Mermaid Series: San Francisco

 Another item on my sister's 30 by 30 list is was running a 10k.  She already had a 5k mud run under her belt and she invited me to do a 10k with her.  I was not a runner, WAS being the operative word.  I hadn't run any distance further than two miles since high school.  Why run when I don't have to right?  Well I kinda had to because I told my sister I would.  And then I decided that being 3 years older I was not going to have my little sister pass me up.  And now I kinda like running.  I actually am starting a half marathon running program just for fun.  I don't have the gumption to sign myself up for anything.

The run my sister signed us up for was the Mermaid Series 10k Run in San Francisco.

Yep, that's my bib and running shirt.

10k running course.

 We walked from our hotel to the starting point which was just a tad over a mile.  It was a good warm up for our muscles as well as our bodies.  It was really cold and windy since we were right down at the bay.  I took my jacket off long enough for mom to snap a shot of Lily and I by the bay.  I quickly put my jacket back on until it was time to get to the starting point for the run.

Smiling into the sun trying to keep my eyes open. Ha!  I am taller that Lily.

Mom trying to stay warm by the bay.

A little video I took of the bay while waiting for the run to start.  It was a really crisp day, perfect for running.  Didn't have to worry about the heat at all. 

My mom is not the greatest with cameras so these were pictures that were taken by a photographer at the event.  No one really looks photogenic when running.  The start of the run was rough because there were so many people starting at once.  So it took a wee bit to get out passed the walkers and get into a comfortable pace.  I tried to take a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge from my vantage point but my hands were too sweaty.  So I gave up trying and continued running.

My favorite part of the run was the finish.  Not just because I got to stop but because my mom was right there at the finish waiting for me.  She tried to take a picture with her camera phone but she is still new at the whole phone thing.  My mom asked me where my sister was and I had to admit that after the start I only saw her after the first turn around point. 

Lucky for my sister I finished before she did because I was able to get some water AND snap some pictures of her coming into the finishing area.  The first picture is her getting ready for the run.  The pictures of her from the event photographer look better than mine but I think it's because she actually walked some of the 10k.  Like I said sweaty, running human does not make for pretty pictures.

In the end how well did we do?
Well, it was a fun run so it really doesn't matter right?

I think I did alright for a slow start and stopping to fiddle with my camera.  Not to mention failing to run the whole week before the 10k.  Hey, I got lazy!  I was still recovering from the wedding/flu I had the week before.  Cut me a little slack will ya!

Me: 570th place in the 10k division, 97th place in my age group and my chip time was 1:10:19.563
Lily:  765th place in the 10k division, 114th place in her age group and her chip time was 1:20:48.554

Total Participants: 2421

Could my running time have been better?  Maybe.  I have T-Rex legs to match my T-Rex arms.

I saw an app floating round not too long ago that I will start using on my runs to help improve my speed.

Black Friday Shenanigans:

Will someone explain to me why it is more important to get your wig back on instead of getting the hell out of the way of a stampede???  Did I even need to ask that?