28th Annual

 East End 5-Miler

July 21, 2013 – 10:30 AM  –  East End Club – Lowell MA

On Sunday, I completed my 8th race this year. I must say that this race had me feeling more anxious than usual given all that I had read online about it. It was not the distance but the actual course that had me feeling apprehensive. With 5 climbs and a gain of 131 feet, I knew it was going to be a challenge. When we arrived at the East End Social Club, I saw that names were listed on the building with our bib numbers.  Inside and downstairs, I found my bib number and t-shirt. There were a few folks hanging around chatting and I quickly discovered that this was a small race, run by many locals.  After standing around listening to some women talk about the challenges of this race, I did a quick warm up and tried to distract myself.  Brian, Brenna, and I then went towards the start line and they bid me – good luck. The sun was out and it was quite warm, but I was dressed perfectly and felt comfortable.

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The horn sounded and I was off and running [without any technical issues]. The first mile was flat and I felt good. The sun and heat got to me quickly and I was thankful for the shaded parts of the course. The first hill was a big one and I saw many people stop and walk it, but I was determined to keep on running.  Nothing hurt me, so why not!  The best sight for me was seeing two men in their front yards with their hoses during the last mile [granted, I could have used a shower by mile 2 or 3] spraying runners as they went by.  east end 3

 

Approaching the last few hundred feet, I picked up my pace, although very tired and sprinted towards the finish line [although I still think I slowed down as I approached the timing mat – something to work on].

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The after party was definitely the best so far – watermelon, hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, and beer. They did not seem to restrict who could eat and there was plenty of food.  I went into this race not thinking about a PR, but am happy with my results considering the challenging course and the heat.

105   8/27   F4049   48:59   48:50  9:46 Sandra Muldowney     42 F     39 Merrimack NH