It sounded like a fun run. You get pie at the end. You run through a park. They say " This road course has winding curves and minor rolling hills." Apparently I missed that part... or their definition of minor rolling hills and my definition of rolling hills are two different things. The minor rolling hills were actually kinda of steep rolling hills. I got my first taste of the driving into the park and I immediately regretted my decision to do this race. I should have stayed home and done the Shamrock Shuffle.
Their idea of minor rolling hills
The directions said there were only 300 parking spots at the Botanical Gardens otherwise you can park at the golf course 1/2 mi or more away. Packet pick up started at 8 with the race at 9. You had to pick up your pie before the race. Let's do the math... I don't get there early enough to get one of those 300 parking spots so I have to walk 1/2 mile to the building get my packet and pie, walk 1/2 mile back to the car to drop everything off, walk 1/2 mile back to the starting line, do the 3.1 mile race, and then walk 1/2 mile back my car.. that's at least 4.5 miles. Yup I was getting there at 8:00. I am not walking any more than I have to. And that is what I did. I got there shortly after 8, picked up my stuff, and sat in the car for about a half hour before heading inside. There were still parking spots available at 8:30 but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Not sure why I couldn't get my pie at the finish line
While waiting for the race to begin, I really began to regret my decision to do the Pi Run. Everywhere I looked runners were stretching and getting ready to actually RUN the entire thing. I saw no one just that might be a walker. I honestly thought I must have misread that this was a Run/Walk. I was afraid I would actually be last. It turned out there were plenty of walkers behind me. Even with the "minor rolling hills" I finished in 40:50 which is about 30 seconds off my best time. I was happy with that. I was 19th out 23 of my age group.
Maybe I am used to how races work up here or something. I am used to a National Anthem and actual gun start. We had a count down and go. There were no mile markers letting you know where you are on the course. I really like those mile markers especially when I don't have my buds in. It lets know how much farther to go. At the finish we got cups of water and most of the water was gone by the time I finished. There were no post race nourishment. I really was hoping for a banana or a half a bagel. The movie theater was giving away boxes of popcorn. Needless to say I was disappointed about everything especially the poor road conditions. The road especially at the beginning had pot holes and you had to be careful not to twist an ankle.
Next year I'm sticking with the Shamrock Shuffle but if Pi Day falls on a weekend I may consider doing another Pi Run.
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