Race day was a sunny 73F (22C) with clear blue skies. We arrived at Cameron Village over a hour before the race to see our friends from the running club who were volunteering. We had plenty of time to pose for photos!
Elizabeth found a great shirt for Halloween to cover her baby-bump...
Here we are together before the race. Elizabeth had pinned just above my shoulders and just above my head to keep the hole for my face in the right place.
I warmed up without the Hot Dog outfit and went through my normal pre-run routine. I had decided to wear my Nike Free's, so I wanted to make sure my calves were stretched fully before the race.
A few minutes before the race, I put on the Hot Dog and made my way to the start corral. Although there were lots of runners in costume, there were also a fair number of runners that hadn't dressed up so I stayed well away from the front as I planned to start out slowly. I also noted that there were only a few runners wearing costumes that covered their head - there was a Banana that ran the entire race being chased by a Gorilla and a couple dressed as Ketchup and Mustard bottles, but most runners had decided to keep their heads exposed... I began to wonder if I had made a mistake with a costume that covered my head...
Elizabeth positioned herself on a corner about 250 yards from the Start/Finish line and by the time I passed her on the way out I was already feeling comfortable in the costume. It didn't bounce up and down or even feel all that heavy.
Here are a few photo's that Elizabeth took while I was out on the course...
Mother Goose was in attendance:
Here is the NC State Bobsled team following their 1 mile run.
I started out slowly while I got a feel for running in the Hot Dog outfit and in my Nike Free's which worked out well as the first 450 yards were up hill. By the time we turned on to Oberlin road I felt great and eased my way through the crowd to the outside of the runners (which was quite difficult as I could only see forward!). I received lots of encouragement from other runners and volunteer course monitors as I passed them and I went through the first mile marker in 8:18. I was surprised with that split as I had started out very slowly and I had just been running at what felt like a nice easy pace. I thought to myself "I wonder how fast I can run in this thing?" and decided to see...
There was a nice breeze which was helping keep me cool and I kicked up the pace a couple of notches. I took on some water at the water stop and even tried the pinch and drink method so I didn't have to stop - it worked great as I was able to take on two decent mouthfuls of water without it getting all over me or up my nose!
I picked out runners in costume in the distance and made them my targets. I relaxed my shoulders and enjoyed the challenge of running quickly dressed as a Hot Dog! I passed the second mile marker in 7:30 and soon after that the last costumed runner. I set my sights on a couple of other runners in the distance and glanced at my watch - 2.4 miles down, 0.7 to go. I knew I had plenty of energy left and only two inclines before the long downhill to the finish. I increased my speed a touch and with 0.3 of a mile to go I was on the shoulder of my target runner. I got to the top of the hill, eased past and took off at a full sprint... my watch beeped for a 7:17 third mile and I sprinted all the way in for a finishing time of 23:47 and second in my age group!
I passed Elizabeth with the finish line in sight and she got two great shots of me!
I even appear to have good form from behind in this photo!
Overall I had a great time and I can't wait for next year!
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