Coach Cassy, fellow JFA coworker Cheryl, and I arrived around 9 AM --- plenty early for the scheduled 10 AM start. We picked up our bibs, grabbed some water, visited with Arc staff, and took a few pictures.
The kids run, scheduled for 9:30, kicked off about 9:35. I'd love to see more kids take advantage of this great event! My little one was unable to make it this year because of a scheduling conflict but we'll make sure to schedule better in 2014. Kudos to those who did participate. They were flying!
The 5K run, walk, and roll started shortly after 10 after a brief welcome from the Executive Director followed by a keynote kickoff from Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino. Then we took off!
I went into this run with absolutely no technology on me. No Garmin, no phone, not even a watch. Cassy and I ran together; definitely faster than my comfort zone. We ran and ran and ran. Then we ran some more. Down a few gradual descents, up a few gradual climbs. We were still running! With no timing accessory on me whatsoever, I had no idea how long or how far we had gone.
As it turns out, most of us missed a U-turn and ran an extra kilometer. It was a new course and I certainly hadn't reviewed it as closely as I should have. Lesson learned! I can't really complain though - this little detour was minor compared to others. So we ran until we saw the finish line! It was a small field (again, this event should grow) so we both took home prizes for placing in our respective age groups. Small field or not, it's always nice. Thanks to the unique distance our impromptu detour created, I now have a 6K distance personal best of 32:32! I also learned that I can push myself to go a bit faster than I had been. I've been working to improve my speed since the spring and every once in a while, going all out during an event like this is just the push I need.
Whatever the distance, we were all smiles at the finish. Every finisher was rewarded with another great goody bag and enjoyed fruit and water at the finish. We will be back again next year for sure - defending our titles!
