Sunrise Run 8K

This was the 2nd year that I was running in this race in Simpsonville, SC. The race is small with only about 500 runners, but the field is fast. Winning time was 26 minutes! The course runs through this small southern downtown as well as through some rolling hills throughout the local neighborhoods.

Because the race starts at 6:30 am, and is about 30 minutes away, the alarm went off at 5:00 am. Ouch! Got up, dressed and got on the way. Once we arrived, we headed down into the park to get our race Bibs. Since I needed a natural break, I waited in line for a port-a-potty while Gerri gathered up our goodies. We eventually met up near the start line about 5 minutes before the race started.

The race begin with little fanfare at 6:30. The temp was about 75 degrees and humidity was 65%. Sticky but not horrendous for a mid June run. This would be my longest run since the marathon, so I had modest expectations. Enjoy the run and try to stay under 50 minutes.

About 1/2 mile in and a quick check of Garmin revealed the pace was about 9:32. I was feeling okay, but decided it would be best to back off just a bit. The first two mile splits in the downtown area were 9:39 and 9:37. We crossed the street and headed into the more undulated neighborhoods, which also had some shade opportunities.

The only water stop was at Mile 2.5. Plastic cups? What the heck were they thinking? I grabbed a cup, walked for about 10 seconds while I drank the water and then started up again. Mile 3 was 9:43 and Mile 4 in 9:44. At this point I was starting to battle the "slow down, you're working to hard" demon and the hurry up and finish strong demon. I decided to pick it up just a bit and finished feeling good with a final Mile 9:28.

Final time was 48:11. I later found out when I got home that my 8K PR was 48:09. If I had pushed even a little, I could have easily taken a minute off my PR. Since that wasn't the focus today, I decided to not let it bother me.

I grabbed a few waters, walked back up to the corner and cheered on the runners still finishing. I was extremely impressed with a tiny 7 year old girl that finished just a few minutes after me. And looked great doing it too! I saw our friends Wanda and Kaye and gave them a big yell. In the distance I could see Gerri, running and looking strong. I gave her a big yell as she crested the hill and turned towards the finish line. After all of her injuries, I was so happy to see her looking so happy and strong at the end of a race.

We then headed to Stax Omega for a nice big breakfast and shared our race stories. After breakfast we headed home, showered and spent most of the day relaxing. This afternoon we went to Olive Garden for soup and salad. We then drove to Furman University so that Gerri could find the building that she will be taking the LSAT in on Monday. She prayed and sharpened pencils and I said a long prayer for her as well.

Back home, we watched some TV, Gerri took another practice test (162!!!) and we just cherished being able to relax and spend time with each other. Life is good!