redemption! chapter 1

Turns out apples right after running don't seem to agree
with my delicate ecosystem.  But the half-eaten apple
looks cool on the shirt, doesn't it?

Ah, sweet redemption. The Run for the Apples 5 mile race was today, and I did it - I showed up for the race!!  <cue the choir> It probably helped that the husband ran the race, too.  That always increases my odds of getting where I'm supposed to be on time.  Last year, if you recall, I was running it solo and my dipshit tendencies trumped any organizational skills I may possess.

So anywhoo, showing up was my only goal for today and I'm pleased to say that not only did I show up for the race, I ran it as well.  So I think that means I exceeded my own expectations.  Well done, Nora, well done!

I wore my snazzy trail shoes and I could see the other runners looking at me so enviously, all of them thinking to themselves "Man, a chick with shoes that awesome just has to be crazy fast."  But you know me, I like to keep 'em guessing, and I think it's bad form to be a show-off, so I went at my usual pace.  Garmin Electra (despite being the temperamental and untrustworthy beyoch that she can be) showed up too, and managed to stay awake for the entire run.  Here are my splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	53:00.0	5.00	10:35.4
1	10:59.2	1.00	10:59.2
2	10:43.9	1.00	10:43.9
3	10:42.1	1.00	10:42.1
4	10:38.9	1.00	10:38.9
5	9:53.5	1.00	9:53.5
6	:2.2	0.00	7:57.3

Not too bad, eh?  And those splits are negative, princess!  I'll take it, especially since I've done lots of fast walking but very little actual running over the last few months.

With the husband after the race.
Eyes open and my nose is clean as a whistle!

The course was fun, back and forth through the orchard, pumpkin patch, strawberry fields, the corn maze, and some short bursts on the nearby road.  The only thing I didn't like was - because there was so much back-and-forthing - we could see all the runners waaaaayyyy ahead of us.  (I like my position in the pack to be a little more of a mystery to me.)  But it was an absolutely PERFECT Minnesota October morning, deep blue sunny skies, no wind, temps in the high 30's...... a fantastic day for a run.  I was freezing before the race started but warmed up right away and had stripped down to my tank top before the end of the second mile.

So that's it peeps! redemption! chapter 2 (Monster Dash 10 mile, where my goal is to NOT walk through the finish chute) coming up next weekend....  I'm running it solo so here's hoping I show up for it.

Oh, one more thing.  Remember my envy of the woman who could blow snot rockets?  And that, despite my envy, there was no way I would EVER do that in public?  Well, never say never, people.....desperate times call for desperate measures.  My nose was running like a faucet out there today - after four uses my one tired little kleenex was spent so I was blowing snot rockets like a pro.