Oh those low-key charity races!

So, I ran the Shrimp Scamper 5K today.
It was a 5K just a mile from my house and one of those low-key charity races. I've run these before and you'd think I would have learned my lesson.
The course was not well marked and very disorganized. It was supposed to be 3 1-mile loops. Except a lot of folks on the 5K race kept missing one of the crazy loops in the neighborhoods to make it a 5K. I stayed true to the course, until I realized the course was longer than a 5K, so on my last loop I skipped the final crazy loop everyone else had been skipping all along.
As I was running, I was thinking how I never learn my lesson with these races. These fly-by-night organizations that don't have the skill or manpower to put on a good race. I've read great articles in Runner's World warning about these races.
Yet here I was on a course of the "second annual" race.
And I came in first in my age group.
So, that is kind of the great part of these little half-assed organized races. I can actually win in my age group in my slow running way.

Won in my age group!

 OK, here is my confession. I was the ONLY one in my age group. Well, there was a master's division and someone won a very nice pint glass. I have no idea how old the master's winner was. It wasn't me. And there were no other winners in the women's division 50-54. So here I am with my medal!

Yep, I won!

So, beware of small charity races. You just might scamper along and win in your age group, despite poorly marked courses. :D

All the Singleton Ladies

Ah, the Singleton 5K and its crazy course.
Angela and I ran the Atlanta Track Club's Singleton 5K April 15. There is a 10K as well, but it is a double loop of the crummy course, so, no thanks.
The race is in Norcross, in the cute little downtown area. One would hope that we ran anywhere near the cute little downtown area, but we don't. We loop around in a crazy way along the most boring neighborhoods imaginable.
Oh well. Angela and I were all smiles at the start.

Angela and me at the start

Not my best time. I still feel like I'm really slow and running injured. I had a lot of problems with my right calf cramping along the course. I'm to start my training for the half marathon in Anchorage, and here I am limping along in a 5K! Not good.
Well, here's hoping this Singleton doesn't have double trouble in training.

Winning Women

I love lovely surprises, especially when it comes to running.
My running buddy Angela set up a team for the Atlanta Women's 5K on March 25. Unfortunately for Angela, she couldn't make the team she set up because of a family emergency, but we found a substitute and ran our race at Chastain Park.
This is an Atlanta Track Club event and usually draws some of the ATC elite runners.
The route was slightly changed this year, but ATC still managed to put in some killer hills on this course. It's what I always groan about when I see a 5K hosted at Chastain Park. It will be plenty hilly.
And, no surprise, I brought up the rear in our four-woman team of Carolyn, Susan, Donna and me.
We were pretty certain, given all the elite runners around us, that we had not won an award, so we left the event during the award ceremony for brunch. We should have stuck around. We WON in the competitive masters division!
I've still got to pick up our awards from the ATC office, but I'm excited that we won. A very nice surprise.
The other nice surprise was the free photos for the 5K.

Coming into the finish

Me and Carolyn

Finishing

Peace out!

What's with the face?

Nasty Women!

Finisher's medal

Crossing the finish

Susan, me and Carolyn

Team Nasty Women! turned out to be winning women, too.