Long and Short race

Saturday was a Frost Bite Series race in St. Louis. Dustin ran the long (20K) and I ran the short (5K). I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to be in a race and practice taking it easy for the Houston Half Marathon coming up this weekend. I don't get nervous at races, but something about being amongst other runners in a timed event gets my adrenaline going and I almost always start out too fast. As we got Dustin lined up for his race, we asked the attendant where I needed to go for the short race. She pointed about two blocks down the street and said, "Over there where those people are running. Looks like they already started". So I immediately took off and played catch up, since I was about 3 minutes behind. I continued to monitor my watch (because of the adrenaline rush I can't tell if I'm running too hard) and I noticed that I was running 8-somethings. It felt great to get my legs going, but I had to remind myself to take it easy and simply finish the course. I ended up running in the back with many of the parents pushing strollers. It made me think, "hey, I'm kinda like them. I'm carrying a baby too!" Although I bet they would remind me that it isn't quite the same, especially when we are going up hill and they are pushing an extra 50-60lbs as opposed to my 5. LOL
Dustin did really well.  The first time I saw him he was 15th and in a pack of men. By the 12 mile marker he had pulled away and ended up 8th or 9th. Overall in the Frost Bite Series (averages of a series of races) he is in 2nd for his age category, which is fantastic particularly because he is actually training for a marathon so many races he ran in the middle of a long run of 20+ miles.  He is running better than I have ever seen him run and I am really excited to see how well he runs in Houston.
Overall there were 1,400 race participants. The races were held in forest park so the roads weren't closed. It was a bit chaotic at times with all the cars and runners going different ways for different races. It made me happy just being around all the runners. Some people like to watch professional baseball or football players, but I love to watch and be amongst runners. They don't get paid the big bucks, and few of them take home trophies, metals, or prize money but I think they are the best. Heck, they even pay to be there!
I can't wait to watch the Olympic trials Saturday!!!  I wish the best of luck to Dustin as he runs the marathon! I can feel that Houston sun on my skin already...