Race Recap: Pike’s Peek 10k + A GIVEAWAY!
One of my running resolutions for 2016 is to write my race recaps quicker. I tried to give myself a deadline of a week per race, but obviously I didn’t hit that mark like I’d planned. I have three race recaps to complete before my June 4 half marathon, so I apologize in advance for the multiple race recap posts you’ll be seeing over the next two weeks!
Pike’s Peek is a pretty popular race here in Montgomery County, Maryland. It’s a 10k down a normally-busy main road, running from north to south, passing a few Metro stations along the way, as we run from the Shady Grove Metro to the White Flint Metro. It’s hosted by the Montgomery County Road Runners, of which I am a new member. There were about 3,000 runners who participated in the race on April, which is a pretty good amount! The weather was absolutely gorgeous, sunny, and not too hot — especially since you’re running on a road with no tree coverage to protect you.
Let me start by saying that this is a very well-organized race! Congratulations to Cynthia from You Signed Up for What?!, who was one of the race directors for this race. Great job, Cynthia! The race started on time, there were ample port-a-potties at the start line, the volunteers were fantastic, and there were plenty of timers available to check on your time, which was pretty crucial for me considering… I forgot my race watch. #reedfail
I’m usually super organized when it comes to laying out Flat Lex the night before a race — not just because I’m a blogger, but because I know that I am terrible at packing in the morning. Unfortunately, I had to charge my watch overnight, so it get left in the morning tornado dust. 😐
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| The crowd at the start line. What a beautiful day! |
Fortunately, my run data wasn’t completely lost! I have a Milestone Pod on my go-to running shoes, so I was able to pull up my race data via Bluetooth after the race! Yay! Since I’m planning to run my first marathon this October, I’ve been trying to pay more attention to my running info. I want to get faster (I’m sooooooooo slow), and it helps to be able to see my pace and splits. Thank you, Milestone Pod for being awesome! (Keep reading for details on a special giveaway!)
Okay, so enough about my technology! Let me get on to the race recap!
I went to packet pickup the day before the race. I don’t really like day-of pickup. I don’t trust myself to wake up on time, and I want to make sure everything goes smoothly the day of the race. The only time I’ll do day-of pickup is if that’s the only option. Seriously! If I am traveling for a race, I’m getting there before the race, so I’m going to pick up my bib then. I think the last time I did day-of packet pickup was maybe for the Ragnar Relay in October, but I can’t remember another recent race when I did this.
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| The timing chip I wore, which gets returned at the finish line. |
I already said that the weather was perfect for this race, which is so sad to say now that it’s been raining ever since. 😐 I just had to say it again because I’ve been fantasizing about this day ever since. I miss you, dearest Sun!
This race is considered a PR race, I think mainly because it’s pretty flat; however, and this is a big however, it is not as flat as many people make it out to be. Sure, it’s not hilly. I would definitely not call this race flat. I would say that the whole, “there’s a hill at the beginning, but that’s it,” phrase that I’d heard people repeat before the race was just not true. I drive Rockville Pike every day, and I know exactly where the hills are. It’s just false that there is only one hill on the whole 6-mile stretch. Dear People Who Keep Saying That: Please stop!
I was totally unprepared for this race, so I was not upset that there were not more hills. I actually forgot about the race until I received a reminder about it several days before the race. When I opened that email, I thought: F. Needless to say, I ran a slower-than-usual 10k. BUT, I FINISHED!
The finish line was interesting. They didn’t hand out medals at this race (which I’d totally forgotten, as I did the race itself). Instead, we received this cute mason jar mugs. Now, I’ll be honest: I have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to do with it. If you guys have suggestions, please share them in the comments!
At the finish line, after receiving your mason jar, you return your chip (they had chairs set up where you could sit to take them off. This was great for a clumsy person like me who might fall over from the thought of even trying to unlace my shoes!), and you’re off to the food! They had a lot of different food options, courtesy of Mamma Lucia. I’ve reached the following conclusion when it comes to eating after a race: I will eat just about anything/everything. I’m not a big fan of Mamma Lucia’s (it’s fine), but the egg casserole thing they had, along with the sauteed onions and peppers was ON. POINT. 10/10 would eat again. And again.
One weird thing about this race was that it was the only non-relay race I’ve run where you don’t run in a loop, or an out and back. You actually run from north to south down one road. Think about that for a second. How do you get back to your car? Now, I’m paranoid when it comes to racing, so I often over prepare and read every letter in the FAQs, manuals, whatever. (Especially when I forgot the race was happening. I really pay extra close attention then!) From doing my research, I read that there is no shuttle from the finish line to the start line – which was where everyone was parked. There was also no discount on the Metro. In fact, the dang Metro was even running on a delay, just like it is every other weekend when the Pope’s not in town. (SIDE EYE.)
What does this matter, you ask? Well, it appeared that quite a few people missed out on this detail, and were totally unprepared when they finished the race. I saw a bunch of people walking back to the start line, which is no bueno. I sat down to eat my yummy food, and a lady was next to me and asked about how we were supposed to get back to the start line. I explained everything to her, and she was totally bummed. She didn’t have money or anything for transportation. Earlier that morning, something told me to stick my extra Metro cards in my running belt, which I did, along with money and my ID. She was in luck! I let her use one of my extra cards, and we chatted the whole way back. Fast friends! I’ll tell you more about my new running friend Terri in my next race recap, so stay tuned!
But now, on to the giveaway! Like I said, I love my Milestone Pod. Love. And because I love it, and tweeted my love, they were nice enough to send me a Pod to give to one of you! Yay!
Thanks to Milestone Pod, I’m giving away one pink Milestone Pod! I’m totally jealous, by the way, because I have a black one, and this fuchsia-ish one is so much cuter! How do you enter the giveaway? Kindly enter your information into the Rafflecopter widget below so we can get this party started! Good luck! Note: Only residents of the contiguous United States are eligible for this giveaway. Sorry, international friends!
Since I’m posting this on a Wednesday, I decided to join Running With SD Mom and Erica Finds as part of their Wednesday Giveaway Roundup! Check out their pages to see what other cool items you can enter to win!