Right before the race, I realized that everyone (but me) was wearing chips around their ankles to track their time. I had incorrectly assumed that only marathoners and half-marathoners needed chips. I ran back (fairly quickly) to a nearby hotel to get my chip, only to be told that they had *just* been driven over to the start/finish area that I had just left. Oh well. I eventually found my chip, put it on, took a deep breath, and set out on the course.
It was a bit exciting to pass hundreds of 5k and 10k runners at the beginning of the race. There weren't any mile markers, but my GPS had me pacing at about 8:00/mile. As soon as we got into a more wooded area, it lost track, and it had me reaching the 5k turnaround point at 1.8 miles.
Even though I didn't have an exact measurement, the course seemed longer than 10k to me. I was hoping to crack 50 minutes, as I had run 10k in less time than that on a treadmill. I reached the halfway point in about 26 minutes. Even though I had run a bit extra prior to the race, I still felt pretty good.
On the way back to the finish, I spied another runner about 200 feet in front of me. Slowly and steadily, I closed the gap. On the final stretch by the lake, I had a sprint left in me, so I took off and finished well ahead of the other runner.
My chip time was 52:15, just fast enough to get third place for the M25-29 age group. It's my third age group award in three weekends! My prize was a running hat, which I really like because I've never had one before. I might wear it at the Lighthouse Run on June 16 if it's sunny out. :)
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