GPX Hit the Brixx 10K

I set a new PR for the 10K! 

Having said that, I must also state this is only my second 10K and both were logged this year.

The unofficial time is:  1:26:11   (Overall results not yet posted)

CHIPTIME:  1:26:12

This is one of the most popular races in Charlotte and it earns that spot for several reasons. 1) Two races, a 10K and a 5K are offered back to back so for distance runners this is a great event to log 9+ miles on a Saturday morning 2) Free Pizza and Beer 3) Because there are two events at this race, parents can split childcare duties and both are able to participate in a race on the same day / same event.

I ran with a friend from the Hickory, NC area and she posted somewhere in the neighborhood of 1:02:10, this is also a favorite race for her even though she has to drive a distance to attend.  Weather was warm but stayed below 90° and it was perfectly sunny.  We were blessed with lots of friendly volunteers and police officers to cheer us along the way. 

The 10K awards ceremony actually took place during the 5K for time's sake and the crowd stayed for the majority of the presentation.  The GPX series is known for its stellar awards and door prizes so runners do tend to stay and cheer for the winners!  Downtown Charlotte was very active today as there was also a Heart Walk that took place a mile or so west of the Hit The Brixx event.  The Heart Walk is a dedicated fund raiser and truly a walk, no runners present, so for those of us leaving the 10K, we sat at stoplights and very politely waited for the walkers to press forward.  Quite a large turnout for that event also, which goes to prove that 2010 has truly seen a major increase in the number of active runners at local events.

While my pace for this event showed progress (all 6 miles each had a pace less than 14 min per mile) it is still 30% above my target pace, 50% above competitive pace, and I intend to meet that target goal before year end.  I have four races lined up for October and three in November with a fourth race in pending status.  My goal will be met this year and 2011 shall see a more fit version of me!

Apple Festival 8K

Pardee Hospital Apple Festival 8K is a small, unsophisticated, yet pleasant run through the hills of Hendersonville NC. Weather was absolutely perfect for this run. Temps in the low 60s Saturday morning and runners were rearing to go! All packet pickups were done Saturday morning and the t-shirts were royal blue tech shirts with the Festival logo, quite nice!

325 participants came out, most of which were seasoned runners, proof of which lies in the fact that only 24 runners had a finish time above one hour (See: Results ). The awards ceremony was held off until the final runner crossed the line, and yes, she was the only person behind me... *laugh*

I knew she was back there because I chatted with her for about the first three quarters of a mile and then didn't see her again after about a mile and a half. The first two miles we were trailed by an ambulance (that's how I knew she was still back there, the driver was NOT riding my back but hers...), we then ran through a cemetery and the ambulance returned to the hospital. As I left the cemetery, I crossed a major intersection with two police cars and they made plans to open the intersection as I crossed. I did tell them there was one other runner... but at that point the only one that knew for sure was the ambulance driver and he/she had returned back to the hospital.

The two policeman and their respective cars now became the race trailing vehicles and they followed me for the remaining two miles believing I was the final runner. The final finisher was 20 min behind me and a spotter (on bicycle) picked her up about five minutes after I crossed the finish line. Made for an interesting perspective.

I am often one of the final four so to speak so I had no idea that an entire crowd could be sitting there wishing the final runner would hurry it on up... but then I usually don't run the longer distances. I do know and firmly practice the one hour rule at 5Ks as most timing companies consider that an appropriate cutoff time, thus I have never finished a 5K in over an hour.

I walked the last three quarters of a mile with a group of teenage cheerleaders that were volunteers for the event and since all of them were wearing flip flops I did them the courtesy of not attempting to run anymore as it would have been too much for them. They had to walk back to the post race area after the police told them I was the last one so they chose to walk and cheer for me from that point forward. Grand group of young ladies indeed!!

Also makes me wonder what my time might have been had they chose to walk on their own. I set a new PR for the 8K distance in this race by over 7 minutes and could have possibly came closer to a 9 minute difference had I not chosen to 'hang' with my new friends, but then, that wouldn't be me *smile*. I am quite content with the new PR and intend on setting a few more new PRs before this year closes out.

The Apple Festival is a long standing event in the town of Hendersonville and with the advent of Hurricane Earl during this celebration many Labor Day beach vacations were changed to mountain vacations and the festival itself was jam packed... literally! The race was over and done before Saturday's festival events began so runners had ample time to shower and return for the bluegrass/bbq/apple cider/street preachers/crafts/etc that lined Main Street for the week!

CHIPTIME: 1:13:57