Gates River Run 15K ~ Jacksonville, FL

I had sooooooo much fun at the run today!!!! There was live music all along the route. About 4 miles of the run was through a really cute neighborhood. It was really cool to see all of the people who came out of their houses to cheer the runners on. Some gave out water, others gave out oranges, one house even gave out popsicles. My favorite was the house that was giving out mimosas! How fun is that?!?!? I did not partake, but if I were walking, I totally would have. I was really nervous at first because I hadn't run in 3 days and mother nature decided to show up Friday night.

What didn't show up was my shirt. They ran out of smalls (even though I pre-ordered it) but promised to mail them to us when they come in. We did get medals though! :-)

I did get really tired about 8.5 miles into the race, but I finished and didn't have to stop (except for the potty break - Krissy needed to go, I also tried.) In all it took 1 hour 14 minutes and 4 seconds!!!!!!! That is an unofficial time because the results are not posted yet and I stopped my watch when we made out pit stop. Plus you have to count the time it takes to get to the starting line from where we were standing when the Navy guys fired the cannon to start the race. I am totally happy about this, it was much faster than I was expecting. The best part is that I finished in the top 10% and won a hat!! The race was run really well and there was tons of free food, drinks, and beer for everyone after the race. Yes I said free beer!! Who doesn't need bread (even in liquid form) after running 9.44 miles? Check out our Flickr page for more photos.

To get race results, go to http://www.gate-riverrun.com/ and click on results.

There were 12,901 runners, I was 1,480 - which is actually 11%, but that is including the lead group who do not count because they left 10 minutes before everyone else.

Average Pace: 7:51 per mile. Still looking for a metronome!
Number of Intervals: 15K in Jacksonville
End Results: Happy, sore, VERY TIRED!
Aches and Pains: pain in my left arch, sore right cheek from mile 8-finish, I also got a few small blisters :-(, but mostly just really beat afterward
Breakthroughs: I LOVE road races!!
Age of Shoes: 6 days :-)

Waiting to start the race:



A small fraction of the runners:



Post race (with our metals):



Our biggest cheerleader and the best husband ever: (note the hat - Top 10%!!)



In other running related news, my track team came in 2nd place at their first meet on Thursday. They looked really good and I really have some awesome athletes this year. Sooooo excited!

Also, if you ever want really cheep running gear (shoes, short, tops, etc...) go to the runners' village of any large road race! The prices were AMAZING!!!!! Mizzunos (sp) for under $50! And MANY more deals!!