{partners in crime}: Carmel 8K Race Day Recap

The Carmel 8K can be summed up in one word... COLD! It was misting, wind blowing, cloudy, and only hit about 45 degrees during the entire run.

We left the house at 6:15 in the morning to make it to Carmel by my race time. We parked and then walked 15 minutes to the start line of the race. The whole way I was shivering and complaining how cold it was. You could see our breath the whole morning. BRRRRR!

My race started right on time. According to the announcer there were 600 runners involved in the 8K. The Full Marathon and Half Marathon started a half hour before the 8K so it was nice and cleared out at the start line :)

I really wasn't sure what to expect for this race. Carmel is a really nice area so it was fun to run through town and on the Monon Trail most of the race. There was tons of support during the race. Many people stood outside their houses or apartments to cheer us on. Something I didn't expect was the hills. I of course train on a very flat course (this is something I need to change), and many of the races I have ran are hilly. This race was no exception... the hills weren't really steep, but there were a ton of them... I'm thinking probably 15 in all. Uhhhhhhgggg! I overheard several people saying that they hoped this was the last hill. I felt like I was keeping a perfect pace throughout the race. I tried to keep my pace going up a hill and enjoy a little faster pace going down the hills. However, there weren't many mile markers throughout the race so it was hard to tell if I was staying under a 10 minute mile like I wanted to.

As I approached the finish line I knew I wasn't going to make my goal time... I was already over 50 minutes, but I still decided to sprint to the finish. As I was running my hardest I ended up rolling my ankle in a crack in the road. I just about bit the dust, but saved myself just in time. The only thing injured was my pride, since I'm sure the guys taking pictures at the end of the race got a few shots of me almost face planting :)

I ended up finished the race at 52:48... I was a little disappointed, but taking into consideration the hills, the cold, and the windy conditions... I'm not surprised.