Brew Dash 6k

A couple of Saturdays ago I ran in the Brew Dash 6k at the Whitewater Center. I was really excited about this race but so nervous at the same time because I didn't feel like I had adequately prepared for my first trail race!

Luckily (and unluckily) the race didn't start til 11. It was great to get a little more sleep (Clay was up and down the entire night before), but it was so much hotter at 11 than it would have been at an 8 or 9 start.

The morning of the race I got myself and Clay up and somehow managed to get us both dressed, fed (pb toast & coffee for me, my normal pre-race meal), and the car loaded and we were on our way to meet Liz who offered to watch Clay while I ran. We got there and found a spot for the blanket and we all got all sunscreened up before we headed up to the start where lots of picture taking happened.

So I walked when I needed to. Then ran when I could. At one point I got stuck in a pack and just had to run at their pace or be trampled on. Once I found a clearing to take a break I had put my head down and some amazing woman came by and patted me on the back.

Can I just say how much I love my fellow runners?? In every race I've ran I've had some encouragement from complete strangers. My most favorite is when runners finish then come back along the course to cheer other runners along.

SIDEBAR: One of my favorite sporting events that I've been a spectator at was when I went to watch my friend Troy in his marathon. Everybody at the finish line is cheering and clapping and acting a fool over a complete stranger. I love it.

While I was near death, Liz was getting to hang out with Clay baby and captured these sweet moments:

 

Before the race I had set a goal for myself of 50 minutes (I know, I'm slow). Around 45 minutes I checked my phone and it said I had only gone around 3 miles. What? There was no way I was finishing in under 50!

So imagine my surprise when a minute later I came through the clearing and there was the finish line! Just one more steep hill to conquer! My GPS had messed up and I ended up finishing in 47:21!

So I thought it would be fun to grab Clay and cross the finish line with him. He was not impressed.

This was by far the hardest race I've ran but it also seemed to go by the quickest! I'm definitely a new fan of trail running!

And then we spent the next five hours at the Brew Bash and got burn like lobsters :/

Oh! And before I forget this, here was how Liz motivated me through texts since she couldn't be with me:

Love that girl.

Now go get your run on!!