Theresa and I finished the first race of the season, The Canes Cross Country Classic. It was held at GT Bray Park on September 3rd (our anniversary) at 8:00 in am. We headed over to the start line about 10 minutes before the race was scheduled to begin and stood there acting as a landing pad for all the gnats, mosquitoes, and other annoying little bugs. Despite the early start the temperature was nearly 80° with about 87% humidity when the air horn sounded!The beginning of the race was no different than any other race we've run in. We started out nice and easy. That, however, is where the similarities end. About 8 minutes into the run we started huffin and puffin. We quickly realized that we have let ourselves get completely out of shape when it comes to running...again. Despite being completely and utterly out of breath we managed to plug along. I decided to look behind us to get a look at all the other "out of shapers" and realized that we were close to being in last place! Oh well, it's for fun right?
The terrain changed significantly after about 1 mile. The course took us off the paved trail and through an area of the park with some very large trees. Although the much needed shade was nice, the route took a turn for the worse. It gave way to an obstacle course of roots, trail ruts, and paved walkways. This, at least, took our minds off of our suffocating lungs.
Side walks were the next running surface. They were great for stable footing but didn't provide much shade. At this point the temp was probably around 85°. Now, not only were we gasping for air, we were completely soaked with sweat as well. Still, we plugged along!
The race continued on through a combination of concrete sidewalks, roads, and paved and root infested trails. I guess that's why it's called a "Cross Country" race. By the time we crossed the finish line the temperature had soared up to about 90°! We helped ourselves to a few of the bananas that were offered and headed out! We celebrated finishing the race by treating ourselves to a nice breakfast at "First Watch" (A great breakfast/lunch cafe!).
One Down. Many, Many to go!