Packet pickup was quick and painless. I headed over to Amplify Credit Union on Friday after work and received this:

Dare I say the contents of the bag were better than what we got at the Wine & Dine 1/2? Yes, that is 100% correct. Swag bag contents aren’t incredibly important, but I was surprised that this small race gave its runners more than a Disney one. Especially if you think of it like this: $35 10k versus $135 1/2 marathon. A little weird.

I woke up at 5am this morning, and had a cup of coffee while I got ready. The road right near the start would be closing at 7 so I wanted to get there before then, even if it meant standing around until the 8am start.

Once I had parked, I had a Lemon Zest Luna Bar, drank some water, and did a little bit of light stretching. After I pinned my race bib to my shirt, I made my way to the start.

Thank god they had a bouncy house, they are my favorite

The race had either 2000 or 3000 runners; the announcer said both numbers but I’m not sure which was accurate. Either way, the average runner age was 39, which I thought was pretty interesting. It’s great that people stay active as they get older because some people just write it off as “Well, I’m old so I can’t run anymore or stay in shape”.

Here’s a few pics from the course:

Oh why hello there LV…

After running through the Domain, the rest of the course was pretty boring. We basically ran the perimeter of the IBM complex and on a few roads. Luckily my iPod playlist kicked ass and really powered me through the miles.

In the home stretch!!

I crossed the finish line at 1:13:20. I am ecstatic with my time, considering I haven’t put in a single mile since the half. I felt amazing as I ran through the finish chute and the announcer called out my name. Loved it

I grabbed a chocolate Muscle Milk Light and I’ve got to say – it was pretty damn tasty. I heard someone complaining that it was chunky, but the people handing them out instructed you to shake it well before opening. Apparently he wasn’t in the mood to follow directions. Another plus: Muscle Milk = milk-free. That’s a win in my book!

The race directors were really on top of things – they already were posting runners’ times! I appreciated that, except my page wasn’t posted yet. I had a rough idea from my Garmin, so I figured I would just check the website later.

After I finished stretching, I decided that I wasn’t going to wait in line for a massage. It was already kind of long, and I was in the mood to get the hell outta there.

All in all, I really enjoyed the race. The course was decent, the weather was gorgeous, my iPod playlist kicked ass – I was in the zone

After I got home, it was time for a (of course) cocktail!

Now I’m off to take care of some important business: FOOTBALL!

Happy Sunday!