8k Quickie in The Hutch

This past weekend was Water Carnival weekend in my hometown of Hutchinson, MN.  Water Carnival weekend is a summer celebration for the town with carnival rides, parades, and all kinds of community activities.  My folks, who are joggers (that's a soft "j"), had the wild idea to sign up for family division of the Hutchinson Water Carnival 5k/8k road race.  It was Father's Day weekend too and I was going to be visiting my family anyway, so I thought what the heck!  Let's do this!

Turns out my parents ended up with babysitting duties so they, and my nieces, were at the race, but as spectators instead of participants.  So much for the family division competition!

My biggest/littlest fans:  Annika & Juia

The field of competitors was small.  The course was flat and mostly an out-and-back along the river.  The weather was sunny, warm, and HUMID.  Off of the start line, a college guy and I separated from the rest of the field pretty quickly.  We were going out straight into a decent head wind and I couldn't decide if I wanted to use my pace buddy as a wind block or take the lead and see if he would come with.  After a little more than a mile, I opted to take the lead.  Separation occurred relatively slowly, but steadily throughout the rest of the 5-mile route.  I felt okay, but the humidity definitely had an effect on me.  It's tough to sweat and keep cool when the air is thick and damp!

Crossed the line in 26:33 (a PR) with relatively even splits throughout.  My pace buddy was about a minute back.  Side note: I got a kick out of hearing that he was "freaked out" that a girl beat him...freaking people out is always fun.  ;)

 

Coming into the finish