Rocville Twilight Runfest 8k Race Report
So here it goes... the race is scheduled to start at 8:45 pm... I got there around 7:30 just to give myself enough time. After finally finding a parking spot in one of the garages I made my way to the start/finish line. Following my mile and half warm up... I just walked around... stretched... and got myself mentally prepared for 5 miles of both torture and fun! Around 8:30 they had all of us thousands of runners start lining up at the start line. They announced where the 8 min mile pace runners should line up... so I made my way over where I had to be. While waiting I was talking to the chic next to me... who happened to have the same Garmin as me as well a fellow triathlete... what are the odds? We then wished each other well and prepared ourselves to race this race.
At the sound of the G word we were off. As I hit the timing mat I started my watch. The first two miles of the race took us through some neighborhoods waiting with both hills and crowds of spectators. The hills were pretty horrible but my first two miles were sweet flipping fast... 7:30 and 7:40! So it was rolling the first two miles until we reached Rockville Town Center where the crowds lined the street for at least a quarter of a mile cheering all the runners on... it was like the crowds at Ironman all over again,,, it was amazing. The next mile or so repeated one of the neighborhoods where I got my chance to run through the huge sprinkler... even though it was a gorgeous nite to run. The hills were as bad as the first time... my pace alot slower than the first time around. Soon enough we were making the loop around Montgomer College... where we turned around at the cone to then make our way to the big hill on campus. I was thinking great a "big hill" that's all I need. The hill turned out to be little and nothing to worry about. As soon as we left the campus we were on the Southbound lanes of Rockville Pike going downhill towards Town Center again... this time for the finish. The skies by now were dark... the street lights on... oh what a joy to be running at nite in the dark again. Rockville Pike was going downhill and I was blazing down it like no other. Finally the last turn to the finish. The crowds started to get bigger and bigger as the finsih line came in sight. As I hit the finish line my legs were screaming for me stop right there. I hit the stop button on my Garmin and the race was over. All I knew was I hit my goal of breaking 40 minutes which was all I wanted to do.
All and all... a FUNtastic race that I want to do again!
More to come...
At the sound of the G word we were off. As I hit the timing mat I started my watch. The first two miles of the race took us through some neighborhoods waiting with both hills and crowds of spectators. The hills were pretty horrible but my first two miles were sweet flipping fast... 7:30 and 7:40! So it was rolling the first two miles until we reached Rockville Town Center where the crowds lined the street for at least a quarter of a mile cheering all the runners on... it was like the crowds at Ironman all over again,,, it was amazing. The next mile or so repeated one of the neighborhoods where I got my chance to run through the huge sprinkler... even though it was a gorgeous nite to run. The hills were as bad as the first time... my pace alot slower than the first time around. Soon enough we were making the loop around Montgomer College... where we turned around at the cone to then make our way to the big hill on campus. I was thinking great a "big hill" that's all I need. The hill turned out to be little and nothing to worry about. As soon as we left the campus we were on the Southbound lanes of Rockville Pike going downhill towards Town Center again... this time for the finish. The skies by now were dark... the street lights on... oh what a joy to be running at nite in the dark again. Rockville Pike was going downhill and I was blazing down it like no other. Finally the last turn to the finish. The crowds started to get bigger and bigger as the finsih line came in sight. As I hit the finish line my legs were screaming for me stop right there. I hit the stop button on my Garmin and the race was over. All I knew was I hit my goal of breaking 40 minutes which was all I wanted to do.
All and all... a FUNtastic race that I want to do again!
More to come...
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