If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.
~ Jim Rohn
This was an unusual and unexpected invite ... I was untrained for the 12K run but hey! It was a blast. I got to hang out with my sister for the day and anyone familiar with this run will tell you it is highly entertaining!
So, a 2:30am wake up call left me excited and drained all morning. A 2 hour trek down to BART and a short ride into the city. Good plan. No hiccups and perfect timing. Gotta love No. Cali!
The craziness that ensued at the beginning of the 'race' included a snail pace start for the first mile. I was still holding my coffee! As things thinned out a bit, we upped it to a nice paced jog and then, THE HILL, this was almost the best part of the course!! I took it in as close to a sprint as I could, fantastic! Weaving in and out of the strange, drunk and apprehensive. Music and onlookers cheering the participants all the way. The descent was a breath of (almost) fresh air and cruising along the gardens was lovely. I chose a quicker pace from mile 6-7 to gauge where I was and after 5 miles I was pleased to say that I still hit a 7:50 pace. Quick chat with 3 generations of runners after the marker ... the youngest was stunned to see me running backward while chatting before I accelerated for my 300 sprint to the finish ;). Thank you Griff ;).
Note to self: STOP driving before and after a running race. The legs really need more time.
Great day with my sister. I am SO PROUD of her. She ran a stellar 12K! Well under her goal. We gawked, giggled and covered our eyes and after the victory finish we enjoyed the breakers for a few before shuttling back to the start and downing a big greasy burger at Ziggy's w/sweet-potato fries. Ahhh city life ~
Next up ... and last distance to accomplish, 13.1, somewhere with a beautiful course.
