So it rained all day, torrentially, and I checked and re-checked the radar, hourly updates, etc. and it looked like the weather would clear by race time, 6PM. Very humid, but a bit cooler and the wind went almost slack as I got to Misquamicut Beach for the race. 50 or so people there for the race (I checked the stats, looks like attendance for the race is at the mercy of Mother Nature), and a 3-mile beach run now in its 25th year, so it's historic by my standards. And did I mention it's a free race? Timed by SNERRO to make it official? Thanks, WTAC (which I just joined)!
Turned out to be a great evening for a race. I ran the race barefoot, which I always do on the beach. I got out to a decent start, and had opted to run without my GPS. I'll connect the dots later. Straight out and back down the beach at low-ish tide, good waves from Hurricane Leslie to look at (can't wait to surf tomorrow), and I get to see some of my friends coming back at me toward the turn around at the jetty. I was right behind a 12-year old named Joe for the first 2 miles, then we passed each other 5 or six times and crossed the finish line and high-fived. Both stoked that we beat our best time! Or did I...I'm coming up the beach and I see the timer, and realize I'm totally ahead of my PR, and cross the line at 23:25, good for 19th place! But it's a 3 miler, not a 5K, and .1 miles makes a bit of difference. So I averaged a 7:48 minute mile, and we'll call this my beach PR...very happy either way, because I had a great time, met some new people and got to talk running for awhile. And three races in a row in the 7's means I'm definitely faster at shorter race distances.
Great spread by the WTAC, by the way, can't say enough good things about the club. The event finished off, appropriately, with some great words about the race's namesake, Charlie Stavros, under a fabulous sunset:
Great race. Count me in next year...
Nice beach race post, Mike! Glad you came down and enjoyed it.
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