Victory in Virginia

State No. 30 is complete! At long last, I was able to run a race in Virginia.
If you follow this blog,  you'll remember I was scheduled to run a 5K at Virginia Beach in the fall of 2016, but Hurricane Matthew had other ideas. The race was canceled and my family and I had to leave our vacation early to evacuate.
Well, we ended up in Williamsburg for vacation this spring break and lo and behold I found the Victory at Yorktown 10K the Saturday we were there. Now, I would have much preferred a 5K, but there was no 5K option.
The race was cold, rainy and windy: the running trifecta. Not my fastest 10K. In fact, a few seconds slower than the Charles Harris 10K when my ribs were freshly smashed.
I wish the weather had been better because the course was through the Yorktown Revolutionary War battlefield, but it was hard to enjoy the scenery when I was just trying to avoid puddles and plod along in my rain poncho.

A fife and drum corps at the start

 The race started with the blast of musket guns and men and boys in historic costumes. I could only get a photo of the fife and drum corps that played at the start of the 1-mile fun run that started a half hour before the 10K. I missed getting a photo of the the musketeers. Because it was raining they quickly put their muskets back in protective sleeves.

Jill and me at the start

I've always said what I love about running is meeting new people at races. Here is Jill, a real estate agent who was running the race. We got to talking and, of course, I had to get our photo!

Victory at Yorktown monument

The race course passed the Victory at Yorktown monument twice. I got it on the way toward the finish line.

It's raining and windy! Can you tell?!

Finished!

Post race glory. Jill and I celebrate with a beverage

This race had a nice post-race celebration that included hot soup, sandwiches and adult beverages. I had a nice glass of red wine to warm me up after the race. (And some soup, which really hit the spot!)
So state No. 30 is in the books. I finally had a victory in Virginia!

A dry water drop dash

Last year, the Water Drop Dash 5K included water drops, so I was happy this year the race was dry!
It was a cool morning, but not cold and I got to see the sun rise at the Chattahoochee River, always a pleasant treat.

View from the start line

I won't say this was my fastest 5K. My ribs still  hurt from the fall, but they are getting better every day.

Coming in for the finish!

Almost there!

What I enjoy about this race is it is right at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, so I can go visit the injured birds of prey they have there: the hawks, the bald eagles, the owls. And I get some interesting swag, including water conservation kits, a water hose nozzle, etc. No pint glass this year! I was hoping I'd add to my collection, but sadly, not this year. Still, it is a race I enjoy, water drops or no.

Have a nice trip, see you next fall

Well, two weeks ago I fell while running and severely bruised (or cracked) my ribs.
I was running with the Tucker Running Club on its Sunday morning group run and caught my toe on a piece of uneven sidewalk and went down like a sack of potatoes. I landed on my left side, and for good measure, managed to kick myself in the right calf on my way down. Oof! I had to bail on my 3-mile training run and hobble back to the car and home, where ice and ibuprofen awaited.
So, I wasn't exactly ready for the Charles Harris 10K not even a week later.
Honestly, I should not have even attempted it, especially after I looked to see I only had 75 minutes on the course. This is NOT a walker-friendly event. What's worse (for me, with very sore ribs) is it is a point-to-point race, so I couldn't just double back to my car and be done with it, or just do one 5K loop and skip the second. It was all or nothing. If I bailed, I'd have no way back to my car, which was parked at the finish. I must say I did look good at the start with friends Carolyn and Susan!

Carolyn, me and Susan

I even ran into my friend Kellie on the bus that takes us to the start, but I forgot to get a photo of us.
It was a long, slow slog. I came in third from last. I've never been that far behind, but it was hard to run for any length of time. I did finish, so there's that!
Usually after the Charles Harris I host a breakfast, but this year, with it being just Carolyn and Susan, we went to the Tucker Running Club brunch. It was fun. There were LOTS of mimosas afterward. Now that's my kind of running club! Ha!

Brunch group photo

I got out this morning with the Tucker Running Club again this morning for 7 miles. The first four were OK. I thought my ribs were doing OK, but by the last three I was wiped out. Couldn't run at all. Just had to walk. This is not looking so good for the half coming up in a mere four weeks!
On the plus side, I managed to stay upright for the whole seven miles today, so better days are ahead!

