A ten mile race consisting of rolling hills from Lake George Village to Bolton Landing.

I was excited but nervous about this race.

I’ve wanted to run this race since I started running.

Finally this year I was able but…

I was not really prepared.  I had been racing 5ks and working on my speed.  Plus my running had been on mostly flat surfaces.

So yes, I decided to run this race but not as a race but just as a hilly long run/walk….take it slow and enjoy the scenery.

The race started at 7:30 am in the village of Lake George and ended in Bolton landing (next door to the marina where we keep our boat.)

I had a few options since there was a bus leaving Bolton Landing at 6-6:20 am. But I decided to stay home yesterday and drive up very early this morning. (I could have slept on our boat and then take the bus to the start but I wanted to get a good night’s sleep.)

The weather was perfect…cool (in the 50s to start) and sunny. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day to race.

I wore the outfit below –

The drive takes about a hour or so so I left around 5:45 am.

I got there and found parking in a small lot and then walked to the fire station to pick up my bib.  Then I walked back to my car to get rid of my jacket & race shirt. (It was chilly but I knew I would not need it racing.)

I used the rest room (there were real ones) and then it was time to line up.  I was surprised at how many people were racing – about 500 and all the fast runners were there (from the local running clubs.)

I bumped into someone I knew and we ran together for a while and chatted.

As I mentioned, this course is hilly but it is also very scenic.  I tried to focus on the scenery to take my mind off the hills.

I made a conscious effort to run conservatively.  I felt great and I felt strong but I was worried about getting injured since I hadn’t trained for this.  I have had a strained achilles and a stress fracture from overdoing and I don’t plan on repeating my past mistakes.

So I think I walked during every mile except for the first.  I especially took it easy on the uphills.

I kept glancing at watch and even with all the walking, I was still running around a 10 minute pace for the first 5 miles.

The hills were steeper the first half but the second half seemed harder.  The hills kept coming and coming. I knew by the last few miles that I would have a PR so I kinda lost my motivation to push on.  I could have run harder but didn’t see the point.

I really loved running this race.  It is the route that I drive every weekend during the summer to go boating. I kept thinking during the race about how I would run this one every summer and that it would be one of my favorites.

Anyway, I finally made it to where you turn to get to the finish line.  I was surprised to see my hubby and some boating friends there cheering me on.

Of course, at that point I ran as fast as I could.

 

I crossed at 1:44:39. A new PR – over 5 minutes faster than my last and only 10 mile race.

Everyone got medals which is always a plus.

I was so happy to have finished pain-free!! (love my new New Balance shoes!!)

I grabbed some watermelon and a pastry and headed straight to the water to soak my feet in the cold lake water.

A great end to a great race.

For this race, they gave out awards to first place in EVERY age.  I looked at the results and saw that there were 2 61-year old women ahead of me so I didn’t stick around.

I walked next door (how convenient) where my hubby and our friends were waiting to head out on the lake. I spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sun on the water

Splits:

mile 1 – 9:45
mile 2 – 10:19
mile 3 – 10:00
mile 4 – 10:00
mile 5 – 10:34
mile 6 – 10:36
mile 7 – 10:04
mile 8 – 11:19
mile 9 – 11:18
mile 10 – 10:26

Race Goals:

• Have Fun.
• Finish uninjured.
• Not Finish Last.
• Finish under 2 hours.

Yup.  I met them all.

As I already mentioned, this race was on my bucket list and now it will be on my race to run every year list.

It was well-organized – lots of volunteers, plenty of water stops, someone calling out times at each mile, bikers warning you of oncoming cars, buses to the start before & after the race and you can’t beat the scenery.

Happy Running! Do you have a bucket list race?