Twilight 10k - Fantasy in Lights Recap

This is my favorite 10k.  It is so beautiful at Callaway Gardens.  For the third year in a row, I ran with my very good friend Kim.  As always, the route did not disappoint.  The Christmas lights were on and the music playing.  Very Festive.  But the weather...oh my.  It was probably 48-50 degrees (nice), but the wind was hanging steady around 20-25 mph with gust over 35 mph.



Very Windy Around the Lakes
(From Calloway Gardens Website)

I started out slowly, as planned.  This is a fairly hilly course and I knew to expect the worst climbs later in the race.  The first few miles are deep in the woods, so the majority of the wind was blocked initially.  You constantly run in an "S" shape -- back and forth, up and down.  It's difficult to run the tangents at this one.  The route later circles several lakes and golf course fairways.  This is where the wind became an issue.  Without trees, it was brutal.

I don't know if I can blame my "less than ideal" performance on the wind (I'd like to very much) but honestly I just felt tired.  At some point in mile 4, I couldn't hold the pace I wanted.  My plan to run a PR quickly evaporated followed soon after by my alternate plan to beat last year's time (wah wah wahhh).  I decided to save a little energy for a final surge.  I knew it was flat and fast coming in toward the finish line.  But, alas, there was no sprinting at the end.  It was more like running in place.  The worst wind blew during the home stretch, which was beside a big lake.  It was all I could do to stay on my feet.  We all looked like cartoon characters running hard but going nowhere!  Too funny! In the finish photos my hair looks like Heat Miser's (for those of you that get this reference, feel free to start singing immediately).

Surprisingly, shocking actually, I placed 3rd in my age group {whaaaat??}.  At this race, there are NO overall awards (isn't that strange?): NO top three, NO masters, NO grand-masters, etc.  So, I do appreciate the fact that I placed at all, since no "fasties" are pulled out to make it easier for the rest of us mortals.  Kim placed 2nd in her age group...Go Girl...and thanks for traveling with me again!  We had fun indulging in too many cheap Duplex Creme Sandwich Cookies {love them-ate them as a kid} dreaming of a massive cup of coffee and attempting to stay warm.  All in all, it was a very good day.



Kim & Me   (Big Wind = Big Hair)

Nice Plaque








What's the windiest race you've ever run?  Did it affect your time?  As always, I appreciate your comments.



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