Gate River Run

So yeah, we did it! Liz and I finished the race both of us under our goal time of 2 hrs and 30 mins. I have to say I am very proud of both of us. I've had a least one person tell me who had run this race before that it wasn't an easy race and I tend to agree. There is a lot I could say but here are the highlights. We ran through some of the coolest and nicest neighborhoods in Jacksonville. The people of Jacksonville treat this race like it is a part of their city and it showed. People lined the streets to cheer on the runners and even stuck around for the people in the back like me. There was a "mimosa station" (not an official station of the race, it was in someone's front yard). Many of the racers had their names on their number sheets that were pinned to their shirts and when you ran by they would cheer you on by name, which was really cool.

As for the race itself, it wasn't easy. That actually had very little to do with the terrain, save one or two places. But overall it was flat terrain with some inclines. Very scenic though. I wish I could say at this mile I felt like this and at this mile I felt like this but its all a blur. It was easier at first then it got hard towards the end. Thats about as much detail as I can give. Liz and I stayed within eyesight of each other the whole time which i was glad about and I finished just barely ahead of her. We both wanted to pace ourselves and not expend to much energy early. In fact we stayed together for the first mile and a half or so, doing the first mile in almost 15 mins, which for our shorter runs during the week would be slow but for this was about what our pace ended up being.

The worst and the best part of the race for me was the Hart Bridge. It was a loooong steady incline that seemed to last forever but once it turned into a downhill slope and because we were so close to the finish line it was the best part of the race. At the end everyone got medals and while I wanted to keep wearing mine around like Kurt Angle (okay so I did wear it Cracker Barrell after the race) it's hanging on my wall instead.

Lastly I have to say thank you to my running cohorts, Liz and Liz. Girls I couldn't have done this without you. At several points along the way I've wanted to quit and you guys whether by texting or IMing me saying "go run!" or just by getting out there and running yourself you motivated me to stick with it and I love you for it (I love you for other reasons too but thats another blog for another time). So thank you and I can't wait for the next race!