DLF > DNF >> DNS

DLF > DNF >> DNS

This is printed on the back of every WISH team running shirt. The WISH team is a group of folks, like me, who share a love of running, a love of Disney and a desire to get and stay healthy. The group started out of an on-line bulletin board of Disney fans (The DIS boards). One of the forums is called the WISH forum (We're Inspired to Stay Healthy) and the WISH team grew out of folks who had become acquainted online via these forums - although now we mostly communicate via a Facebook group page. I met several of the folks in person when I ran the 2013 Walt Disney World Half Marathon and have become friendly with several others on-line in the months since then.

DLF > DNF >> DNS

That's what was going through my head at 6:00 this morning.

So here's what happened. I had signed up for the Liberty Run Half Marathon which was supposed to happen this weekend but was cancelled a few weeks ago. As I was prepared to run a half marathon I figured I'd just run the distance on my own. Then I remembered hearing about virtual marathons. A virtual marathon is where you sign up, agree to run the distance, post your time and distance and you receive a medal, t-shirt, etc. I found a Memorial Day Virtual race and decided to do that. Then my chiropractor told me about 10K & 5K in a town near me that had a challenge whereby you sign up to run both races. I figured I'd add on 4 miles to that and I was covered!

Everything was great until the Sunday before the race. We had had some lousy weather but it was clearing on Sunday and race day Monday promised to be a gorgeous day. Then On Sunday I was doing a few things around the house I wanted to get done. One was to fix the flat tires on my daughter's and my wife's bikes. I fixed my daughter's bike with no problem. I was also able to fix the leak in the rear tire of my wife's bike with no issues as well. Then I went to ride it to test it out. What I did not know was that the rim on the front tire was warped. Our driveway slopes downward, and when I applied the brakes the front tire seized up and I was thrown over the handlebars.

The first thing I thought when I landed - I kid you not - was "Crap! I hope I can do the race tomorrow!"

It could have been much worse. I scraped my left knee and got a very impressive bruise on my right thigh (I bruise very easily and this sucker is impressive! I won't post a picture - you're welcome.) I also injured my left elbow in some way - it was very sore.

I went on with my day although my left arm and hand were pretty much useless. Still, initially I thought I would be able to do the race. I even did early packet pickup that afternoon. But as the day progressed it kept getting worse. Finally around 6:00 my wife took me to the emergency room. Usually you can get in and out of the emergency room in our local hospital quickly but on this occasion it took a while. Eventually they took x-rays and told me that nothing was broken. I was very relieved - by this time I was pretty convinced otherwise. They gave me a prescription for Percoset and sent me on my way.

I had decided that the race was out of the question. Without the pain killers my elbow hurt like crazy, and I wasn't about to run 13 miles - or 9 or 6 or 3 - on a Percoset high. I'd end up taking a nap on the course. So at 11:00 I took the pill and went to bed, my arm propped up on a pillow, firmly convinced that I would not be running the next day.

I woke up at 3:30 and it was time for another pill. I realized that, although the pain killer had worn off about 30 minutes earlier, my elbow didn't feel that bad. Sure, it hurt and I couldn't really move it but it wasn't sending sharp screaming pain down my side. I decided not to take the pill and see how I felt. If it felt the same later that morning then maybe I would try to run the race after all. I went back to bed without taking the pill and woke again about 6:00. My elbow felt about the same - not great but not that bad. And then I thought about what was written on those WISH shirts.

DLF > DNF >> DNS

Dead Last Finish is greater than Did Not Finish which is MUCH greater than Did Not Start. I thought to myself "Dammit, I'm going to start. Even if I don't finish at least I tried!"

So I told Andie I was going to do the race. She looked at me like I was nuts. I did not do the extra 4 miles. I'm not that crazy. And besides, I did a 4 mile run a few days ago that qualified for the virtual race. Now, my regular race day breakfast includes - among other things - toast with butter and preserves. No preserves for me this morning; I could not get the lid off of the jar! I changed into my running clothes - including the tech shirt I got from the WDW Half Marathon - and off I went. And get this: as I was driving around looking for a spot I saw someone wearing a WISH shirt! I yelled "Yay WISH team!" to her. I saw her later as well but she was talking to someone else and I did not want to barge in on here. As it would turn out I was not able to find her later but we did connect on the Facebook page.

