Well, hey there readers! It’s been a while since I posted one of these recaps. One reason is that I have not run quite as many races as I used to. Another has been lack of inspiration. Also, life gets busy and crazy and writing unfortunately takes a back seat.
As I mentioned in my last post, starting graduate school and being thrust back into writing regularly has sparked my interest in writing here again. This spark lined up perfectly with me running a race last weekend with my friends. It was another event that made life seem more “normal” again.
Our day started out dark and early, with a 90 minute trip to get us to packet pick up and the race start. We scored close parking and got to packet pickup with plenty of time to use the porta-potties before they got too ripe. Staci was our first leg runner, so she headed to the start line and Rebecca and I headed to the relay bus.
As expected because of COVID, the number of people doing the relay was much smaller than in previous years. I got dropped off at the relay check point for runner 1 and 2 exchange with only a handful of other runners. A fellow relay runner approached me about the RaceJoy app, prompting us to strike up conversation and realize we were practically neighbors!
Not long into the race Staci sent me a text telling me she was struggling. It wasn’t horribly hot that morning, but the air was definitely thick with humidity. I encouraged her to just keep going, she’s got this. A little while later she sent me a selfie with a police vehicle behind her. She was running with a police escort! Soon I saw her telltale blue tank top and headband, and then I was off to run my leg.
The course started down the river trail but soon turned onto a road. I immediately recognized the road from my times running the individual half marathon race in the past. This was the very aptly placed hill that ran alongside a cemetery. I texted Staci to let her know it was still part of the course and that it was mine, all mine.
My 4.7 mile leg was gorgeous. It was hilly, but most of it was shaded and along the river trail. I caught up to and passed a few runners, many of them giving me encouragement as I trotted by. I let them know I was running on fresh legs and that they were doing amazing!
My leg ended in Hawk Island park, and it ended a bit sooner than expected. I was really enjoying the course that was winding through wooded areas, along board walks, and over bridges. It was getting warmer, though, and the 4.7 mile run met my training goal better than a 5 mile leg would’ve anyway. I’m not so sure that our 3rd runner, Rebecca, shared the sentiments Staci and I had about our legs being shorter because it meant hers was longer.
Staci and I boarded the relay bus to head back to the finish line. The finish was in a completely different area than any previous race. It ended right along the river, which seemed very appropriate for a race named “river run”. (The start line was in front of the state capital building, also fitting for a race called “capital city”.) We saw a few of our local running friends and caught up with them. When Rebecca reached the end of her leg we headed to the finish line to capture our team’s finish! Rebecca finished the race strong, giving our team a final finishing time of 3:13:33.9.
After claiming our relay medals and getting a few team pictures, we headed back to our car to meet with Ken and go grab lunch. We tried going to a few different places before ending up at Old Chicago due to lack of paring available for the other restaurants. We were glad it worked out that way because our server at Old Chicago was a riot! She made great food suggestions, told us funny stories, and offered to take a group picture. The food was great and the company was even better.
After lunch I asked the girls what kind of stomachs they had, which was my very weird way of inquiring if they had any room left for ice cream. They shared my same motto, that there’s always room for ice cream, so to the MSU Dairy Store we went!
It was a great time, as usual, running with my friends. I really enjoy the Capital City River Run half marathon. Next year is the 30th running, so I plan on running with another relay team or doing the half marathon. The race swag is always awesome, so I expect that it’ll be even better for the 30th year! I’m looking forward to running Cap City again next year.
RD on the Run 