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Saturday, April 4, 2015

CCC - not the day I was expecting!

Crescent City Classic - my first race after right hip surgery - over and done with!
And it was not at all the day I was expecting. 
- We got up late: a luxury when you aren't actually racing for a PR. It didn't feel like a race morning.
- The weather forecast predicted gorgeous weather, perfect for racing - a crisp, low humidity 60 at the start; high of 70 during the sunny day.
Nope. Not at all. We woke up to rain, and the day started in the low 70's - misty and humid. The race began in a drizzle, with slick streets and a blustery headwind.
The afterparty? Misery! The temperatures finally started dropping, and T-shirt wearing runners lined up for beer in low 60's weather. The rain stopped, but the cold wind hung out for a few hours.
We resorted to wearing trash cans and garbage bags (David, our friend and neighbor Joseph, and I).
- The elite race was slower than I thought it would be. The winner was just under 29: John Muritu, an 18-year-old Kenyan, won the 10K in 28:55. I blame the weird weather. Three Americans were in the top five (that NEVER happens at CCC) and Abdi Abdirahman (American Olympian) was third.
- The Crescent City Classic has really gotten their game together as far as organization. This race used to be a HOT MESS at the start - crowds of strollers, crowds of people in the wrong corral, crowds of walkers - just terrible for a semi-fast starter. But this year the corrals were guarded by tough, no-nonsense volunteers who checked every single bib! The result was a very smooth, on-time start. Too bad I was slow today - it would have  been a great way to race.
- All three seeded corrals: A,B,C - merged 10 minutes prior to the start. This was actually good for me, although the A group was complaining, because we all know I didn't belong in B group today. Heck, I didn't belong in C group for that matter!
- My right hip felt stiff but okay. My left hip felt...kind of terrible. I think that hip will never be the same. Maybe I have arthritis.
- I got a poster for being a top 500 finisher. I mean...not so very surprised. If you're a female, you have a pulse, and you aren't pregnant, you can pretty much count on a top 500 poster. The cut off time is like 53 minutes or something. But still, nice to have. My last poster is getting old.
- By the way, day drinking? Not as fun as it was when I was 20. I now have a headache, a stomach ache, and no appetite. Also a bad idea? Three beers and a bloody mary after giving up alcohol for lent (yes, I know I quit a day early!). They're a lot more...potent after a break. I fell asleep on the drive home!

6 comments:

  1. Hahaha. I hear ya. I ran a "fun run" 8K a couple of weeks ago and seriously, I was done after 1 post-race beer. My friends kept pounding them though like they were in college. Everyone was on their 4th-5th beer and Grandma here was ready to go home and take a shower and a nap.

    Great job on a pretty sweet time (of course I looked it up-lol!) for not a whole lot of training. Your fitness isn't where you want it to be, but the talent is still there.

    We'll have to talk hips when we meet up. Mine aren't the greatest either. I just graduated 7 weeks of PT for calf/hip issues, and a lot of my problem is that my R glute max is weak and not firing (she tested it after a few run drills), hence instability in the hips, hence pain. Maybe see if your PT can do something to figure out if your glutes are working the way that they should. Mine has me doing lots of single-leg glute work, and it really is helping the hip pain.

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  2. Hope everything is still intact today with no swelling or soreness and glad you made it through and got your poster. But I had no idea that y'all got all the way down to the frigid "low 60's"! You poor thing ... hope no one suffered frostbite!!! Did it snow? I feel ya on day drinking. I would have been ruined for the day. Take care of those hips.

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  3. i checked your results (stalker!). Your "not a PR race" is like 4 minutes faster than my PR. So i still think you're pretty badass. Haha. I quit drinking for almost a year during pregnancies and I'm still a major lightweight. Saves me a lot of money!

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  4. From the comments above, sounds like it was a great race! Congrats!

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  5. Saw your Dailymile report. Nice work! Pity about the weather - oh but a Bloody Mary sounds good right about now... *wistful sigh* Glad they got their race organisation together though. I can't imagine signing up for it year after year if the start is so appalling.

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  6. Sounds like a pretty good event. I'm glad you finished intact.

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