Y'all have heard me say that I do not do races. I like to consider myself more of a zen runner. As a matter of fact before this one I had only done two. I love racing for the pleasure of it but I have been wondering about race series aimed at women. They are popping everywhere and they seem to be pretty successful. So I signed up for the Go Girl Run Kansas City race this past Sunday. I did not know what to expect from the whole experience.
The race took place at Prairiefire-- an upscale neighborhood in Overland Park, KS. Because the drive from home there is about 35 minutes, I decided to attend the expo and do packet pick up on Saturday, instead of waiting for race day. The Prairiefire area was beautiful (see the gorgeous museum building below) and the shopping... well I'm going to have to go there soon. I arrived at the expo right when it started which was great because the lines for packet pick up got long really fast. It was pretty exciting to see so many women ready to race. It was pretty exciting.
On race day, I arrived about an hour early, did some stretching, hit the bathroom. Then I realized I left my Garmin at home. Ugh. Luckily I had enough time to download Runmeter on my iPhone to use instead. Hello newbie mistake!
The half marathon women lined up first. And I am here to tell you that the energy was indescribable. It was almost electric. We 5kers were there cheering them as they prepared and it was awesome! I have never been more proud of women as a whole, as in that moment. We went after them and even for a 5K it was such an amazing atmosphere. But I have to say that our MC/announcer Amy was AWESOME! She kept everyone motivated and pumped up.
The sun started coming out fully as we started the race and it was simple breathtaking. The perfect fall race: 61F, clear sky and a good course. Now the course was around the Prairiefire area and the golf course... and it was hilly. Yes, a lot of it was flat but there were also quite a few hills in the beginning and at the end to make it challenging. And I am not going to lie, I had to walk twice going up the hill towards the end because they were long and up.
One thing I loved: that there were women and girls of all backgrounds and ages. It was cool running and seeing little girls walking, and trying to motivate them to keep running. They just smiled this HUGE grin and would start running. That was priceless!
One thing I have to admit: running towards the finish line was awesome because it was big and loud with music, and they called your name as you crossed the line. It was just so cool! I felt like I came in first place...lol.
So my overall time was 33:59 (10:58 min pace). This part makes me so mad because the first two miles I was on point to do between 9:00 and 9:45 pace. But those darn hills! Anyhow, when I saw the stats I did not feel too bad. In the 40-44 Female Division I placed 14/56. Overall female I placed 82/325. But its crazy how the mind works because right after I was happy about this I thought "that is 81 females that went ahead of me!" I guess that is the thing about races. Brings out the competitive nature in a person.
As we crossed the line we were given our medal and a glass of wine. Score! There was an after-race area where local vendors provided some really good food. It was so good! I hung around the area for a while and watched most of the people finish. It was pretty awesome to see the girls kicking but on the half marathon and while I do not know them-- I was so proud of them! We waited for a while for the half marathon girls to come in so I actually went out on the course where nobody was cheering to offer some motivation. I was in awe of how they were pushing. So much that it kicked into gear my wish to do one. This was just such an amazing experience.
This race made me realize two things: 1) it gave me the racing bug. The whole atmosphere and the people were so fantastic that truly I want to come back for me. And 2) it seems I can be lured with fancy medals, snazzy t-shirts and wine glasses! :D Oh yes, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful thing for me.
I honestly love races! The atmosphere and camaraderie is truly amazing! The medals are a fantastic motivational extra as well :0)
ReplyDeleteI am glad you gave racing another try, and went to a women's focused race too. Those are my favorite!
Lovely blog! x
ReplyDeleteOrange on orange
Hills are so killer! Great job on the run and I love the medal, its so pretty. I love women only runs, they are motivating.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that they are! I know I was very motivated! And yes, the hills.... I don't even want to think about them :)
DeleteI love it!!!! I always wanted to do women only race... I bet the energy is different.
ReplyDeleteHow neat that women in running come together to support each other. It's funny (I guess), it doesn't always feel that way with surfing. Sometimes it feels more competitive, but I can only imagine how nice it is to root each other on and offer support for one another. Congrats on completing the run! And how awesome you had perfect weather.
ReplyDeleteThis race sounds like a lot of fun. The children see what we do and mimic us so happy to see little girls out there watching grown women be positive and supportive. They need to have one here in Baltimore, MD. #wowlinkup
ReplyDeleteI love races for the energy and especially like ones with a positive, supportive message. So cool that many girls were involved too! #wowlinkup
ReplyDeleteThis looks like great fun! And how cool you got a medal for a 5K! I've never seen them give medals for 5k's before, but the ones I've done have been smaller. I love zen running, but also enjoy racing as I feel it pushes me to work harder! Great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat run and having an overall great experience makes it all the better!
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