So, half marathon #12 is done. It was the Monster Dash in the Twin Cities. I ran this with SM. She was a running buddy from Washington, DC and we had run a couple of marathons down there together. She and her family moved to Minneapolis and I thought it would be fun to visit and run together.
SM had suggested the race. I had hoped, since this is a Halloween race, to dress up in costume, but as you can see. It didn't really work. Although, thanks to GF: I was a panda bear in the dark.
It wasn't the most creative costume, I admit. But it was something. I had wanted to be a bee, but couldn't get my act together in time to make one. I'm glad because bees were a popular outfit on the run. There were some really great costumes out there: pac-man and the ghosts, Sesame Street characters - including the count, angry birds, batmans and batgirls, gumby, crayons, pilots who actually gave away airplane pins to kids along the route, a mustard container - with a sign saying 'I like these buns' running next to a hot dog whose sign said 'my main squeeze.'
But my favorite was the American Gothic painting. I could never have done that. You really need arm strength for that. I could barely lift my arms by the last few miles to pump up hills, let alone carry a painting/picture frame. I don't know how that guy did it, let alone still wear the costume after the race was over! Next time, I will dress up. I think it'd be fun to do a run in costume. Granted - I did do that once - when I was the Statue of Liberty, and I learned from that experience, never wear a toga that goes down to your ankles when you're running through water, mud and over obstacles. I am still proud that the torch made it through the entire mud run intact, though.
Ok, the race report. It was 32 degrees at the start of the race. I know - St. Paul at the end of October - it shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. It was cold - cold enough to see my breath cold. We started near the Cathedral, which was really pretty. Once we started running, it was good. I was able to ditch the gloves (did take off the hood) and actually I think the cold helped me run and helped my recovery. It was a crowded field - over 10,000 runners for the half and the 10 miler. There were a lot of water stops and the route was scenic. And even with the cold, there were people out cheering. That said, the downside was the last 3 miles. The 10 milers ended and got bused to the finish, along the same route we were running. It was kind of depressing. The last 4-5 miles or so was also all highway miles - no shade and not a lot of people. It was kind of sad. We ended down the hill from the Cathedral. There was cups of water, bananas and little brown bags of sun chips and a nut roll to munch on at the end. There was also beer, but it was 36 degrees by the time we finished, and frankly, it was too cold for a beer outside in sweaty clothes. All in all, it was fun run with SM!
But I think the next time I go to the Twin Cities, I'll go in the summer!
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