23 minutes, seriously?

The title pretty much says it all. Today Chris, Double D, KG, and myself headed over to Slugger Field for the 1st annual Shirley Stufflebeam Memorial Race Against ALS 5k. Chris, Double D, and myself chose to bike over. KG had to drive, since he had a soccer coaches meeting shortly after the run.

The ride over was a pretty good warm up and fairly leisurely. As we crossed the Ohio on the 2nd Street bridge we were greeted by KG. Once we made it to Slugger Field we met up once again with KG and placed our helmets and backpacks in his mobile locker. We then locked up the bikes and made our way to the packet pick up tables. There were plenty of bagels, bananas, and power bars to be had prior to the race. Chris and I chose to try out the power bars, which actually looked like molded vomit. They were decent. More taffy like than I expected. We then made our way to the starting line for the run.

It took awhile for the run to get started. I guess that could be expected since this was the first annual run. They finally got things underway and we were off. Double D hung with Chris and I for about the first quarter of a mile then we gradually pulled away. We started out at a faster pace than I like to run but soon settled in on what I assumed was my normal pace, or close enough to it to be comfortable.

As we ran along near the river we could smell the wonderful aromas of dead fish and cat food. Made for a pleasant run. The course was pretty flat with only one small hill, which was not much worse than the hill that we run almost every night. As Chris and I made our way through the course and back towards Slugger Field we spotted the finish line. At that point we decided that this was the time to pass our target, which we had been keeping in our sites the whole way. We were able to pass him with not too much more effort, but as we did we saw the clock near the finish line. To both of our amazement the thing read just over 23 minutes. That is when we turned it on. Chris ended up finishing in front of me with a time of 23:36 I think, and mine was 23:42. Not sure on the exact times just yet, since they won't be posted until tomorrow night. I will change those if needed. I did not have what it took to catch Chris as we took off. As we sat at the finish line in disbelief we watched for Double D and KG. Double D finished with a time just over 27 and KG finished just over 29. I think that everyone finished in within the times that they had set for themselves. Great times by everyone!

After the run we headed to the site of the awards ceremony, where there were still plenty of bagels and fruit. We ate our fill and relaxed. After awhile Papa Johns Pizza was brought in. None of us were too interested in it. We pretty much knew going in to this one there would not be any awards won by any of us, since they were only giving out awards to the top finisher in each age group and ours was 30 - 39. Still had a great time. After KG departed we hung out for a bit, then decided it was time to head home. The ride home was decent except for the hills near Walnut Ridge Cemetery. Those things are pretty brutal, but the shortest route to the house.

That will more than likely be the last run before the Disney trip. We may run the Chicken Chase, which is a 4 mile run. Not sure on that one yet. We still need to find out more info. So as far as I am concerned the next run will be the Everest Challenge. Chris and I had said that if we did it in 25 minutes we would be happy. Well I guess we should be happy. I think we will easily accomplish that.

So until next time.....

Yeti out!