The morning began when I woke up about 30 minutes before the alarm went off. I always get anxious when there is somewhere I have to be early in the morning. I went ahead and got up and went to meet my running buddies at the rally point. The weather was a perfect 70-75 degrees with a slight breeze and a full moon. Everyone showed up on time and we began our walk to the event. It was about a ¾ mile walk there in the dark, but you could get a sense that I was not the only one excited about the run. Everyone in the group was talking about how they were going to do and comparing exit strategies if they did not run well. The path we took to the start location was somewhat surreal; it was a dark bumpy path that led to small walking bridge that led to an entrance in a large wall. The entrance in the wall was no larger than a small door, but when you walked through; you immediately realized how large of an event this was going to be. Bright lights circled the area with hundreds, if not a thousand people who were all ready to run.
The staging area was a flurry of stretching and confusion. You can see the experienced runners going through their routine and then you could see the less experienced runners (like me) looking around in amazement at all the people there and making sure our numbers were pinned on our shirts.
Before the race begins, the event organizers provide a safety brief to all the runners so they can warn them of anything that could affect the race. The kicker for this particular safety brief is that they tell you how to react if there is small arms fire or a mortar attack. I can bet you that this is not the normal safety brief that runners receive at the original race in D.C. Thankfully, we did not have either.
After the safety brief, we move to the start point where members of the V Corps band play the star spangled banner; immediately after, the race began.
The beginning of the race was very congested and runners of all speeds were participating. It was challenging to make our way through the crowd for the first few miles, but that helped pass the time. The route was a familiar since it was following the same path as the previous 10K races. We started out moderately quicker and before we knew it, we were passing the 2nd mile marker. The farther we ran the less people there were to navigate through, which also meant that we were moving toward the front of the pack; always a nice place to be. At about the 4 mile mark, my legs were finally warmed up and ready to run, so I did. I increased my pace considerably and before I knew it, I was passing people and getting mean looks for doing it too. That lasted for about 2 miles, and then came the dreaded signal hill.
Signal Hill is about ¼ mile long and has about a 10-15% grade, making it very difficult to run up. As I ran up the hill, I noticed that the people that I had passed earlier were now passing me, I was moving pretty slow, but I did not want to stop. As I made it to the top of the hill, there was a 6 mile marker right before the turn around point. I was glad to get there, but then I remembered that I had 4 miles left. I descended the hill and continued the run at a slower pace.
It took me about a mile or two to get back into the groove. I was pretty tired, so I thought I would just cruise for the last two miles, but before I knew it Mickey Miller was on my heals and said "Hey!" I turned and when I realized who it was, I greeted her with an "Oh crap!" Then she said, "That's right, no excuses young man, you better speed up!" So I did. I ran pretty fast for the last few miles, but I was tired. I was wondering how long I could keep up that pace, but then I could see the finish line up ahead, it was nice to see. Did I mention that the finish line was nice to see? ;-) I made the last turn and at this point, you can't slow down because there are photographers and others standing at the finish line cheering you in. It is really cool, because you get an extra burst of energy (some call it pride) and you finish strong. Yippee! The run is over and I was greeted with a cold Gatorade by Matt Wolf who had already fished the race with a much quicker time.
After the run, we gather to compare experiences and tell everyone how great they did, which is true. Then we gather for photos and enjoy the moment together.
Now onto the pictures!
This is the group before the run - see all the smiles?
Kari Malgeri shows how she keeps warm before the run.
Here I am praying before the run. (Actually rubbing my hands together to warm them up.)
Ing Maurstad throws a smile for the camera while Steve Hernandez explains to me why there needs to be more photos of him on my blog.
Steve Hernandez sprinting to the finish line.
Here I am pretending that I was happy after running 10 miles.
Mickey Miller gives her trademark wave to the crowd.
Ing Maurstad completes his first 10 mile road race.
Kari Malgeri comfortably cruises to the finish.
Kari demonstrates how she fell down and found one of the only mud puddles in Iraq. The incident occurred about 100 meters before crossing the finish line. (Check out the mud on her back!)
The group still smiling, but I think it is because we are finished with another run.
Back Row-left to right: Rick Lear, John Vansandt, Chris Fredrikson, me, Christina Van Der Hulst, Ing Maurstad, and Dawn Wolfe.
Front Row-left to right: Mike Dean, Kim McCann, Michele Miller, Kari Malgeri and Steve Hernandez.
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