Wowzer!  Bull City was a doosey!  The hills were KILLER!

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The hills are what I will probably remember the most but let me start at the beginning and try to give this sensational race a recap worthy of its awesomeness.

Yesterday was the expo.

It was a good expo.  Not too big, not too little and very well organized.  I liked that you just walked up and gave them your race number and then they handed over your bib.  There were lots of vendors there and Ron and I spent our share of fun money.  Ron got some Bondi Bands and an ultra massager.  I got new socks.  Actually, they were buy 3 get one free so I got 4 pair.  One for Ron, Andie, Lydia, and me.

While I was in line waiting to pay for my socks another lady was buying a new running outfit.  She said any time she ran a race she treated herself.  Another lady said she was treating herself to a 13.1 sticker. Then the new outfit lady (a 5 miler) said if she ran a half marathon, she’d treat herself to a new car!  It was so funny!  I realized that as common as it is to me to run a half marathon, it really isn’t something to sneeze at. 

These Hot Yoga people were at the expo and I was so close to signing up.  I really want to try Hot Yoga!

The expo was held right outside the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, NC.  Ron and I had never been to the campus and had a lot of fun exploring.

 

There are a number of restaurants in this area and they all looked really good.  We ended up at Tyler’s Taproom.

I loved the atmosphere!

We had veggie nachos for starters.

So yummy!

There really wasn’t a good vegan / vegetarian selection so Ron and I got fish.  Ron was wiser than me.  He got the salmon salad.

I got fish and chips.

It was scrumptious but with it being fried, I only ate about half.

So, I had plenty of room for my weakness!

Ron was having micro brewed beer and didn’t want to share any sweets this time.  I just about ate this whole thing!

I didn’t but I could have. 

Before bed, I snapped this Flat Melissa.

Those purple socks are my new ones and boy were they comfy!  I love Balega Socks.  The shot blocks were given out at the expo so I tucked them in my fuel belt.  I took about half of them at mile 5 and the rest at around mile 7 or 8.  They were pretty good but I like gels better.  I can’t chew and run very well at the same time.  LOL.

Bull City Race Fest was a big race.  I think there were over 5000 runners in all.  I guess that’s not too big but it kind of felt crowded to me.

Here Ron and I are at the start.

Andie ran the 5 miler but she wouldn’t let me take a picture.

I ended up going to the bathroom for a 2nd time just before the start so I split up from Ron and Andie and ended up way in the back.

There were plenty of port-a-johns and everything about the race was very well organized.

The Star Spangled Banner singer did a lovely job and after my silent prayer for fastness and everyone’s safety, we were off.

My first mile was right at 12:00 minutes and my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, were in the 11:00s.  This was one of the most crowded races I have run in a while and I never could find an open spot to get comfortable in.  After the 5 milers veered off,  it opened up and was smooth sailing.

The funny part at the 5 mile mark was they had this sign that said, “Decision Point,” and you could make up your mind to stop with the 5 milers or keep going.  I was feeling really good at 5 miles so it was just funny to me and not really something I was considering.

We ran on the Duke University campus and all over many pretty neighborhoods.  The only problem was there was one hill after another.  Up until mile 11, I was doing great and kept a good attitude about the hills.  But then my dreaded IT band started acting up.  The side of my knee was killing me.  And, with all those hills, my gluts were screaming at me.  Even running down hill started to hurt.

I texted Ron and Andie at mile 11 and let them know that I was ok but it was going to be a slow one for me.

I ran the whole way until at mile 12, I walked 2 huge hills.  The walk eased my knee pain just enough for me to finish pretty strong.

My Garmin said 2:32.  We haven’t gotten our official chip time yet but I’m thinking this is probably pretty accurate.

Andie did the 5 in around 56 minutes and Ron finished up right after me at around 2:42.

I love the race shirt and the Inaugural medal was cute.  Bull City was fun but definitely not an easy race.

Since Andie had been waiting so long for Ron and me and since Ron doesn’t like crowds, we didn’t spend a lot of time at the after race party.  It was a nice one though.  Plenty of free food, beer, massages, and a huge selection of Food Trucks to get lunch from.

This may or may not be my last race for 2013.  I haven’t signed up for anything but I’m thinking a Turkey Trot or a Jingle Bell Run might be in the future.

Ron is napping and Andie, Jonathan, and Mason are painting pumpkins.  I think a nap is calling my name.

Here’s a recreation of my favorite sign of the day:

Happy Racing to all you winners out there.