Summit's Leprechaun Loop 8K - A Night of Sheer Awesomeness

Jyl doesn't have a very
good "mean face"

I wasn't planning on racing this weekend, but a slight change in weekend plans left me open to running in Summit's Leprechaun Loop 8K.  After some prodding from a few friends and the sudden desire to punish myself for being a slacker in my training the past few days, I found myself at the registration table signing up for another Helfrich Brothers' special....courses that can always be counted on to be challenging and that may or may not make you toss your cookies.

Me and Michelle
accidentally awesome as always

YES!  Just what this girl needed!

So, I found myself lining up on an absolutely gorgeous night near the front of the pack, scared to death I'd get plowed over.

My plan?  Not really to race.  Just to run.  No goal, no worries.

Michelle's plan?  run like hell the first mile.  "don't worry, we can recover in the 2nd mile"

Sure we can, Michelle......

BTW...was your shoe really untied....or was that the recovery you promised???

I know I live in this town...but I will be honest, I had no idea where I was half the time and when I figured it out and thought I knew where we were heading, they made us go in the opposite direction. This is NOT a nice thing to do to those of us who are directionally challenged.  Surely this is the last hill, right?  So I should listen to the people saying "give it all you got!", "So close to the finish", "Go faster!".

Liars.  They are ALL LIARS!  And listen, you drill sergeant tooting on your whistle while I'm charging that hellish hill like you told me too........MEAN! (and I secretly loved you for it)

Me and "the boys" at the finish line

And I'll be honest again...8K?  WTF.  I still don't know how far that is.  They said, "don't worry about it, Hope.  Just go."

Um...okay.
So I did.  Down the hill, up the hill, down the hill, up the hill, up the hill, up the hill.....I think you get the picture.

Hills for 39:43 minutes straight with a 7:59 pace.  Good enough for a top 10 finish in my age group out of 138 ladies.



Not too shabby for an old girl that wasn't planning on racing.

I'll take it!
And not to mention the after party.  I mean, that's why we run, right?

THIS, my friends, is what it is ALL about!
Good times!
Great friends and some speedy ladies right here folks!
I am one lucky girl!