Plus, it's Skirt Sports (which I LOVE) and a chance at a running skirt redemption race after my disastrous first 10k in a too-short Nike skirt. AND it's Tina's 45th birthday and a chance to help her get a PB for it! Fun fun times.
So, today I took the afternoon off and went straight to Eau Claire for early package pickup in case I needed to exchange my skirt.
And I did need to exchange it. The medium I ordered was a bit tight across the front so I upsized for comfort.
Here's what the race package looked like:
Skirt (which was an add-on purchase), bib, pint glass, stickers, coffee, party wrist band, flyers, Ultima (my new fave hydration choice)...all in all a decent little haul.
I also bought a couple of treats while I was there - the Skirt Sports Adventure Girl tank and my fave Moving Comfort bra that happened to be on the clearance rack in my size for $25 AGAIN.
Now for a quick skirt review...
The skirt we got in our packages was the Gym Girl Ultra in Lapis. It was $40 extra on the race registration. I knew it would be high quality because I've yet to buy something from Skirt Sports that wasn't.
But I was concerned about running in it. Especially with the first run in it being a race. And a race that I wanted to do good at.
I knew a test drive was in order. Perfect chance to test out the new SS tank I bought as well.
I liked that the skirt was longer...but I was still pretty worried that I'd look all Stay-puft in it. (Not having a good body week) But it looked pretty cute. I loved all of the blue.
Ok - avert your eyes and no tattoo comments...this skirt was a bit lower rise than I prefer but it was still comfortable. But there was no real muffin top so that was a good thing.
The shorties are mesh...not as compressive as I expected based on other reviews I'd read.
and so I hoped on the treadmill for 1k at race pace.
Success!! Chub rub was non existent and the shorts moved a bit but not tragically. My thighs were unlikely to spark a fire on the run.
The tank was PERFECT...light, higher neckline (important for those of us without cleavage) and fit perfectly. I'll get a ton of wear out of this.
and I was a little drippy after...oy. Not good since today was the warmest day yet this year...and we all know how I handle heat.
The skirt looked like it was going to work just fine...but I still packed capris and a back up skirt in case I needed to make a quick change in the parkade...
I also took a long moment before leaving the house to slather myself in anti-chafe stuff...just in case
On to the race report...
I met hubby at Eau Claire and handed off the kids then headed over to the start line in the East Village (about 1K away)
It was so warm out.
I walked for a bit while I ate my pre-race Larabar and then I broke into a run to warm up before the race.
In a matter of minutes, I was at the staging area
and almost immediately, ran into Sophia!
and shortly after, we found Tina
and then JS
I just love it when I am surrounded by friends at a race! So cool!
The race was pretty small. Way more girls than guys. and a super fun atmosphere of lots of groups of friends. and I should add that more people seemed to be wearing the "already caught" stickers than were wearing the "catch me if you can" ones.
The girls got a 3 min head start on the guys and we were soon on our way to much fanfare (holy hannah - horns and whistles). I was off like a shot. Knew I was starting fast but I felt good and went with it for a bit, letting my pace mellow a bit. The shorties under my skirt pretty much migrated north immediately but it didn't really bother me. I was just a bit self conscious but tried to avoid thinking about it.
I soon passed a whole group of my old Nike TNT buddies (Fay! Mary! Lorraine!) out for a Thursday run and swooped in for some high fives as I passed. I wish I'd had a photo right there for that!
I think I made it to 2k before I needed a heat-induced walk break...time for some Ultima. but I was soon on my way again. As we approached Eau Claire - we were diverted onto Prince's Island and ran along the south shore of the island. Then, we came off the island and ran toward the Peace Bridge for the turn around. It was around this point that I saw JS on her return trip. Surprisingly not that far ahead of me.
The return trip was fairly uneventful. I was overheating pretty bad until the 4k mark so there were 3 more walk breaks in there. At one point, coming under the center street bridge, a guy in a motorized wheelchair was driving into the oncoming runners and most of us had to make a super fast leap up onto the curb to avoid him...
Then, once I came up out of the underpass - there it was. The breeze that would save me in the last km. I told my legs to keep going and we'd be done before we knew it. I stopped looking at my watch (as seems to be my new race custom) and sped to the finish. As I approached the line, I knew I had gone sub-30...I just didn't know by how much...
Turns out it was really close to my race 2 weeks ago...
Just 20 secs slower (and my Garmin ALWAYS shorts the distances)
JS met me at the finish with water (Thank you so much hun) and then the dizziness that I have been battling with this bout of anemia overwhelmed me and I had to sit down.
Soon, though, I was on my feet again, cheering the rest of our friends across the line. and guess what? EVERYONE I knew went sub-30...including Tina who earned herself a shiny new PB for her birthday! YAY!
They had a monitor there with the chip times on it:
There's me...chip time 27:47
And there was tons of food (Pizza, chips, drinks) for the taking. X92.9 was there with the music and I was sad to be leaving that because it's my favorite station...but I had to excuse myself to head back to hubby and the twinlets. The after party isn't really my scene. I gave Tina my free drink tickets for her bday and headed on my way.
The Garmin Geekery
Last thoughts
This was a super fun race. The course was different than the usual ol' races out of Eau Claire though on the same pathways. Small field which is always fun and, if they ever decide to come back, I think registration will pick up. If it comes to your city and you want a fun race to do with your girlfriends - I say go for it.
