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Race Result

Racer: Jennifer Burg
Race: St. Patrick's Day 8k (DC)
Date: Sunday, March 9, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Race Type: Run - 5 Mile / 8 km
Age Group: Female 35 - 39
Time: 0:36:28
Overall Place: 53 / 2211
Age Group Place: 8 / 321
Comment: Time change and frigid conditions...UGH



Race Report:



Mistake number 200 ... never ever do speedwork in the morning and an evening Bikram yoga class the day before a race. Duh! With that said, I didn't really set myself up for success on this one. To top it all off, and this will sound really funny, my left ankle is sore from wearing heals while performing the past month at Constitution Hall. I hold my left foot at a wierd angle in order to avoid giving audience members stage front the ability to "sight see". lol

So, I woke up in the AM to gusty winds and 28 degree temps and an hour earlier then I would have liked...and a really sore body. I popped a mobic and took a nibble on some irish soda bread for good luck. I met up with one of my bestfriends and we hopped on the metro. Luckily he brought his son and girlfriend so we had a personal bag check! We waited until the last possible moment to strip down to race attire and quicky worked our way up closer to the start. With our standard fist pound and kiss on my forehead, we were off. I savor those moments at the race start. It is an unexplainable bond among bestfriends and runners that make the world stand still and everything right ... that is for the ten seconds prior to the gun.

The gun sounds and we head straight into a wind tunnel. I can't remember a race this cold and windy. I fell into a slightly slower pace, but it was what worked on this day. I held a 7:19 for the entire race. According to my Garmin, I raced a perfect pace for the first four miles...that is of course 10 seconds slower than what I was hoping for. Oh well.
I was thankful I had the Garmin on. After the 2 mile marker, I never saw another one. I came in at 36:33, placed 8th in my age group and 53 overall female. I took a few valued lessons from this race and accept the run for what it was. The first race of the Spring season!(on a 28 degree day) Gosh, it seems like just yesterday it was the end of the season. How time flies! Lace them up Ladies and Gents ... Spring has officially sprung!!!