I had decided to run in a sling. Excessive movement would set off the pain in my elbow and I figured using a sling would help restrict the movement. I think it was a very fortunate decision - I'm not at all sure I would have finished without it. And having the sling on led to several conversations. A typical one went like this: Them: "Now that's what I call dedication!" me: "Either that or stupidity!"

As small races go this one is pretty well organized and all of the volunteers and folks working the race were absolutely terrific. The 10K started promptly at 8:00 with the 5K due to start at 9:30. The course meanders through the town and makes it's way around a small lake. The course is hilly - something I have no issue with as my neighborhood is also hilly - and the neighborhoods we ran through are lovely with lots of trees, lake views and gurgling streams that were swollen by the recent rains.

Babbling brook

There were plenty of water stations manned by local residents. It seemed as though there was a water station about every mile. One minor complaint - no Gatorade. That said, all of the folks who volunteered at the water stations were very friendly and several of them commented on my running with a sling. One kid was asking me what happened and told me he hoped it would feel better. As I was leaving I called back to him "Hey kid! Want to see something really cool?" I then proceeded to show him the very impressive bruise on my thigh. His jaw dropped. "Whoa!"

So, remember what the "DLF" stands for? "Dead Last Finish". Well, in the 10K that's exactly where I ended up. Dead last (with a time of 1:21). But I finished!

My late finish meant I only had a few minutes between the races - probably a good thing actually. By the time the 5K started I have to say I was feeling the pain - not just my elbow but also the bruise on my leg. But I just told myself "It's only 5K" and trudged on. The 5K route went back over a part of the 10K route - the part that circled the lake - but it went in the opposite direction giving it a very different feel. The same folks manned the water stations and they remembered me from the 10K - it's hard to forget the guy wearing a bright yellow tech shirt with Donald Duck and a sling. They wee impressed.

beautiful lake

My time for the 5K (46 minutes) was awful, but I was not last!

Would I do this race again? Absolutely! I would like to do it at full health and see what my times are. It is a terrific and friendly race with a very nice course. And being able to do the challenge made it even better.

All smiles

Best. Practice. Long. Run. Ever.

I was going to title this weeks entry "Best Long Run Ever" but let's face facts - the worst race is usually going to be better than the best practice run, right? After all, isn't that why run - to compete in races? Yeah, OK, I know health benefits, feeling of accomplishment, blah, blah blah... but in the end it's all about crossing that finish line having done something that few have done and getting that medal.

So, that said, today was an awesome long run, and here's why.

First, the details, I ran 10 miles on a running and bike path not far from my house called the North County Trail. it's a beautiful paved trail that runs through most of Westchester County in New York.

To begin with, it was a gorgeous day on the trail. The trees are finally full and green after being bare all winter and the brook that runs along parts of the trail has gurgling happily. The temperature was in the upper fifties and the sun was out. An absolutely perfect morning for a run. I actually took a couple of pictures but unfortunately they did not turn out.

Also, as I had mentioned in my last post I have been working on pacing myself better. I did really well with this run. If you look at my splits you will see that my times were pretty consistent, and also that they were right within the 11 1/2 minute mile goal I have set for myself for my next race (The Liberty Run in NJ).

I felt strong through nearly all of the 10 miles. The only issue I had at all was the last mile as you can see. There was actually a good reason for this. Most of mile 7 and 8 were uphill the whole way. I pushed myself through these 2 miles, and also did pretty well for mile 9 which was mostly  flat but for mile 10 I was loosing steam even though it was mostly downhill. That said, I'm sure I could have re-grouped had I needed to go farther, but as it was I was just a little weak for that mile. All in all I was very happy with the run, which I completed in under 2 hours (a PR for 10 miles for me).

One of the thing I attribute my improvement to is that I am learning more about running and paying attention to the advice of more experienced runners. In particular, about 2 weeks ago I discovered the Mickey Miles Podcast. Among the topics discussed have been fueling and hydration, and I found their advice to be very helpful. The focus of the podcast is on running Disney races but the advice is pretty universal. Worth a listen.

That's it for this week - next week I'll be doing time trials in Maine as I go to pick up my daughter at college.

Pacing myself

So when I wrote about my run at the Unite Half Marathon I left out one important bit of info, my time. I ran the race in 2:46:31 (2:47:26 gun time) - a personal Record for me. That said, one thing I was a bit concerned with was the discrepancy in my time splits:

As you can see, my times got progressively slower  Now, I know that this is fairly normal but I also know that maintaining consistent speeds throughout a race is desirable also. I was OK with my overall time and with my average per mile, but I would really like to see my times remain consistent. So, I decided to start working on that.

