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Trek 4 Trykes 5k (a.k.a. Mila won her division)

Today's race was an interesting one.  Mila and I ran the Concho Valley AMBUCS Trek 4 Trykes 5k on the Red Arroyo trail.  This is the first year that they have put the race on.  Between that and the fact that it not being a Road Lizards race, I wasn't expecting a big turn out.  When we showed up for registration, we were numbers 30 and 31.
 I did have one more come from my base/Team RWB group.  The race was to start at 9 am and it was already getting hot.  Mila was pumped though.
I wrote about running in the heat and exploring the Red Arroyo Trail last year (Hot Hot Heat and Doing Some Exploring).  When she started this training cycle a few months ago, Mila had been shooting for a new PR.  Her previous PR was set a couple years back at Carrera's Red Run on a cold and rainy day.  That day she ran a 34:40, her best this year had been 38:45 during her Beach to Bay leg.  It was a promising run since she was pacing herself for 4.2 miles and it was hot and muggy that day.  Then vacation happened.  We didn't run while in DC and ate pretty much whatever we wanted.  I gained probably 3 or so pounds and was weighing more than I have in a year.  (Don't worry, I've been more strict about the primal diet since coming home and I've already dropped the vacation weight).
So, the race didn't exactly go as planned.  As I've said, the Red Arroyo trail is nice to have and they have put interesting artwork and nice bridges up there.  The problem is the lack of tree cover.  There are a few trees here and there, but they don't offer much cover.

that little bit of tree cover
We ended up in direct sunlight for the majority of the race.
The heat took its toll on Mila, as is to be expected.  After "the break" we settled into the rhythym of the race and there was a woman who was consistently 150 yards or so behind us.  This woman (a TimeClock Plus runner) helped to motivate Mila, as every time we slowed down, she started to close the gap.
What was interesting about the race is that there was a mix up and many of the front runners accidentally cut the course.  Instead of going right (the long way) around the dog park, they went left, cutting the course by roughly 1/3 of a mile.  This means, that as Mila gracefully floated through the finish line, she was the first official female finisher and, we think, 4th place overall.  It's her first time ever earning a place (she would have been 3rd even without the DQs), so a 1st place finish is amazing!

After the race, I spoke with one of "my" MGG runners, Chris.  He had been in 3rd place overall before going left instead of right.  Apparently, the girl sitting at the turn said nothing as a few of them went the wrong way.  During the pre-race brief, the City employee did mention that every turn on the race is a right turn.  It would have been different if he had not said that. (On a side note, he also mentioned that the City plans to extend the trail throughout the city, which would be awesome!  I just hope that they get it done before we leave town.) However, after seeing more than a couple runners take the wrong turn, the organizors wisely sent someone else out there to direct traffic.
It's funny that this race is in the same spot, just 364 days after a similar race I volunteered at (Whollllle Buncha Tats).  Similar in that it was their first time putting on a race, there was a mixture of runners and cyclists on the course, and it was non-runners putting on a race.  Races like these make me want to volunteer more often.  Not saying I'm the great savior of races, but I think I could help with things like course management and race start times.  Anyway, I would like to eventually be a race director, so volunteering my time would be the best way to get experience.
The race was for a great cause, raising money so that disabled people can receive free, customized cycles.  Please check them out and consider donating to Concho Valley Ambucs Trek 4 Trykes.   I took a few shots on the course and they had a photographer there.  I'm not sure where those pics are going to be or when so I'm gonna post mine and maybe add the others to a later post.
a couple of the trykes this event was raising money for
Getting set at the starting line



Go!
my failed attempt at a run selfie w/Mila.  She sped up as I was trying to take this pic


making her move


the leaders on their way back, winning time was 21:50


Maria on her way back.  Unfortunately she's one of the people that took a wrong turn.
There's that halfway point
cruising to the water stop/turnaround point



There's the finish line nearly mile away just teasing us

Rounding the last corner

Dat finishing kick



some of the cycle and 1 mile winners

1st place! 


On another note, this San Angelo runner ranking that I've been working on is a bit more work than I'd expected.  Next week's blog post should be on my San Angelo 5k rankings.
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