Papa Johns 10 Miler

Saturday was the final leg of the Triple Crown of Running- the Papa Johns 10 Miler.

This was the race I was the most excited yet also the most scared for. Excited because you get to finish inside Papa Johns Stadium but scared because the hills!   I've never been inside Iroquois Park so I didn't know what to expect as far as the hills go. I just sorta prepped myself for the worst.

Bright and early morning view of the stadium.  It was going to be a long time before I could see this again. 

Laura, Karen, & I all rode over together.  We are about to run 10 miles but first... let me take a selfie.

Right before all these races there is a line 10 miles deep for the porta pottys.  I know they are disgusting but the very last thing you want to do is run with a full bladder, trust me, I've done it and its misery.  Somehow we found a set of pottys without a line, I think because from the look of them it looked like you couldn't get past the gate, I don't know.  After wards we walked past the line of other people so I pointed them in the direction of the empty ones, I like to think I made their day.

The course starts just outside of the stadium, down to the park, run the inside loop of the park, and back to the stadium and around the field.  Honestly, at first I thought it was going to be a terrible race.  It took me a couple miles to really get into it.  Once I found my rhythm I felt great.  The park wasn't bad at all.  A couple bad hills but I enjoyed it. There was also a nice 1/2 mile coast downhill outside of the park, which was very nice.  The worst part was actually the run back since it was a straight shot back.  Karen didn't have plans to run the entire thing, she ended up hanging with us to mile 7. 

Did you know there are super fast people out there, that like run 10 miles in a 5 min pace.  We passed some of those people, a couple guys as they were leaving the park before we even got to it and one girl.  She was booking it!  After we finished I heard she broke the female record for the course. 

I took this right after we crossed the finish line, best site ever!

We did it!!!  

We would have had a long training run anyway today, so why not make it a race and get free pizza.

The Triple Crown is complete.  Next up Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon.  2 1/2 weeks!