diva dash 10k

Squinting into the sun with TenacityChris, my marathon
coach.  She'll be coaching me again for Grandma's 2012!
Oh, and the headband.....I wanted to keep my ears warm but
didn't want to wear a hat or heavy-duty headband.  Can you
say "fivehead"?
<sigh> Another unfortunate race-day apparel choice.

Yesterday was the Diva Dash.  I ran the 10k and got a PR!  My goal was to finish under an hour and I just squeaked 'er in at 59:40!! Still waiting for the official results to be posted (the computer crashed, apparently) but GarminElectra says I PR'd so that's good enough for me.  Yeah, I know, she's unreliable and all, but I guess when it benefits me, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.  I'm shallow like that.  UPDATE: Official results 59:30. YeeHaw!!

It was a really beautiful morning for a run.  Temps in the high 30's at the start and by the time we were done, it must have been close to 50 degrees.  Sunny day, just a slight wind....the kind of day that makes you feel so happy to be out in the fresh air, running!

This race was a benefit for MOCA - Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance.  Nasty silent killer cancer.  My first mom-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 OC back when SS was 6 weeks old.  Here it is almost 19 years later (and after a battle with breast cancer, too, if you can believe it) and I'm SOOO happy to say that she is healthy and with us today!!  So to be able to give back a little bit to MOCA was a bonus for me.

So anywhoo, here are my splits.  Please, take a moment, have a cookie, a cup of coffee, or maybe a beer, and bask in the realization that there is not one 10 to be seen!  

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	59:39.7	6.17	9:40.6
1	9:41.1	1.00	9:41.1
2	9:40.1	1.00	9:40.1
3	9:32.2	1.00	9:32.2
4	9:47.2	1.00	9:47.2
5	9:51.5	1.00	9:51.5
6	9:36.9	1.00	9:36.9
7	1:30.5	0.17	9:08.1

I was pretty tired between miles 4 and 5 and walked a couple of times, stopped to blow my faucet of a nose (in a lady-like fashion - because this was a women's race, I used kleenex rather than show off my awesome snot rocket skills; women seem to get more grossed out by that than men) and tried to rally the troops (legs, lungs and brain).  Got my act together again and pushed it though mile 6 to the end.  I was pretty proud of myself!

Hangin' with the Tenacity Fitness HoneyBadgers and
swilling bloody mary's after the race. These women are fun!
And see how slutty we all look?  I can TOTALLY understand
why that group was upset by women's running clothes.

Downer of the day, along with a big huge WTF:  a family or two protesting the race. Yep, you read that right, they were protesting the race.  Apparently, feminism is bad, and so is women's provocative running apparel.  So they protested this women's-only race that was helping to support the fight against a women's-only cancer.  They held signs imploring us to read the gospel and heed God's word.  So sad, really.  They had kids out there with them, holding those mean-spirited signs.  The only negative to the day.

Oh, and I guess I'm kinda competitive.  There was this chick in pink who would pass me, then I'd pass her, then she'd pass me..... this went on for pretty much the second half of the race.  So we're heading for the finish line and all of a sudden, she's gunning for it and trying to pass me one last time.  I actually said out loud, "Oh HELL no!!" and bolted to keep her behind me.  I *may* have run into another runner at the very narrow finish line (why do people STOP as soon as they cross the finish???) but I did apologize to that runner.  I think I may have pissed off the pink chick a little bit, too, but only 'cuz I smoked her.  (Yeah, like she wouldn't have done the same thing if I'd let her. But I didn't, did I?)  Hahaha!!  Oh my....... I hope I'm not turning into one of "those" runners.

Anyone else smoke another runner during a race and feel kind of bad about it, but not really?