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Dreary weather continued for the Harlingen Half-Marathon. I was tired from the half-marathon the day before.
I often see people posting photos of their race face. Some are determined and fierce. Others are excited. In sillier moods, I'd go for a frightened look. But at this run, I'm pretty sure I had a detached "Let's just get this over with" vibe going. That's all internal and nothing against the race. Other than finishing, my only concern was getting a finisher medal. Last year, they ran out by the time I crossed the finish line. Some quick notes: Once again, I lost one of my Race Dots before I even got to the start line. (I use them to hold my racing bib.) Those magnets are powerful and like car doors. When the race started, I got passed by probably everyone. Supporters giving high-fives to all the runners left before I reached them. The cyclists who I believe were watching the last runners were in front of me. I was slower than usual, which is hard for even me to believe. There were great snacks on the route. But I've already learned this lesson the hard way - don't eat anything you haven't trained with. I am going to add gummie bears and pretzels with peanut butter to my training list. There were plenty of medals still available when I crossed the finish line. Yay. And because I do silly things, I immediately made up the burned calories by ordering a cheese chili dog and fried Oreos from one of the food trucks at the finish line. I carried a small towel with me. That's usually just for runs in hot weather. I drench them with water and put them on my head. But it came in handy. I used it to cover the wet seats, when I sat down at a picnic table after the run. I may add that to my running gear list for rain. The exciting news is a full marathon is planned for 2018. And when I say exciting, I mean for other runners. I'm not running that. As the joke goes, I run half-marathons, because I'm only half-crazy.
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One of my favorite signs I see at running events reads, “Remember, you paid to do this.”
For Lent, I gave up buying unnecessary things. I hadn't already registered for anything, so running events are out for most of February and March. I mentioned this in a conversation with a few people. One of them stopped and said, “You pay to run?” Someone else who had learned this earlier from me said, “Yeah, that’s what I said too.” Honestly, it’s not something I knew when I started. The few events I had been to before I started training for anything were either sponsored by my employer or free community events. I didn’t pay for anyone of those. So, yes, you pay to run. There are barricades, water stations, Port-A-Potties, medals, shirts, marketing materials, timing systems, bibs, sometimes prize money, etc. I’m guessing permits too. I enjoy participating in running events, and I can't imagine all the work that goes into planning one. Now, the fun part: How much do you pay? Personally, I’ve ranged from $10 to $80-something. That covers the costs of 5Ks to half-marathons. I don’t know if I’m just being more budget conscious, but there seems to be quite a price hike lately. Short of a windfall, the days of me paying $25 or more for a 5K are gone. Even $20 is iffy, depending on the cause. I’ll be honest. I scoffed when I saw the $65 early registration fee for the inaugural South Padre Island Marathon at the San Antonio RNR expo. (For reference: At the San Antonio RNR expo in December, I could register for next year’s RNR half-marathon for $50. This is an established race with a large expo and a big concert.) Then I got an email reminder the month of the SPI Marathon, and the price was listed at more than $100. That time, I laughed aloud. The event sold out or almost sold out, so there are plenty of people interested in the event at the price sold. But there are a growing number of races outside my budget. A few years ago, I was able to pay for my registration and the registration of five relatives at an event. For the last two years, I couldn’t afford to register even myself for this event. I really hope local organizers will lower their prices for a 5K. Most the ones I see with $20+ registration fees are new events without official timing systems. There’s nothing particular special about the route. Basically, there’s not much difference between the 5K event and me running on my own. Admittedly, I know nothing about organizing the events, so it’s an uneducated suggestion. Have you noticed a price hike in 5Ks? Or do you have some insight on the pricing? I participated in the 34th All-America City 10K in Edinburg. I was a whole minute faster than last year.
If I keep that up, in 25 years, I’ll be able to finish it at a respective pace. Three quick notes about the run:
Side Note: If anybody in Edinburg sees a green FitBit, that may be mine. At the McAllen Marathon, I saw an acquaintance who used safety pins to attach his race bib to his shirt. It's a common sight, but it pained me. It was a really nice shirt. Fortunately, his birthday was in a few weeks, so I corrected the problem with some RaceDots. RaceDots are (really) powerful magnets you can use to attach your race bib to your shirt without poking holes. I first heard about RaceDots during the company's KickStarter campaign. As with any new gadget, I was super paranoid when I first used them. Before the race even started, I thought I lost one. I found it attached to the metal picnic table I was sitting on. Overall, I'm really happy with them. Fair warning, though, sometimes a pair on one of the top corners of a bib will latch onto a set on the bottom. It doesn't always happen. I fidget a lot and am usually adjusting my hydration belt, so that's probably what causes that issue. The front of the dots look like buttons and the backs are like washers. Once again, they are strong magnets. Sometimes, I need to get help separating the backs, when they get stuck together. I've gotten into the habit of just using three of them (two at the top corners of a race bib and one at the bottom center). My original set included five. That was great, because I did lose the backs of one of them. The company gives the option of ordering just backs. When I bought the birthday gift set, I ordered a replacement back part. RaceDots included two backs (maybe they had trouble separating them also) and an extra RaceDot in my order. (Thanks!) It's the skull and crossbones in the photo. They have different design options and offer custom design options too. Save your favorite running shirts. Check out RaceDots.com. #DontBeAPinhead |
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September 2017
AuthorFormer high school water girl (really) finally running. |