Oak Apple Run 10k

This morning I did the Oak Apple Run 10k. This was my third year running it. I think it was my worst time out of the three, but the official times are not yet in.

I slept ok last night and woke up bright and early at 4:45am. I woke up before my alarm clock. Not cool. Anyway, I laid in bed for a little while and then quickly got ready, put my oatmeal in a mug to "drink" on the way, put my Garmin watch on and went to meet my friend. We got there quite early and there was plenty of parking. We had time for a Starbucks potty break, which is always nice.

The best part of my race outfit was my hair clips:

I decided to treat myself to some Vera Bradley hair clips to wear during races. Are they not adorable? Moving on...

My friend and I started the race running together, and then each went at our own pace. She ended up passing the finish line about 200 meters before I did.

At the one mile mark, a guy in front of me did the old snotteroo... put a finger on one nostril and blew out the other. Repeat on the other side. I watched the whole thing in horror. Then I gagged. Twice. I tried hard not to think about it, and had to calm myself so I wouldn't keep gagging. I have a very weak stomach in the morning. I wanted to yell at him how gross it was, but I guess, when you're doing a race, you do what you gotta do.

A little while later, I saw an old woman in a muumuu holding her screen door open, yelling, "Great job! You guys look great!" Funny stuff!!

I ran until about 1.5 miles, then I walked for a while. I walked and ran off and on the rest of the race. My legs hurt really bad... like I'd pulled my quads. That, coupled with the fact that this was my longest run since the half marathon on April 2nd, made this a very difficult race.

During one walk break, I was the only one in about a block. I must have looked pretty bad because a race official asked me if I was ok. Then I teared up a little, thinking about how slow I was going, and how I was not running the race I wanted to. Thankfully, I had sunglasses on.

People say this is a flat race, and I guess technically it is, but I personally find it a little hilly. Like, soft, rolling hills. Nothing like the Brooksie Way Half Marathon, but still. I think, for me, if the grade of the road increases at all, I consider that a hill. I may have a great aversion to hills, and they seem to affect me a lot.

When I was at about mile 2, the runners in the lead were heading back to the finish. I saw a handful of men and then a woman. I yelled out like last year, "FIRST WOMAN!! LOOKIN' GOOD!!" She smiled big and took off.

After the race they had orange juice that had been frozen, so it was nice and slushy, just like last year. Loved it. They also had a drawing for a bike, but I didn't win.

I enjoyed this race, but it's always a lot harder than I anticipate. I'll have to try to remember that for next year. And hopefully, next year I'll PR.