Rabbit Run

Jacob woke up this morning with a lot of congestion in his chest & decided he wasn't running the family tradition, Rabbit Run.  The race (along with the Turkey Day 5k) we've run since it started. Mike & I get in the car and he asks were Dodd is ~ saying, "It sure is quiet.  It doesn't feel right."  So I text Dodd & tell him we have an extra bib.  He met us at the race.

Here we are representing Team Beef!

Our friend, Jim, fresh off hip surgery was there ~ "walking" the race.  It was good to see him out and about! & part of the traditional pre-race selfie.

I love this race because I usually have a good turn out of middle school XC runners...and this year I had quite a few high school kids return.  Lucky for me the XC girls weren't allowed to run/race as they just qualified for regionals yesterday & the JV kids have a race tomorrow.  AND there was a Grand Prix race in Mentor, so Kelly & all the NERC runners didn't come to this race. {just a foreshadowing of the results}  

The race started & off went the top runners.  I stuck with two of my 7th grade boys & Mike was right on my heels. I knew he'd stay there until the end, when he'd zoom past me.  Around mile one I realize that there are no women in front of me.  And as I'm going along, I realize that I really could win the thing; I just couldn't let any female past me.  So I stick with Brian and Ben {who are TALKING to each other as I'm huffing and puffing}  Just after 1.5, I hear Mike say, "my shoe's untied."  I couldn't even think what I would do in that situation...so I had no advice for him.  I realized that he stopped to tie it around mile 2, because I couldn't hear him behind me anymore.  So the boys and I run on...we can't see anyone ahead of us, that's how far ahead the leaders were... As I'm about to reach the end of Heritage, getting ready to make the turn to the Haines Hill... Brian Butler come running back, tells me I'm the first female, but there's one coming behind me.  UGH.  I have to push.  Up the hill on Haines (which is always bigger in my head than in real life).  By now, Brian is too far ahead to catch (and I'm hoping I'm too far ahead for #2 girl to catch) and Ben and I are racing.  I see Dodd coming back out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't have the extra energy to even look in his direction.  I 'sprint' to the finish & WIN!  

I've placed second in this race (minutes behind Kelly) but I've never been #1 before!  I have to say, I'm pretty pumped about it.  All the stars aligned & it was worth losing grand prix points!

Here's Mike, who probably would have PR'ed if it weren't for the shoe tying incident.

Team Beef represented well.  Mike was first in his age group & I was FIRST OVERALL FEMALE!

Not a PR, but WOW!  #1.

A BREEZY 52 degrees at the start.  Was going to wear just the sleeveless Team Beef shirt...but was glad I brought the light undershirt.  Same outfit I wore in Columbus ~ when it was 20 degrees cooler.  I was thankful for the sleeves when we ran into the wind.  Would have been too warm for anything over a 5k, but for today, it was the right call.