Jackson Day Race 9K

Another one in the books. It happened a week ago, but memories of the morning are still haunting me a bit. 

The weather was not suitable for racing. In fact, no one in their right mind should have been outside last Sunday in New Orleans.

The temp was 42 degrees and it was pouring down

freezing buckets of rain...and the wind...oh, the wind... 

This meant a lot of things: 

1. Unless I wanted my socks to be full of water before the race, I couldn't run my warm up jog...I usually trot an easy 3/4-full mile to get muscles warm & nerves calm. 

2. In an attempt to stay warm and somewhat dry, all of the racers were huddled under the tents until gun time...so, not only could we not warm up, we were scrunched together, unable to stretch.

3. The frigid air made me shiver for an hour straight and my toes eventually became numb...a sensation (or lack of) that wouldn't dissolve until I'd run a mile and a half. It's hard to run your best when you can't feel half of your foot.

4.  The rain drops were so big, I was worried about how well I'd be able to see along the course. 

But, as always, once we got going and I could feel my feet and I finally (miraculously) began to feel my insides warm, 

I was in my happy place.

[I felt like this]

The New Orleans Track Club (NOTC), of which I'm a member, organizes this race, and is great about snapping pictures of the racers along the way. 

                      

I'm laughing at the photographer because he was taking pictures from 

a moving truck--while the driver was cheering us on with a 

megaphone--and staying out of the rain. 

Dark, soggy, slippery finish line in the French Quarter

Glad to be done and mentally mapping out the nearest coffee shop 

(it was Cafe Du Monde!) 

I cared nothing about the free beer...

unless it came steaming and in a mug. 

I needed to heat my chattering bones. 

I finished this 9K (5.65 miles) in 48:25, 

placing me #35 of ~158 female racers. 

Not quite what I'd hoped for, but respectable considering the conditions and my still recent, painful half marathon.

Here I am at the halfway mark @ the 2012 Jackson Day Race. 

That day's weather was perfect for racing. Crisp & cold, but sunny & dry. 

I finished last year 2 minutes faster than the 2013 rainy version...

that's my excuse: the weather. 

Next race: The Wall 10K, Saturday, February 9, 2013 

I plan to wear lots of green and purple because it's 

mere days before Mardi Gras!