Run(317) Broad Ripple Race Recap

Welcome back...I decided actually posting on Monday this week would be a good idea.  A lost has gone on this past week including running my first race of the Run(317) 3 race mini-series that I signed up for.  I have lots to share about that as well as updating you on my progress for the week.

Let's start with the race recap.  On Thursday myself, my brother in-law, father in-law, and 2 friends all participated in the Run(317) Broad Ripple race.  I have been looking forward to this race as it is the first one I have taken part in since the mini marathon in May.  With this race taking place at 7:00 in the evening in Broad Ripple the schedule for the day was a little different than a normal race.  I have done many training runs in the evening but never a race.  I wasn't exactly sure what my preparation should be like for this race, but I have learned a little about that from this event.

We started out by meeting up around 5:00 to head down to Indy.  We tried to take a different route to avoid the traffic on I-465 during rush hour.  Turns out it didn't matter and we got stuck in traffic on Keystone anyway.  I could tell at this point that my nutrition for the day was going to be enough to set a PR for the day.  However, I did bring a GU Roctane Gel to take before the race so I figured I would be ok.  We parked about half a mile from the start of the race and walked to the start line as a bit of a warm up.  Hitting up Chipotle for a quick bathroom break was a great idea.  When we got to the start line we made sure we were all ready to go.  Mrs. Re-Dan-imation wished us all good luck and headed to a good photo vantage point.  While we were waiting for the race to start, I was looking for water so I could take my gel, but none was to be found...so no gel because I didn't want to cramp up because of it.  Oh well.  We listened to the Jennifer Hudson version of the National Anthem (turns out the scheduled singer was also stuck in traffic) and I snapped the picture below.

And the home of the brave!

We all made sure our devices were switched on and ready to go and I got into the zone with my headphones.  From this point on, all I ever hear is the music in my ears and my breathing.  I kinda like it that way. I did hear the count down to the start though because the speakers were rockin' and the crowd was counting down too. Here's us crossing the start line.

As I started the race, I was a little surprised at how quickly the first turn came up and how narrow it was.  I should have been prepared for this because we were running through Broad Ripple.  After the second turn like this, the roads opened up a little and we were on our way.  My in-laws started to pull away from me which honestly didn't surprise me.  My father in-law is in much better shape than he thinks.  I found myself settling into a pace and could definitely feel the heat getting to me.  I decided after the first mile that my goal was simply not to walk at all during the race.  I could tell I was not going to set a record today by any means.

The water table was setup right at mile 2 and I was definitely ready for it.  The cups were overfilled a little and they appeared to be out of gatorade.  I grabbed a cup and squeezed it to a point so I wouldn't spill any.  A lesson I learned after the mini.  I held on to the cup a little longer than normal so I could get a little extra water in the system.

The last mile went better than I expected.  Coming into the finish I could tell I was spent but I tried to push it a bit and finished strong.  My finishing time was nothing to write home about, but I didn't walk at all so that was a small victory for as hot as it was.  It could always be worse.  Mrs. Re-Dan-imation managed to get a picture of every one of us finishing.  She's good!

Finishing Strong!

I finished the race with an average pace of 13:28 per mile.  As I said, I wasn't blisteringly fast, but I finished.  I still have a LONG way to go.  But I am maintaining my training for my next half marathon in September.  I will be looking forward to see if I improve at the next Run(317) in July on Mass Ave.  Hopefully I take some time off this total.  Anything is an improvement, but I am hoping for quite a bit.

As for my weight this week.  There isn't much to say about what went down on the scale this morning.  When I looked down I say 267.9 lbs.  That's an increase of 2.6 pounds this week.  I have no idea where that came from.  My eating wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't terrible either.  I was a little weak when ice cream was in sight, but I still think I did much better than a two and a half pound increase.  I'm not going to be mad or aggravated about it.  But, I am going to do my best.  I had a family relative tell people the other day that I am too worried about weight and to keep doing what I am doing and the weight will follow.  I agree with that statement, but my dedication to eating healthy has to fall in line with my dedication to completing each run.  I will get there.  Until next week. Food. Feet. Water. Repeat.