GOTR Atlanta 5K Race Report

BP means... well the P stands for please, you can guess what the B means. We so had that!

Let me just start by telling you guys that I did better than last time, especially because I didn't cry... SCORE!!! The morning started with K and Amy meeting me at my place and heading out from there. Once we got there, we parked and made our way over the the expo and number pick up. I know this is going to sound awful but it was not what I expected at all. I guess I thought there would be more to it. Anyways, at the bright point was the bakery giving away delicious bread that they drizzled with honey. Ultimately, I was there for the race not the festivities. We did manage to make a sign with our motto, and we had to get a pic of us holding it because we so had that.

So, the start of this race was cramped, and I mean CRAMPED. The first part of the race was crowded and tight, and due to the nature of the race there were also a lot of those little people. The thing with having a lot of kids in a race is the fact that you have a lot of bobbing and weaving to do because kids randomly stop, turn around and run against the flow to meet up with their friends, it definitely made it interesting. The other issues were the people who sort of meandered and would not let you pass, if I had to slow down or walk I moved over to the side so I wasn't blocking the road, I don't get why other people didn't do the same. K, Amy and I had some interesting conversations. let me just tell you that K has some of the best stories ever. Her work stories are particularly wonderful because she gets to work with some pretty interesting people and in some pretty interesting places. The stories really helped pass the time because for some reason this race just felt like the first two miles took FOREVER to get through. Then between mile 2 and 3 I started having some breathing trouble, it wasn't that bad but it FREAKED me out. Again, goes to show you how much of a mental game running can be. Needless to say, I will not forget my inhaler in the car again. I had to walk a little more than I would have liked but I managed. Mentally speaking, I had a few mental roadblocks but not like I did last time, not even close. I think that the mental roadblocks will become easier to deal with as I get more miles under my belt. It probably helped that there weren't any sprinting grannies this time. There were some logistical issues in the race as well. The water stop was a gigantic mess, there were line ups to get water so we just skipped it all together because it really was just too much. The finish was split into a female chute and a male chute which wasn't a problem, the problem was that the whole thing was incredibly cramped and felt a little claustrophobic. It just felt sort of disorganized. That being said, I will probably do another one of this organization's race again because I believe in their programs and they really need the money that they raise through their events.