Lunatic Ladies

I ran the Atlanta Women's 5K last weekend with some "Lunatic Ladies," and although our team came in second in the grandmaster division, there was no prize this year.
The weather was really nice for the race this year. I've been rained out of this one in year's past. Actually, it was the lightning that canceled it.
It was held at Cheney Stadium near Grant Park. We ran around part of Zoo Atlanta (and thankfully didn't smell the animals!).
There was a good turnout for the race from the Tucker Running Club, so I wore my TRC shirt.

Tucker Runner Club women

Lunatic Ladies

My friends Carolyn, Susan, Donna and Karen and I made up the "Lunatic Ladies" team for the race. An elite Atlanta Track Club grandmasters team won the division -- no fair! But we came in second. Unlike last year, there was no prize for second place. Drat.

Coming in at the finish

Finished!

Donna & Karen

Finisher's medal

The finisher's medals for this race have always been so lovely, although I do sort of miss not getting the Smart Glass Jewelry we used to receive for finishing. I still wear those necklaces. They are some of my favorites.
Again, not my best race. I seem to be getting slower and slower. This does not bode well for the Delaware half marathon next weekend. I'm glad there is a 4-hour limit on that one.
Or maybe I'm just a Lunatic Lady for punishment! Ha!

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.

Sisters are doing it for themselves

I ran the Atlanta Women's 5K March 29 with a newly minted sister, my friend Angela!
We ran the race, one of Atlanta Track Club's offerings, around Chastain Park and this year we signed up as a sisters team, "Too Cool for McSchool," a play on both of our last names.
It was a good morning for running, but my legs weren't exactly feeling it. Probably because spring has sprung in Atlanta and my allergies were just starting to kick in. I took an allergy pill that morning and although I could breathe, it made me so thirsty.
Here we are before the start.

Me and Angela, looking too cool

Finished!

 For the first year, we received a nice finisher's medal for the 5K. In year's past, we've received a nice piece of Smart Glass Jewelry, and although I'm a bit disappointed we didn't receive that this year, the finisher's medal is lovely, and it has a charm in the center you can remove and use to make your own jewelry. I think I'll leave it where it is.

Charming finisher's medal

This is a great race, even if our sister's team didn't win or place, we sure had fun!

I am woman, hear me roar

I ran the Atlanta Women's 5K for the second time. I actually have signed up for this race three times, but last year's race got washed out by pretty spectacular lightning storms and rain.
Incredibly, the Atlanta Track Club-sponsored race was supposed to see rain again this year.
As I did last week for the Publix Georgia Half Marathon, I toted my rain poncho throughout the race, which staved off the wet! We managed to get the whole race in without heavy rain.
Erin and I ran this race together, and we both did very well. Once again, this race is very hilly, and we came in just over 36 minutes. I looked up my 2011 time. I was 40 seconds faster this year!
That's pretty darn nice.

Me and Erin before the race

For the second year, this race had some really nice swag. We got a Smart Glass  necklace and I got a cobalt blue necklace, which I had been Jonesing for since last year.
All in all, a great 5K.

Run like a girl

This morning I ran the Atlanta Women's 5K, sponsored by the Atlanta Track Club.
It's the first year I've run this 5K, which starts and finishes in Candler Park in Atlanta's Druid Hills area.
Let me just stay from the outset, the Druid Hills area is aptly named. Darn there are a couple of steep hills on this course!
It was a lovely morning for a race and it was wonderful to see so many women out there pounding the pavement.

Well, sort of dark, but the race start

I didn't run my best time this morning, but I was still very satisfied with my performance. I kind of tweaked an old running injury, so I should be very happy with my time. I worried I had strained the muscle enough that I'd have to walk the last half of the race, but I did OK with a little walking and more running.
This race was the same morning as the Tour deCatur, which is really the race I had wanted to run with my friend Julie, but I might consider this race again next year. The really nice technical T-shirt alone was worth it!
My next race is The Color Run. I hope to have lots of pictures to post of that. I expect to end the race looking like a tie-dyed hippie!