Race for Literacy 8k

Sunday was my first ever 8k race. It was the Union Tribune Race for Literacy which started in Balboa Park and ended downtown by Pantoja Park. For those that are metric challenged the 8k is just under 5 miles.

Now I've done 5 mile runs on a regular basis so I knew the distance would not be a problem for me. I was still nervous about race day though and did not sleep so great the night before. Alex and I were up 'bright' and early Sunday morning to head off to the race. Since it was a short race the start time was 8am which was a relief for Alex. He's not so keen on those 7am starts.

I lined up at the start shortly before 8am and waited for the race to start. For the timing of the race they were using the ever so scientific method of pulling a coded tag off of the bibs at the end of the race. Seeing as they timed it all from the gun start and not from when each runner went over the start line the accuracy was pretty much nil. I had my trusty heart rate monitor on so I was able to record my own time.

The race went well for me. There's something about the crowd that makes me run a little faster so my heart rate was definately up there. The neatest part of the race was running on the 163. It was very scenic and pretty. The only bad part of the race was the stingy hydration stops. There were only 2 on the whole course. It was not enough for me. By mile 3.5 I was about ready to steal or beg water from somebody. I made it to the next watering hole at the 4 mile mark and doubled up. That was enough to get me through to the end.

I crossed the finish line in 51:28. My pace was 10:21 which is a personal best for me at that distance.

Once again, thanks Honey for taking me there and bringing me home!!