Saturday, September 25, 2010

Moonlight 10K Recap


Happy Saturday!
B and I just finished our Saturday AM tradition of watching Project Runway - we were so excited to see Mondo win (and to see Ivy go home)!

[Source]

Did you know that B and I have not had a TV since we moved into together right before we got married last summer? We made the decision based on advice from the couple that did our premarital counseling and have really loved it! We spend a lot more time doing fun things together and, obviously, watch way less junk TV because we actually have to make an effort to find what we want to watch on Netflix, Hulu, network sites, etc. We also save a lot of money not paying a massive cable bill!

We have been sitting around all morning resting our weary legs from our race last night! I am much more sore than usual after a 10K (I think I am almost as sore as I was after the half!), but I think it is because we both came home and immediately fell into bed and slept for almost 10 hours! I was very stiff when I woke up this morning.

Recap!

When B and I left at 6:45 to drive to the race, it was 82 degrees outside still! Last year, I got pretty cold, so I had planned to wear long sleeves and capris this year. I ditched the long sleeves for short sleeves, but still wore capris. I totally could have worn shorts! It was humid and warm, even when the race started at 8:15 (and it was still only 75 degrees when we finished!).

Over 2,000 people were competing (half for the 10K and half for the 5K)! Even though the 5K runners started before us and the 5K walkers started after us, it was still really crowded. B and I ran together for the first four miles, and then he took off ahead of me for the final two. We were stuck in the middle of a huge group for the first two miles and it slowed us down a lot. For the rest of the race, I intentionally kept a slightly slower pace than usual since my knee wasn't hurting and I didn't want it to start!

Both the 5K and 10K courses cross the Palo Alto Baylands levee (which is actually really pretty when you aren't running in the dark) and run through the marshlands by the light of the Harvest Moon. The trails are narrow in some spots (and with so many runners, that can be frustrating) and you do have to be careful where you step since it is dark - the only light is from the moon! Some runners wear headlamps, but I find that to be really disorienting with the light bouncing around in front of you. There were tons of families and kids (I even saw a few of my students!).

The 2009 Moonlight 10K was my first official race (not counting some 5Ks I ran in college as a Running Buddy with Girls on the Run), so it was fun to come out and do it again after training all summer for a half marathon. I wanted to finish in under an hour, but due to the crowds and narrow trails, I got slowed down a bit. Even B finished later than I expected him to - he usually finishes a good 10 minutes ahead of me, but his finishing time was only 3 minutes faster than mine!
  • Clock Time: 1:05
  • Nike+ Time: 1:03
  • Place (total): 775/1037
  • Place (female 20-29): 76/108

Now I'm off to get my hair cut and then heading to SF for Cupcake Wars! Have a super weekend!