that, inefficient ticket agents!) to add to my collection, and then hurried on around the rest of the track to our exit gate.
Oh. My. Gawd. The exit gate.
I have never, nor did I ever expect to run any surface as steep a grade as that gate passage was. It would be hard to walk, much less run. But most everybody at that point was walking it, anyway. Since I had been told at the beginning that the finish line was at the top of this ramp coming out of the racetrack, I did my best to power up the ramp as fast as I could, to make up as much time as possible from taking pics and picking up necklaces. Up to that point, my pace had been running around 12:40, so I had a PR firmly in my sights at that point, and I was loathe to let it go.
I knew Keith would also be waiting at the gate exit to get pics again, so even though I didn't see him, I didn't want him to catch me walking (God forbid!), so I kept moving. When I realized that the finish line was still way up the hill, it almost killed me, I swear. That ramp was sooo freaking steep, it was unbelievable, and took everything I had to get up. At the top, I almost collapsed, twitching and wheezing for breath, but Keith's voice miraculously appeared somewhere in the vicinity of my ear....you got this...don't stop now, you'll blow your pace!
Of course, I listened.
Somewhere, I got the energy up to get running again, but this time, he was keeping pace with me...all the way to the finish line, where we both crossed together. Getting handed a medal, and being able to take a post-run sweaty selfie with my soul mate....priceless.
A few minutes later, we were able to reunite with my buddy Lauran, who I started out with (she was also my friend who ran the Covered Bridge 5K with me back in June), and get a celebratory pic with her, too before heading out to finish out the evening with a wonderful anniversary dinner at our favorite Greek restaurant, which was right up the street...and still open, thank goodness, because by that time, it was 10:00pm.
Of the four of us that started the race together, we all finished roughly a minute apart. In June, Lauran's time was about six minutes faster than mine. This time, she barely had a minute on me. That in itself was a huge accomplishment for me....Lauran doesn't run as much as I do, but she is One Buff Chick, no lie...and she can hold her own, for sure.
Final Place: 361/464
Final Time: 40:45...a PR over my 5K time back in June, 2009!!
Final Pace: 13:04
I am an incredibly happy camper, and can't wait until next year!!!
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