Friday, May 15, 2009

2 Days and counting

There ya go.
That's my race map.

We went down to the expo today to pick up race packets. Then, we drove the course. That's where things get a little funky.

The course is a disaster.

It's a straightaway (as you can see), no real hills at all.

But the first half of the race is completely under construction. I'm not sure how much "fixin" they can do through tomorrow night.

That's good and bad. It's good because now I won't even be thinking of getting caught up in the moment and running fast.

It's bad because....it's a DISASTER....the road is torn up in places. It's uneven. It really is a mess.

I told Mike that I probably won't be running this race ever again.

The one positive that I can find is: Getting to the halfway point. From start to mile 7 is a climb of 205ft, a very slight one, but still a climb. That means the return, which is on a different road, is a slight downhill (205 ft) the entire way.

A slight downhill on a road that is not under construction.

That's a positive, right?

****
Still part of me finds this very frustrating. The RD is trying very hard to build this up into a big race; yet, the cities can't get their act together and make sure the course is safe for runners?

Who knows? Maybe they'll pull off a miracle and have the entire stretch re-paved by 5am Sunday.

In the meantime, I'm glad this isn't a PR attempt for me.