10k race
Minneapolis Halloween Half
45 degrees / rain
A wonderful race! Not even close to a PR, but a huge success: Scott and I ran the whole thing together; we didn’t stop even once even though we were undercooked — I haven’t run a 10k without stopping for a year; I had a lot left at the end and was able to sprint; I had no problem running up the steep hills; I was happy and smiled as I crossed the finish line; and no unfinished business! I think it’s been more than a year since I ran more than 5 miles without the urgent feeling of needing to poop. What a mental victory! I didn’t think there was any way I could run this whole thing without stopping, especially the hills, but I pushed through and did it.
A classic Sara-moment: I recited “A Rhyme for Halloween” to Scott as we ran up the first big hill, 1.5ish miles in. Nice! Then, referencing the line, Baruch Spinoza and butcher are drunk — I talked about how Judy B (Judith Butler) likes Spinoza and his skepticism and used to read him as a kid.
At least 10 Things
- Waldo — the first thing the announcer said, I found Waldo! / a runner running up the steep hill near mile 5: I’ve counted 7 Waldos so far
- running costume: Olivia Newton John from Physical — headband, tight curls, bright colored tights, leg warmers, jean jacket
- Maria, Luigi, Waluigi running up the hill — where’s wario, Scott wondered
- the cobblestones were terrible — so rutted and puddles
- bright orange tree on one side of the road, bare branches the other
- a dog poopin’ in Front of Gold Medal Park
- 2 people with gorge tattoos on their calves!! I was so excited that I had to ask them about them and told them that I wanted to get one too. They were so appreciative of my delight, which was completely genuine, that they thanked me! I think I might have to get a gorge tattoo on my calf — and an outline of Lake Nokomis, or something related to Lake Nokomis, on my shoulder
- the terrible pacer — the one who always runs too fast and that caused to me to overdo it at the beginning of a 10 mile race and then fell apart in the second half — was there, and was pacing too fast again. I overheard some other racers complaining about him
- no live national anthem, instead a terrible recording
- puddles and potholes and rutted cobblestones
- a runner nearby, shaking out his arms and saying, this is tiring!
- several women, descending the hill into the flats, realizing how much more there was to run, and how steep it was, saying oh fuck!
- thanking another runner for letting me know she was passing me, her thanking me back
- crossing the finish line and feeling great — joyful, relieved, in disbelief that we managed, on our limited training, to run the entire thing without stopping