I had a Blast™

Ha, ha I love puns.

In case you couldn't tell from the title, I ran the Hyde Park Blast 4-miler this morning. :-) This race is near and dear to me because it was the very first race I ever ran (June 2006). The course has changed, there's less in the swag bags and they don't give out medals to everyone anymore, but I think I will always love this race.

As tradition dictates, I met up with some pals at my friend Anne's house, who lives close enough to walk to the start line. We met about 7:30, only 30 minutes before the race start, so I was pacing around nervously waiting for everyone to get their chips on, etc. I like to get to races absurdly early and I usually freak out before each one, whether it's 2 miles or 26.2 miles.

We finally made it to the corral and I didn't even hear the starting signal (no guns in Hyde Park - I'm sure there is a rule against even having the noise) but everyone started moving so I followed. Mile 1 has a nice hill right away, but then you hit a pretty steep downhill so I was able to make up a bit of time. First split was about an 8:01, which I was happy with because I was hoping to run right around an 8-minute pace.

Mile 2 was a bitch. It is pretty much all uphill (a long steady hill) and it was 90 degrees in the shade + humid. Oy. I did have a mini reunion of sorts with the 9:00-mile Pig training group though. First I saw my friend Robert. Then I saw my Boston-bound friend Tana. Then long-run buddy Joan. All of them passed me. :-) Normally I would be having a competitive complex over this but who am I kidding. These guys have been doing speedwork for a month (and have probably started Fall training) while I have been goofing around, drinking, and running once a week (5K's on flat courses for that matter). It was fun to see everyone but we were all wilting in the heat. My split sucked - 8:36.

I had a bit of redemption in Mile 3, enjoying some flat ground on Erie and Observatory as well as some shade. I actually stopped at a water stop (punk!) but my split still ended up being 8:08. Not too shabby.

Heading into Mile 4 is...Handasyde hill. Bleh. But, going back to the Blast being my first race ever, Handasyde was also my first "real" hill. I kind of like it a little, actually. I was wheezing like a Pug by the time I reached the top, but realized I had some gas left in the tank so I was able to sprint to the finish. My time ended up being 32:55, an 8:14 pace. One second per mile slower than last year...ouch! I hate this but again, what do I expect? You can't show up for a hill race with no training and expect to hit a PR...unless you're me and like to set unreasonable expectations for yourself. :-)

Post race I caught up with my friends who had run it with me as well as some Spot pals (including Running Buddy Tisha) and enjoyed a free donut. We also watched the Elite Race, which was AMAZING. The lead male finished in 18:49! Damn. Are these guys humans or are they runners?

Later we went back to Anne's for a dip in the kiddie pool and some mimosas, another post-race tradition. Think it's about time for a nap now.