Racing to end homelessness

Ran the Atlanta Mission 5K: Race to end Homelessness again this year.
This is one of my favorite charity runs, benefiting the Atlanta Mission.
Unlike last year, I didn't have a group of friends running with me. This one was a solo effort.
And this year we got a finisher's medal included with the race. Last year I paid $5 for the medal at the end.

Finished!

I'm going to need another race medal holder very, very soon!
I'm taking a break from charity 5Ks for a couple of weeks, but I've joined a couple of local running groups, so I'm meeting up with them during the week and on Saturdays and Sundays. Got to get serious about the half marathon in April and the training that goes with it.
You could say, I'm on a mission, too.

I (Heart) Good Running Weather

I thought this morning's Hearts & Soles 5K was going to be another wash out.
The forecast was supposed to be a repeat of the Hot Chocolate 5K.
Although I heard rain overnight, when I woke up it was foggy and drizzly, but not all out rain.
Met my friend Carolyn at a coffee shop where we dropped a car and we were off!
We got to Georgia State's Perimeter College Decatur Campus and there was no rain in sight.

Pre-race photo of Carolyn and me

This is an out and back course and there is a hill on the way back that always kills me. But, I got over it!
I didn't put together a team this year and Angela wasn't here to try to get us into homemade tutus like last year. No matter, I still had fun!
I ran in to my friend Dan at the race, too. He and I did the Denver half together last year and he recently ran the Miami marathon.

Me and Dan

Atlanta Track Club group photo. I'm in there!

You can see it was a little foggy this morning by the above photo.

It was a great race this morning, ending with Carolyn and me back at the coffee shop to get our cars, so we went in for a cup!

The Not So Hot Chocolate 5K

Well, it is raining cats and dogs here in Georgia this morning, so I am reminded I need to write about the not so Hot Chocolate 5K on Sunday.
What a miserable race! Cold, rainy, windy and hilly. I've run several races in conditions like this, but this year the race organizers just completely fell down.
Poor to no traffic control ahead of the race meant lots of folks not even able to get to the start on time. My friend Kellie and I did, but only because we left so early. Even then, I was worried we wouldn't make it as it took us at least 40 minutes to go half mile to our parking area.
Once at the course, there were no tents or other protection for runners ahead of time. I found a small tent where I stood crammed with other folks, but it was the only one. A little shelter would have been  nice.
At any rate, it poured for the whole race. My feet got wet, I was wet (despite my tried and true rain poncho!) and I left the race saying I'd never run it again.
Kellie was the rock star who ran the 15K.
I've no photos for this one. Just picture two gals who looked a little like drowned rats drinking lukewarm hot chocolate at the end of the race.

Dog gone fun 5K

I'm still running in bone chilling temps for these January 5Ks, but this week's Run With the Dogs 5K added a little more fun -- dodging the ice.
The metro Atlanta area had snow earlier this week, which once again shut the city down for a few days. Worse, the temps never got above freezing for a couple of those days, so the sunshine melted some of the snow, which promptly refroze into black ice.
My driveway, which is shaded, was still icy yesterday morning, the day of the race. My friend Donna came to pick  me up and I wouldn't let her come down the driveway for fear she wouldn't be able to get out.
We got to the race and all around Decatur High School, where the race is held, was icy. Volunteers were out scraping and putting down ice melt to try to keep everyone safe. It was then I started to wonder what the course might look like, particularly if some of the roads were shady. My concerns were well founded. There were a couple of stretches of straight up ice on the road. I managed to avoid it and I hope my fellow runners did the same.

Me and Donna, braving the snow and ice

Me and Donna

 I was a bit slow on this 5K, too. Still getting back in my groove after a lot of time off. After the race, I managed a selfie with the Decatur High mascot bulldog.

mascot and me

A nice little surprise was one of the sponsors was handing out free running socks, so I got a nice take away. I wore them this morning on my Sunday run out at Stone Mountain. Because right now, it is 69 degrees in Atlanta! Crazy. Yesterday I had ice on my driveway and this afternoon I've got windows open in the house and am enjoying the warmer temps.
They won't last. We're due for a few more cold spells. But I think the worst of the winter running weather is over. At least I dog gone hope so.