This was my first race of 2011. On Saturday morning I headed down to Angels stadium to pick up my bib, chip & shirt. I was one of the first 3000 so I got nice tech shirt.
My bib for the race! Hate that they put a frigging x on it for picking up my shirt! You're supposed to do that on the back!
This is the timing chip for my shoe. This is the first time I've seen one like this, usually it's a tape one that you loop through your laces.
While there I went into the store to pick up some 50th Anniversary items.
This is the tech shirt i got, it fit pretty good and will come in handy for running in the CA sun this summer!
I got all my stuff ready the night before so I could sleep a little longer in the morning. When I got up it was raining, so much for it being cold and dry. I got down to the stadium about 6:15, there was barely any traffic and I was able to find a spot really quick. The rain had stopped by the time I got there and it wasn't too cold out.
I did a little jog to get warmed up and did some stretching. I made my way other to the start and tried to keep warm. The did their usual starting festivities, though i dont think they wanted to be out there in the cold!
Once we got started I started running at a 9 minute pace, I was feeling pretty good and soon warmed up. I got passed the first mile marker at just over 9 minutes and then my legs started feeling really heavy. I think it was the lack of training I had done. I then started getting a bad stitch in my side. I tried to do some stomach breathing to get rid of the stitch but it wasnt working, I decided to walk it off for a bit. Once i'd shaken the stitch I started up running again but my calves we really tight, I started walking again up to the 2nd mile marker.
Once I passed the 2nd mile I started running again and forced myself to not stop so i could enjoy the last mile. As we headed into the stadium I picked up the pace again. I was worried that the stadium would be mobbed, last year everyone was stopping to take pictures inside. This year they changed it so instead of coming out the same way you come in we came out the opposite side. Once we got out i started to sprint towards the finish.
I past the finish line and was glad i had ran the last part of the race. After the finish line they passed out water, fruit and a free Angels hat.
They had a small finish line festival so I checked out some other races they were offering. I then picked up my free tickets to an Angels game.
I hunted down a results tent but couldn't find one so I had to wait until I got home to find the results. I headed over to the car to get changed so I could go to the Angels Fan Festival for some autographs!
When I got home I looked up the results, they were not posted! Took them several hours to finally get them online. I finished 30:50, disappointed to not finish under 30 mins, but know that i'll do better next time!
