The resort was like a big campground with a nice pool, hot tub, tennis, beach, paddle boats, a snack bar, dance floor, mini golf, horse shoes... Quite a lot of things to do. And the people were all very nice and relaxed. One's level of dress varied widely and was completely up to personal comfort. There was no judgement or pressure one way or the other. So despite a little nervousness at the beginning, the atmosphere felt safe and chill.
When we arrived at the resort, we registered at the welcome center and got a quick tour of the amenities. We arrived early enough to comfortably look around and then strip down and liberally apply sun screen to every inch of our bodies. I've never had to be that thorough before!
It was a hot day - around 90F - and sunny. The race didn't start until 10:00am, so we were certainly going to run in the heat. We drank plenty of water and rested in the shade until the 70 runners began to gather at the starting line.
Only about 20% of the field was comprised of women, and looking around, there were only a few women that I thought looked like fast runners. I thought that I would have a chance of doing well in the women's race.
Finally at 10:00, the hubby and I lined up near the front of the pack and waited for the horn that would signal us to go. Blast! The whole group took off together and began to spread out over the main road of the resort. The lead men shot off in front, and we wondered if they would maintain that pace for the whole 3.1 miles. Apparently, they did because the fastest runner came in at 19:57.
After about 200 meters, one of the women passed me. I decided that I would not be able to keep her pace, so I would run the race as well as I could and hope that she fell back. If any other women caught me, I would decide at that point whether I could stick with them and try to battle it out. The hubby let me set the pace and was determined to stick with me as long as possible, and if I had to take off to stay with another woman, that was OK.
The third woman was never far behind me. But I pushed a good pace that I thought I could maintain. We ran around the camp sites and by the lake. Then back by the clubhouse where the race started. That was one lap of two. It was hot out there, and we were tired, but we kept pushing it. I could tell that the hubby was hurting, but he stayed on my heals. I slowed slightly to let him stay with me but not much.
On the second lap of the course, a camper got out his garden hose and offered to cool us off with a spritz. That was a life saver! After the refreshing sprinkle, I charged up a hill. I could hear that 3rd woman close behind me, but she couldn't catch me on the hill.
We crossed the 3 mile mark, and I knew that we could finish strong. We pushed through the last 10th of a mile and approached the finishing chute. The hubby encouraged me to sprint and take the place ahead of him. He's so sweet!
It was a great race. We pushed hard. Woman number 3 finished about 20 seconds behind me. I was very happy with our effort!
I ended up finishing 2nd place among women, 1st in the 30-39 age group and 26th over all with a time of 26:44.
The hubby got 4th in his age group and 27th overall at 26:46.
I am proud of our finish and felt great about myself. I also felt appreciated due to all of the complements I got on my cute knee highs. They were a hit!
This is the only picture you're going to get from the race. Ha ha!
It was quite a nude 5k adventure! Maybe next year I'll do it again and train to try to beat the winning female (24:42). I know I can do it!
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