Get in Gear Recap

The weather forecast said that it would be rainy with winds of 15-25 mph and possible thunderstorms.  As we were driving to drop off the kids and the rain starting pelting the car windshield, I didn't have high expectations for the run.  However after running four previous Get in Gear races, we knew that the weather would probably be bad.  There's only been one year when we had good weather.  The worst year was when we had little ice pellets hitting us in the face as we tried to run straight into the wind.  So a little rain was probably better than that scenario, right?

We had 16 miles to run, so we had to not only run the 13.1 miles for the race, but we also had to throw in almost 3 miles on our own.  Good times!  We decided to run from the parking lot and skip the shuttle bus ride, so we were able to get in about half of our extra miles.  (Judging by the line for the buses, we made a good decision!)

14.6 miles to go...

The race started right at 9am and we started slowly running with the huge mass of people.  It wasn't raining much, just drizzling a bit.  Thank goodness for my snazzy hat!  I brought my ipod with me to measure my distance but thanks to the stellar capabilities of the Nike+, my readings were inaccurate.  I was wearing my new shoes and I thought I had calibrated the sensor, but clearly I did not do a very good job.  Anyway...

Where was I?  Oh yes, running in the rain.

We saw some interesting things along our way.  We both loved running behind the two people who were wearing shirts that said "Dad" and "Daughter".  (Gary decided that he'd like to have shirts like that for Katherine and him, although when he asked Katherine about it she said, "No way, Dad!"  Oh well.)  There was a woman who showed up quite a few times on the course and she had a sign that said, "You're the best you!"  Loved that sign. 

After we hit the mile 8 water stop, Gary stopped to stretch and I decided to pull out my headphones and start listening to my ipod instead of just carrying the good for nothing thing in my hand.  "Rhythm of Love", "Rolling in the Deep", and "Gone Daddy Gone" turned out to be excellent songs to run to.  It was a good distraction because by the time we got to mile 10, the raindrops were falling hard and the run was getting pretty miserable.

5 miles to go...

As we were headed towards the finish line of the race, I knew that I had the dreaded Ford Parkway Bridge looming ahead.  That bridge has been my nemesis every year we've run the Get in Gear.  There was one year when it was so windy that I could barely move.  I was making running motions, but was hardly going anywhere.  It would probably be easier to run across the bridge if there wasn't a hill right before running across that bridge.  We trudged up the hill and up the bridge.

2.4 miles to go...

As we started across the bridge, I realized that there was only a cross wind.  How fantastic!  I put my head down and concentrated on moving across the bridge.  Once I got across the bridge, it was just a half mile until the finish.  Down a hill, and up a hill... and we were done!  I got my medal, grabbed a bottle of water, and motioned to Gary that he should keep going.

1.4 miles to go...

I was ready to quit when my iPod said 16 miles, but we still had .75 miles left according to Gary's GPS.  (The one that I bought for him... how silly of me!)  So we kept running around in circles at Minnehaha Park.  Down by the falls, up a trail, circling around the pavilion where the snacks were.  I was soaked.  My feet were squishing in my shoes.  My legs were hardly able to move.  My shoelaces were both untied.  But FINALLY, I hobbled across the grass and made my way to the snack pavilion and Gary said, "16 miles!"

Thank goodness for the little cartons of chocolate milk (my new favorite post-run recovery drink) and boxes of Pearson's Salted Nut Rolls.

I'm also extremely thankful for my parents.  Without them, Gary and I wouldn't have been able to run together on Saturday.  Not only are they willing to let us drop the kids off at 7am on a Saturday morning, but they make pancakes and french toast, and take them to soccer games.  A few weeks ago, my mom told me that she was proud of me.  It meant a lot to hear her say that.  I'm so grateful to have supportive family members who are willing to help me try and achieve my goals.

So anyway... 5th annual Get in Gear... CHECK!

Oh, and did I mention that I ran 123.76 miles last month?  WOWZERS!