Name: Give Thanks 4-Miler
Date: November 25, 2010
Distance: 4-Miler
Location: Mitchell, Indiana
Course: Flat, hilly, then flat on the home-stretch (Click here to view course.)
Time: 35:20
Pace: 8:50
Place: 50 of over 100
Division: 4 of 9
Results Link: Click here.
Weather: 55°, pouring rain
Notes: Recent training before this race had been going quite well, and I was eager to go for a 4-mile PR. My "I'll be happy" goal was 36:xx, but my real goal was 35:xx. The day before the race, I was disappointed to see that the weather forecast did not look friendly: rain, rain, and more rain. On race day, I was awakened an hour early by tornado sirens. Luckily, the most severe weather moved through southern Indiana before the race. Mac (who was running his first race), and I donned our rain gear and headed to Mitchell. We had a $10 bet on which of us would cross the finish line first. When the race began, the rain was light and almost unnoticeable. The first mile of the course (8:39) was flat, but the second mile (8:59) surprised me with a short but significant hill on a newly constructed road. Mile 3 (9:12) was the hilliest mile, but I found myself being able to get over my usual hill mental blocks. The rain began to increase around 24:00, but it helped keep my mind off the hills, as well. On the last mile (8:28), I let go, and started picking people to pass. The last three-quarters of a mile on Main Street was awesome. I knew I was going to make 35:xx, and I felt great doing it. I finished in 35:20, good for 50th overall, 14th female, and 4th in my age group. Mac earned $10 by beating me with a 33:06. He was 39th overall, the 31st male, and 3rd in his age group. What a great start to Thanksgiving Day!
Photos: 6 — See below.