I've also set myself a goal for my next race (The New Jersey Liberty Run) of a 12 minute/mile pace, which I think is realistic. To achieve this I'm actually trying for a pace of 11:40. The reason is this - when you run a race the actual distance you run is usually a bit farther that the stated length of the course. As an example, at the Unite race, the actual distance I ran according to iRunner as 13.43 miles. The reason this is true is because the stated distance of the course is the distance you would run if you took the absolutely most efficient path through the course. Since this is pretty much impossible, you end up running bit longer. So, since I want to hit a 12 minute mile according to the race clock, I need to get my pace to a bit quicker than that.

On the weekend after the Unite race I ran 4 miles. I tried running on a track to better be able to pace myself. On a track it's very easy to pace yourself, and my results were very good (ignore the last mile - it was not really a mile - and the first mile as it takes a bit to get going):

As I am now considering myself as "officially" training for my first full marathon, I have extended my weekday morning runs to 45 minutes. Since it takes my about 45 minutes to run 4 miles at the rate I am going for, I just figured I'd run 4 miles on my weekday runs. Here are my splits from one of these runs - pretty consistent except for the first mile but I need to get the time just a bit faster:

Finally, I tried this as well on a longer, 8-mile run. As you can see, fairly consistent but also a fair bit slower than I want. I will continue working on this:

Run Report: Unite Half Marathon at Rutgers

On Sunday, April 21 I ran the Unite Half Marathon at Rutgers University in New Jersey. The race is organized by CGI Racing who organize several other events in new Jersey and Pennsylvania.

This was my third race. One interesting aspect of this race - for me - was that this was the first time I was not concerned about my ability to finish the race in time. My first half marathon was the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January. runDisney - who organize the race - made a big point of needing to finish within 3 1/2 hours. As it was my first race I was really not sure how long it would take me. My second was the Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon in March. This race also had a 3 1/2 hour limit, and while I already had one race under my belt, this race was also on a much more challenging course. In both cases I needn't have worried. I won't go into details here (read the blogs if you'd like more info), but suffice it to say that while I was not exactly posing a threat to the elite leaders, I was also never at risk of not finishing in time. Anyway, the Unite race was on a relatively easy course which would be open for 4 hours so I had no concerns about being able to finish. This, combined with it being a beautiful (albeit a bit chilly) day and the fact that this was a large race with over 3,000 runners led to me really looking forward to it.

My day started at 4 AM. I had  gotten all my stuff together the night before so I was able to get ready and get on the road at about 4:40. The drive to Somerset was a little under 2 hours, and there was no traffic (unsurprisingly) so I arrived at about 6:30. I wanted to have a hearty breakfast before the race so I stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts and had a sausage egg croissant. Big mistake. First, the thing was disgusting. Second, I belong to Weight Watchers and when I added it to my log later that day I discovered it was 19 points! That's about half my daily allotment. I'll never do that again.

I then drove to the venue. Now, this was a very well organized race, but the final trip to the venue brought out my one complaint. There was absolutely no indication where the start was nor where you should park. There were a bunch of signs with "CGI Racing" and an arrow which I took to be signs pointing to the starting area so I followed them. I soon realized they were actually signs marking the course route. I finally got to a parking space that looked reasonable and turned out to be pretty close to the starting area.

It was a beautiful clear day but quite chilly at about 40°. I had pre-arranged to pick up my packet the morning of the race (for an extra $15), so I picked up my packet including my bib and what I have to say is a very nice black, short-sleeve race tech shirt. I decided to put the new shirt under the long sleeved shirt I was wearing for an extra layer.

Nice shirt

I took off my sweater and warm-up pants about 10 minutes before the race was set to start, put them in my bag and checked the bag. I then went to the starting corral where it was warmer because of all the people bunched together. A few minutes before the race started they played "Sweet Caroline" in honor of Boston - nice touch. They then played the National Anthem and a few minutes later we were off.

The course. The entire race takes place on Rutgers campus. The course is fairly flat. It contains a large number of switchbacks as you wind your way through the campus. With all these switchbacks I found myself thinking about the Sleepy Hollow Half. There was one spot with a similar switchback. There was a woman a bit ahead of me. Just before hitting the section where we went out to a point and came back, her boyfriend or husband (I assumed) was waiting for her to catch up. Instead of running to the end and coming back she cut across and continued on with her partner. Now, I really didn't care, but I found myself thinking about it on this run and how, if I had done that, I just would have thought that I cheated myself. Another interesting thing: In addition to the Half marathon there was also a 8K. As we were waiting in the corral the announcer repeated several times that the 8K racers should wait, that they would line up at the start in the opposite direction after the Half Marathon had started. Anyway, about 6 1/2 miles in I noticed that we passed back under the starting gate going in the opposite direction. It dawned on me that the rest of the course would follow the 8K course. These was born out by the fact that we would see mile markers for the 8K throughout. (at about 8 1/2 miles we passed the 8K 2-mile mark and I exclaimed "What?! Only 2 miles?!)

While the course was pleasant enough I do have one complaint. What with running on a college campus I had the image in my head of running past old ivy covered buildings and open grass covered quads - the sort of thing I see when I visit my daughter in college. Well, unfortunately the Rutger campus - at least the part we saw - was not nearly so nice. It was, well, a little boring. Most of the buildings we saw were either athletic buildings of what looked like administration buildings. Like I said, pleasant enough, but not what I was hoping for.

Course map

On the plus side there was quite a bit of entertainment on the course, most of which came in the form of musical acts. There was a marching band and several rock and roll performers. One thing I noticed was that the bands were often placed in areas where you would pass them twice from different points during the race. As an example there was a marching band at the start of the race that we passed again when we came back to the start half way through.

Organization. CGI Racing did an excellent job of organizing the race. My only complaint - as I stated earlier - was that they were not very clear about the parking. (When I left I realized I wasn't sure where I parked. The shuttle dropped us off a ways from the starting spot, and all of the tents and stuff had been taken down. Luckily I found my car fairly quickly.) In fact I would say this surprised me even more than it might have otherwise precisely because they were so well organized - I was expecting clear indications of where the parking was. Everything else was terrific. They communicated well using Facebook and email, their website is well organized and informative, and the event itself was pulled off efficiently and professionally. It was also obviously run by people who understand the needs of runners (truth be told I have only done 3 races and in each case it was obviously they were understanding of the runner's needs). One good example - the finish was a good distance from the start, so for bag check they used trucks that moved from the start to the finish so you could get your bag back right after finishing the race. Also, after the race they provided food - pasta salad, a yogurt/berry parfait and cookies. I had planned to stop for lunch on the way home but I didn't need to.

Tchotchkes. Besides the shirt we also got a goody bag with a few freebies and, of course, a finisher's medal. On the CGI website they had pictures of the medals from last year (the United race logo) and I was expecting something similar. As we approached the finish I saw some folks who had already finished with the race and their medals - round and shiny - were clearly different. Then, when I reached the finish, I was surprised when I was given a different, square medal. I figured out that the medal I saw earlier must have been for the 8k.

Bling

Would I do it again? Possibly. On the one hand the course was not very exciting, but it was a very well organized race. I will certainly keep my eye on other races organized by CGI.

A surprise 5k

First, let me apologize for not posting last week. Quick summary, I did a 10 mile run Saturday (April 6) and I was not real pleased with the results. I felt fine but it was one of those days where I felt like I just never really got into the groove and my resulting time (2:18) suffered as a result.

But enough of that...

This weekend promised to be cool and crisp - perfect weather for a run. My training schedule called for a short four mile run ahead of the Unite Half Marathon at Rutgers which I am running next weekend. As luck would have it, this was also the weekend for the Bedford Hills "Run for the Hills" 5k - an event that has been going on in my town for several years but one that I never participated in (not surprising as I only started running this year). Well, I figured that 5k was not that much less than 4 miles, so why not make this my training run for the weekend? So I signed up.

On the morning of the race I had a leisurely morning. I figured I'd leave the house around 7:30, get a hearty breakfast and get there nice and early for the 9:30 start (I've discovered I like arriving early to races). That didn't happen as little events that morning kept me from leaving and I finally headed up to my room to get ready at a little after 8. Then it hit me. Is the start time 9:30 or 8:30? I panicked. I ran to my computer to look it up. 8:30! Oh no! I ran back to my room, threw on a tech shirt and some shorts and bolted out the door. I even forgot my fitbit, which was charging. I was not at all sure I could make it. If I hit any obstacles along the way I definitely would not make it.

