Missed it by thaaaat much!

Mom is in town for my birthday weekend and as part of the festivities we did the Run Like Hell Portland 5K on Sunday.  As you know, I've been waffling between walking it or running it.  Sunday morning, I decided I would run it.  I was hoping to be under forty minutes, which has been one of my goals since I started running.  Official rules?

0:40:42.

Missed it by 42 seconds!!  Oh well, 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything.

I'm sure I could have made it if the last half K or so of the course wasn't a long gradual hill.  I didn't carry water with me and at the turn around point the cup of water I grabbed at the aid station just didn't sit well on my stomach.  I think it was too cold, or maybe I just needed something more like Ultima but I started flirting with a side stitch and feeling like I was going to yak.  That feeling came and went for the rest of the race and by the time I was doing the hill (the 5K course was basically flat but for that hill) I was really feeling like I was going to be sick. 

While the course was good, the race itself was not.  Very poor organization.  I walked back down the course until I found my mom (she walked it in 0:54:06 and then ran the last 20 feet or so to the finish) and then walked almost to the finish with her.  We watched some of people finish (the half-mrathoners were finishing with the 5Kers) and then I was getting cold and thirsty so we went to pick up my bag at the bag check.  There were at least 100 people -- I kind you not -- in a snaky line waiting to get their bags.  It took us over 30 minutes to get our stuff.  Apparently they hadn't put the bags, labeled with bib numbers, in any sort of order plus the people getting the bag weren't organized so at any given moment you had half the volunteers searching for the same bag while the other half stood around.  By the time I got my jacket and a couple cups of water we did not want to try the lines for food or beer so we left for breakfast. 

Maybe the next race I'll break forty minutes.  I'll need to get some weather proof running shoes and pants before I do; I went out this morning to run and right after I got to the track it started to POUR.  Pour pour pour.  I was feeling great in my run but the track started to flood, my shoes got soaked and felt like bricks and my pants were getting so water logged they were falling off.  I called it good after two laps and sloshed on home.  But hey, I went!

Mom is taking a nap and then we have pedicures scheduled for later today.  Tomorrow is my birthday and we're doing breakfast then she needs to head home while I go hang out with my friend S who will be nicely drugged up after having minor surgery in the morning.  Maybe she won't notice if I swipe some of her good drugs!  ;)

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl