Decisions, Decisions

When the Competitor Group announced the Rock 'n' Roll Lexington to be held in 2013 the decision was easy - REGISTER!  I did not have KY and it was a RNR event (and would count towards my Rock Idol!).  Months later, when they announced they were pulling out of Lexington and the race would continue in the hands of the previous race director I was faced with several decisions - keep my registration and run the race anyway, request a refund for the registration, or transfer the registration to another RNR event.  I'd registered so early that I'd gotten an amazing deal, and I still needed KY, so I kept my registration. 

Given that the race was scheduled for Easter weekend, this was to be a quick trip.  Drive 8 1/2 hours Friday, packet pick up, fuel, sleep, wake up, run, shower, drive home.  The "expo" felt more like a local wares/craft show than an expo, but it was quaint and a change of pace from your typical expo.  It was also held at the start/finish area, so it gave us a chance to get a bit of a feel for the area.  A lingering cough (that had been going on since RNR NOLA) in the 8 year old left another decision...when we returned on Saturday night there would be nothing opened, he was leaving for my mother's house the next morning for a week for Spring Break as well, so unless we went to a doctor Friday evening he would not be seen for over a week.  This left us with an impromptu visit to the urgent care where he was diagnosed with bronchitis (which later proved to be a misdiagnosis - it was actually post nasal drip from his allergies).  We finally settled in for the night.

Access to the venue on race morning was backed up a bit, but not as bad as some events I've attended.  If you accessed the venue through the second gate the line was much shorter, however you were closer to the start line than the finish.  If walking a little longer after a race is less appealing than walking it before the race you should plan to wait in the longer line.  Personally I didn't find the walk very long either way so the second gate was fine.  I was dealing with some stuff personally so it did not make for an ideal race morning, but I showed up at the start line for the 50 states club picture and was greeted by many 'friends' I'd only met online.  It was nice to actually meet everyone in person.

After a few laughs and group shots we headed to our corrals to prepare for the start.  Once in the corrals I met a few Half Fanatics.  The Fanatics picture was scheduled for the exact same time as the 50 states picture but in a complete different location.  As I've been in many Fanatics pictures and this was my first 50 stater pic, I opted to skip it; so it was nice to actually meet some new Fanatics as well.  A few more pictures and we were ready to run.

But....the decision was made to postpone the start for 15 minutes due to heavy fog.  The law enforcement course support felt the fog was thick enough to pose a danger in portions of the course.

There was restless energy and chatting in the corrals as everyone tried to keep warm, but soon enough we were off.  Still dealing with a bit of emotional turmoil my race did not start so well.  I wasn't focused on my run and was just going through the motions, and hating it.  Around the 2 mile mark a group of horses suddenly came racing across the field (in their enclosure) but alongside the course.  It was beautiful.

Shortly thereafter, a lone horse stood at the fence literally waving us wildly on with its head.

I began to focus a little less on my thoughts and a little more on my surroundings.  This course was really beautiful, but the only energy was from the runners and the horses - of which there were plenty!

The course ran through back country roads, surrounded by farms and pastures; and I began to realize logistically this could not have been a Rock 'n' Roll race.  There was no where for bands or cheerleaders; and very few points that spectators could even access the course so no real place for the crowd support of a RNR event. 

The course stayed interesting and was quite challenging with constant rolling hills.

As the miles ticked off I slowly began to shake my funk and despite a really rough 7 1/2 miles, by mile 8 I was attacking the hills, enjoying the course, and amused at each new discovery. 

I'd never before run a race where I had to dodge horse poop.

And I can't say I'd ran so closely with horses - or chickens for that matter!

A lone cowboy stood at his fence as our 'crowd support'...that was a first.

And as we neared the final miles we were encouraged but a single humorous sign.

Somewhere in the later miles the crowd randomly started parting and folks were cutting left and right quickly trying not to step on/trip over something...when out of nowhere a little terrier came running up the center of the road directly into the mob of runners, completely unconcerned with whether or not we would avoid him.

I was completely enjoying this course and already considering running it again.

Though the finish line was a welcome site!  I crossed the line with a chip time of 2:21:15, slower than previous races but given my rough start and the hills I was fine with it. 

I met a few Fanatics and Maniacs at the finish and exchanged contact information.

Then I headed off to watch Garret's race.  His .9 mile race had 1 big hill in it.  I'd warned him about the hill, but he tackled it, and as he rounded the final turn he made a move on the inside to pass a half marathoner (the finish was shared).

Oblivious to the 13 miles she had just finished, he was determined to "beat" her.  After the race, we stopped for a quick picture against a trying race specific backdrop before heading back to the hotel for showers.

Despite the entire trip being less than 40 hours it was an awesome experience with quite a few great decisions!  I have to say that RNR made the right decision to pull out of the event; and the current race director made the right decision to put the event on as they had in the past!  This truly is a homegrown race, it had a great feel with nature and your fellow runners as your support while other courses are best left to crowds, bands, and cheerleaders for support.