I knew my biggest challenge was going to be finding parking. I decided then and there I would try to park in my chiropractor's office parking lot which was about a block from the starting area at the train station. I made it to Bedford Hills in what was for me, I think, a record time. I pulled into the parking lot and there were plenty of spots. I made my way down to the sign-in and picked up my bib with 5 minutes to spare. Whew! I went to pick up my t-shirt but they were all gone by then. Bummer. I went to the staring area and we were off!

OK, just let me say this. 5k is a very... civilized distance for a race. Nice and easy. I ran into a friend of mine from the neighborhood and we pretty much kept pace with each other. The course - as you might expect from the name - is quite hilly. As I had been training on hills for the Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon which was a few weeks back (run report here) I didn't have too much trouble with the hills. I finished the race in about 34 minutes (I don't have the official time yet) which I was pretty pleased with.

The stats from my iRunner

After I finished I ran into my chiropractor Dr. Stuart Weitzman, who has been giving me a lot of very helpful advice about running (not to mention keeping my back in shape).

Me and Dr. Stu. Note the hat.

It was a very fun race (despite my little scare) and it was nice to be able to do a race as part of my training. I'll definitely keep my eye out for more 5k's.

Next week - the Unite Half Marathon! I am really looking forward to it!

A little test...

So I decided to try a little test this weekend. As I have written earlier, I ascribe to the running method espoused by Jeff Galloway - Run, Walk, Run. Well, after my successful run in the Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon my plan for this weekend was a short, 4 mile run. And it got me wondering... does it still make sense to use Run, Walk, Run for short runs now that I am in much better shape? Would my time be faster if I ran ("jogged", really) the entire distance? Would I even be able to make it? Next weekend I intend to do 10 miles but the weekend after is a local 5K I was thinking of running - should I use Run, Walk, Run for that?

So, I decided to check it out. For my 4 mile run this weekend I jogged the entire way and did not walk at all. Here are the results.

As you can see, not great. I will say this - I had no problem running the entire distance, in fact I am sure I could have gone a good deal farther. But these times are not great. Admittedly, had I been running a race I probably would have pushed it more and perhaps I would have had a better time. Perhaps. But consider this: the last time I did a 4 mile run using Run,Walk, Run my time was slightly better. Even more telling are the first 4 miles of my marathon last weekend:

As you can see, these times are a fair bit better. And I was pacing myself for a half marathon. And I was on a very hilly course.

So, my conclusion? At least for now I will continue using the Run, Walk, Run method. Not only can I go farther using this method while feeling better, it also appears that my times are faster.

Next week I go 10 miles and I've set myself a bit of a challenge for that. Then perhaps the 5K, and then my next half on the 21st. And I will also probably be signing up for another half in June.

Run Report: Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon

On Sarturday, March 23, I ran in the 3rd annual Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon held in the historic town of Sleepy Hollow, NY. The race is organized by RiverTown Runners, who also organize 2 other annual events - a 5K and a 10K - all of which take place in town.

I signed up for the race some time ago. After running my first half marathon during the Walt Disney World Half Marathon Weekend in January, I was looking for more races. There weren't any available that I could find in the dead of February in my neck of the world (just north of NYC) and the first race I spotted was the NYC Half Marathon. I looked into that but it was sold out. I could still do it as a charity run, but I would have needed to raise $1000. I thought this was do-able, but then i found out about the Sleepy Hollow race so I decided to do that instead.

As the date of the run approached I felt a bit of trepidation. First, I had heard from several folks (including my chiropractor, who is a runner and actually one of the sponsors of the race) that the course was very hilly and challenging. I also read that the race has a strict 3 1/2 hour time limit. I had completed the WDW race in 3:27. On the one hand that was my first race, it was very hot and I had to deal with huge crowds. On the other hand, the WDW course was flat. In the few days before the race I had some new worries to add to my list - we were hit with a sizable snow storm just a few days before the race. Much of the race takes place on trails and I was worried that there might still be snow or, even worse, ice. On top of all that my back had been bothering me (I had taken a few yoga classes a while back that did a real number on me.)

As you will read - all of these things were no problem.

First, with regard to the hilly course, I learned about this early enough so that I was able to do a lot of hill work in my training. Read earlier posts in this blog for more details. As to the condition of the course, with the exception of a few muddy spots it was fine. As to my time, I came in at 3:02. Yes, I was one of the last finishers but I got in well under the limit. Finally, as to my back problems, it was not an issue during the race. My back hurt like a son-of-a-gun after the race, but no issues during :-P. I also had been having some minor twinges in my knee during the couple of days leading up to the race, and while I did feel something a few times it was no problem and, unlike my back, my knee has not bothered my after. I'm not worried about my back, I can tell it's just muscle soreness, but it still hurts.

