Zooma Annapolis 10K Race

Another race for the books! My friend Amie drove to MD so we could run this race together.

Conditions were perfect on race day. The night before, there were crazy storms (tornado-producing storms) that were nuts at the time but they helped create cool, non-humid weather for our 7 a.m. run.

Major kudos to the organizers of this event! I felt that the course was perfectly marked, well planned, the communication to runners pre-race was outstanding, and the best part were the volunteers — there were so many people not only helping direct us and hand out water at various stations, but there were also groups of motivators/encouragers along the way. It was so splendid!!!

There were so many people! There was a 10K and a half marathon, and I think I heard 1,400 ran each, so almost 3,000 people ran today.

We started off strong {8 minute miles!}. Between the fabulous weather, gorgeous blue sky, party atmosphere, and running with my friend Amie, the conditions were right for a fantastic run.

Around mile 3, Amie’s knee started hurting. She’s a longtime runner {she was the person to get me hooked on running, so we have a plan to do a race together every year!} and trained well for this race. It was the longest race she’s ever tried! She lives on the Jersey shore, and the majority of her runs and races are on flat, fast paths. She’s a speed demon there!

But this race was more challenging, with the hills. For me, it was just like running on a couple of my favorite training routes at home. It’s definitely more hilly than the flat beach.

So, we slowed our pace. Before the race started, we decided to run together, no matter what. This is SO important if you’re racing with someone — decide beforehand whether you will stick together or break apart. It saves confusion and makes the race more enjoyable for both parties.

I came to this race to run with my friend. Once her knee starting hurting, I even turned off my pace/time tracker. We both like to track our time, but I didn’t want that to discourage either of us. So, we threw time out the window and just ran together.

Our final time was 1:04. Not the fastest for either of us, but we did it together and finished. That was the best part!