Cheryl's Red, White, And Boom! Success! (No Cheryls Were Hurt During This Race...)

Any race you can finish and walk away from without throwing up is a success in my book.  And that is what this year's Red, White, And BOOM! Race was....    A successful tale of Survival!    (Dramatic Music Plays.... Duh Dummmmmm....)

Actually, it was not that bad...  for me.   I simply had to catch her at the start and watch her finish.   Fairly easy and boring.  I hardly even noticed the heat!    (Was it actually Hot?) I stayed in the shaded area mostly.    Sometimes a gentle breeze would blow by...  (so refreshing.)

High humidity keeps the sun away. 

The Sun was kept in check most of the race as well.  The high humidity had formed a low lying cloud bank that hovered just over the tall buildings.  It would appear that the race was going to be a piece of cake for those who actually chose to show up today.  ( about 1000 less than last year...)

Very Early Start... 

Last minute check of Conditions. 

And did I mention the race was Early?    Ridiculously early for us.   We had to get up around 4 A.M. so we could shower, shave, dress, and find a parking spot.   The parking was NOT easy since the race took place in a "Stack And Pack" residential area.   All of the streets were lined with the parked cars of the locals, leaving very few open slots for the runners.   I managed to find a spot Subie barely fit into.   (I'm rather proud at my paralell parking skills that allowed me to squeeze him into a "Just Fit" parking spot.)  Cheryl helped keep me from thunking the two cars that flanked me.   We still had about 20 minutes to spare!

Walking towards the start line. 

The race started at 6:30, and with the city noise ordinance,  they did not shoot a gun or blow a horn.   Just a ....."Go!"   was all.    And off they went.

Cheryl runs past from the Start line...    

I captured several shots of Cheryl at the beginning.    And then she was gone.    With the heat being around the high 70's,   Cheryl predicted she might show up at the finish around 2 hours!   Having a rather crappy week of training runs, that seemed reasonable.  I sat back near the finish line and endured the 5K-ers, Babies, Children, Dogs, strollers, and other oblivious spectators while Cheryl ran her race.

I guess the heat did effect a few of the runners.   One guy needed help crossing the finish line ( about 50 yards from the finish!)  They had to wheel a chair over to him to help him out.   I guess the heat effects runners a little different.    Well,   He should have chose the spectator option on this one, because it was quite pleasant for us. ( weather wise...)

Cheryl crosses the bridge. 

As 1:45 came around,   Cheryl rounded the corner of the bridge and ran towards the finish.   She clocked in the worst time of the three times she has run this race.  (1:48 51) with an 8:19 minutes per mile pace.  However,   she finished 2nd for her age group. ( better than previous years!)   So this proves that the heat effected everyone equally, and she actually improved overall from previous years.   Compared to her previous competition, that is.

Cheryl runs towards the Finish line.

It should also be noted that there were 1000 less people.   Many people probably figured it was simply too hot to run this morning.   According to Cheryl, they were probably right!   (I guess runners and heat do not mix very well?)  Either way,   she finished on her own power, without complaining, and without hurling.    I call that a success.

Afterwords,   Cheryl cooled off with a Popsicle and I ate her complementary hot dog.  We both enjoyed he free Summit Beer.  Though, both of us agreed that we were not feeling very "Hoppy"  that early in the morning.  Especially after I sat on her Banana!   Mashing it all over my shorts.   And all the while I thought I had just sat in some wet grass.  Good thing I had another pair to change into.

From our back yard. 

The ride home was long but uneventful.    I was pleasantly surprised to find the Chanterelles are back!  Growing in the yard.   I picked the two largest ones and brought them inside.  I'll have to keep an eye out for the Boletes coming out soon. 

Chanterelle. 

And that is all.    Fireworks tonight from our front window...  I'll have to take pics as I always do.   And before I sign off,   I should post these stats Cheryl worked so hard to write down for me.  It would seem a shame if I did not use them after all that effort.








2015:   Finish time 1:45:53   Pace:  8:05,   Place 64%   Overall place 391 out of 2482 people.  91 out of 1326 females, 11 out of 167 age group females. 

2016:  Finish time 1:42:55  Pace 7:52 , Place 66%  Overall place 257 out of 2267 people.  50 out of 1176 females,  5 out of 146 age group females. 

2018:  Finish time 1:48:51  Pace 8:19 place 64%  Overall Place 208 out of 1478 people.  54 out of 704 females,  2 out of 68 age group females.  

  Hope everyone is having a fun and happy 4th of July.    Thanks for stopping in.