The race started at the very civilized time of 9:30. On race day the weather was sunny but cold and windy. I had been doing training runs in much worse weather, so I was used to it and not at all concerned about the weather. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect so I arrived early - about 8:00. I had already picked up my race packet a few days earlier so I didn't need to check in. The packet included your bib and an RFID chip you put on your shoe as well at a long sleeve t-shirt. It also included a bunch of info and freebies from race sponsors. Upon arriving I went to a local deli to get a breakfast sandwich and then I hung around the gathering area and walked around a bit trying (mostly in vain) to stay warm (and trying to keep my toes from getting numb.) Finally the race time arrived and we gathered by the starting gate.

Course map

Course elevations

The Course. The race started in the village and after running up hill on some village streets we entered a park and started running on trails. The trails meandered though some really lovely wooded park setting with several small bridges over bubbling brooks swollen from the melting snow. Just past mile 2 we went over a bridge above Rt. 117 where we would be running later. We then got to the northernmost section of the course where we were treated to spectacular views of the Hudson River. Mile 3 was mostly downhill as we made our way down to the level of the river. We then ran along the river for a while and at about 4 1/4 miles were treated to an extremely steep hill which took us back to the upper level of the park. We left the park just past mile 5 and made our way through a parking lot before coming out onto Rt. 117 at about mile 6. We then ran up Rt. 117 for about 1 1/2 miles and back. And I do mean up. This was, by far, the worst part of the course. A big, open, boring highway with traffic on the other side that went at a steady uphill grade for about a mile and a half. Absolute torture. When I finally got to the turnaround at about 7 1/2 miles and would be able to run downhill, the wind picked up making the trip down equally miserable. At about mile 9 we entered a parking lot for a medical center. On the plus side we ran downhill again and were able to run along the river again (although this section was very windy), but on the negative side we had to climb another steep hill out of the parking lot. We then meandered through town neighborhoods which was a blast because there were folks standing in their lawns and driveways to cheer us on. There was even a local rock band serenading us from their driveway. I had the feeling that, had the weather been nicer, there would have been more. Just past mile 11 we ran along the river a bit more, then out to a lighthouse point and back for mile 12. The last mile was again through neighborhoods with a final, nasty hill just before the finish.

Obviously this is a very challenging course. The first 5 miles through the parks was very nice as was running along the river and through the neighborhoods. I could have done without the highway and parking lots - but I understand why those elements were necessary. Overall I would give the course a very high rating - especially if you are looking for a challenge.

Organization. I must confess I don't really think I can make a fair comparison here because the only other race I've done is the WDW half which had about 25,000 runners vs. about 1,000 at Sleepy Hollow. (Interestingly, my chiropractor told me they were expecting about 1,400, but only 877 finished. I can't imagine that many started and didn't finish so I have to imagine that either their estimates were way off or a lot of folks signed up but didn't run. That's possible - I did see bib numbers well into the 1,000's and I suppose some folks may have bailed due to the weather.)

That said, I think RiverTown Runners did an outstanding job. There were lots of volunteers making sure you knew where to go. There were plenty of water stations - not nearly as many as at WDW but honestly, not so many were needed. I never felt a lack of hydration. There was a lack of porta potties. There were some at the start and there was supposed to be some at mile 9 but I didn't see them. But then I didn't need them and wasn't looking for them. Overall high marks for organization although I might have felt different had I needed facilities.

Tchotchkes. Bling. Goodies. Extras. You get the drift. As I mentioned earlier we got a goodie bag with some freebies from sponsors - the usual stuff. A pen, hand sanitizer, sports drink sample, lots of brochures, that sort of stuff. The 2 biggies, of course, are the shirt and the medal. The shirt is a cotton long sleeve T. On the one hand I would have preferred a tech shirt, but on the other hand it is a thick, high quality T. The medal looked to me to be a non-custom medal with the race logo on it. Not the fanciest, but then when you are running a smaller race like this one obviously you can't afford a fancy custom medal. I'm just happy to get anything - it's a symbol of the accomplishment. Considering this is a pretty small race I give them good marks for extras. They definitely have the right idea.

So, will I do it again? Very likely. Probably not next year, but some day. I'd like to do it in a much better time. This is not the sort of race that folks will travel a great distance to run, but if you live in the area you should check it out. Please let me know if you have questions or feedback.