On Sunday morning I ran the Perfect 10 Miler for the fourth year in a row. This race is billed as the largest all-women 10-miler in the country, and is only 15 minutes from our house.Here are recaps from other years:
2015--my first "tattoo"
2014--the good the bad the ugly
2013--inaugural year
It was brisk start to the race. After a heatwave of temperatures in the 80s, it was a shock to the system to wake up to temperatures in the mid-40s and windy. As I had planned on wearing my new shirt by Designz by Michelle Lynn, I toughed out the cold snap and ran like this. I also wore gloves and an earmuff that didn't last long, and wrapped myself in the "space blanket" I received at the end of the Dorney 10K. I was disappointed by the "free" race shirt, and thrilled with how cute this one is. I did note I was one of only a few people wearing a skirt of any kind, and of even less people wearing short sleeves and shorts/short skirt.
The course was the same as the one in 2015. If opinions were being sought, I would vote for the course the first year since it was entirely in the park and on the Mercer County Community College campus (hence no cars), but they must feel this course is a winner because they have kept it for two years in a row. I know one of the draws is it starts and finishes at the two-year old Festival grounds, but that is still no reason why we have to go on the streets around the park. I also don't like the two out and backs that are each about a mile long and go so close to the finish line you want to skip them (each has a timing mat to keep you honest).
If it wasn't for the camaraderie, I probably would not sign up for a fifth year. I bump into so many local running lady friends I can't help but smile the whole time.
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| Michelle and Kim |
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| Only on race days do I see the sunrise |
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| Michelle |
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| Kim, Michelle, and Kim's friend whose name I forgot |
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| Gabrielle |
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| Stacy (she did 5 miles as part of a relay) |
Gabrielle was pacing her niece who just had a baby last year (and doesn't look it). This was the first and probably only time I will ever cross the finish line before Gabrielle. It might also be the first and only time she started before me as she had to drop her son off to volunteer.It is also the first time I have raced with a unicorn.
I saw someone wearing a running skirt made out of race shirts similar to this ONE. What an awesome idea! Races are getting better, but for a while there running shirts were "unisex," which is totally unfair since often over half of the runners are women. I liked the one on the course better so I'll ask around. Wish I had been faster and taken a picture of it.
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| A race picture I like! |
I was disappointed when I crossed the finish line with my time. It said 2:04, which was 8 minutes slower than last year, yet I felt much stronger, faster, and more confident than I did in 2015. Then I remembered they started us in waves at the start. I don't remember that happening in other years. I did not note my start time.
My official finish time was 1:55:10, about 100 seconds faster than in 2015. Not bad. I'm using two devices this year -- one on my arm and one on my wrist. Same side of the body. The arm had me going nearly a half a mile farther than my wrist and much faster. Ahh...technology. Even the wrist had me going at an 11:23 pace.
Bib
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Name
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Sex
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Age
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City, State
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Net
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Clock
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Pace
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Event
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| My collection of Perfect 10 medals |
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