Run Posey 6K

I ran the Run Posey 6K Saturday morning. The course went around Posey Lake in Michigan. We ran on country roads, dirt, gravel, mud and grass. The weather was nice. It very sunny, warm and humid.

When the race started, I settled into a nice pace. I have never run this race before so I didn't know what to expect. Around the half mile was a big hill. I put my head down and tried to get up it as fast as I could. A couple of guys passed me, but I pass another woman. I thought when we go side-by-side that she would pass me back. She didn't. I ended up passing a few more guys before the first mile.

We got back on country roads after leaving gravel and mud. Around the 1.5 or 2 mile mark, I saw a woman running in front of me. My short goal was to catch her. I kept getting closer to her. When I finally caught her, so ran on her right. And that is where I stayed. I didn't plan on running with anyone, it just happened.

I tried putting on a surge after running with her for a while. She matched it. That is when I just decided to stay with her. She was running with music and a talking GPS. I heard the GPS say our pace was 8:20 at one of the mile markers. Both of us together caught a few more runners. She was on my left, I moved to my right to give her room when we passed other runners.

I ran the last half mile of the course before the start of the race. When the houses started to look familiar to me, I knew I needed to pick it up. A sign indicting 200 yards to go was placed on the side of the course. I started to speed up before hitting that spot. I noticed that the woman I have been running with for most of the race was no longer on my left side. I wanted to keep it going and finish strong. I knew that a guy and my running partner were behind me at this point. I only knew a guy was back there because he asked a spectator if the race was almost over.

With less then 100 yards to go, my running partner sprinted by me. She just came out of nowhere. Wanting to respond to her kick, I didn't have it. I officially finished the race in 34:34.68, but according to my watch 34:33.97. After crossing the line, I heard one of the finish line workers say to the guy behind me, "That was nice you to let her win." He sarcastically said, "Yeah." I was happy that I held off that guy.

Following the race, I found the woman that I ran side-by-side with for most of the race. I thanked her. She thanked me too. I usually don't run with anyone during a race. It was nice to finally have someone to run with.

Statistics:
48/244 overall
17/142 gender
5/34 age group