It was an early race morning, as usual. I had my alarm set for 5:30, 2 hours before the race was due to start. Somehow I turned off the ringer, but woke myself up at 5:36. I left myself with an hour to get to the starting line--5 miles or so from the house, but I almost missed it because traffic was so bad. It took me nearly 40 minutes to get parked! In addition to the half marathon, 5k, and 1k races, the balloons lift off at 7am, so everyone and their brother was trying to get there at the same time.
I basically ran from the car to find the start line. Nothing was labeled and there were no volunteers to ask. I had a bag to check with a clean shirt and deodorant because my parents planned to meet me at the finish line to mill around the balloon festival after the race (which we canceled mid-race because it was so warm). Bag check was in an obscure area, but I was able to find it, along with a port-o-potty line with less than 10 people in it. I made it to the start line with 3 minutes to spare! Needless to say I didn't have much time for pre-race photos!
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| It was a beautiful sunrise, with an almost cool breeze. |
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| Let's get started before the heat kicks in! |
The starting line was a mess. People all over the place, some for the half marathon, some for the 5k. No one really knew what was going on. The loudspeaker was broken so you couldn't hear the announcements. There were no corrals, so I slipped in near the front. It didn't make much difference, as there were lots of walkers ahead of me to dodge for the first mile or so. I was frustrated and really wanted to hate the rest of this race. But I just couldn't. Who knew Plano, TX was so rural. We ran through open fields and then we saw this!
Hot air balloons at sunrise! I could not wipe the smile off of my face. Nor could I stop stopping to take a ton of photos. The 5 year old in me was in awe of the balloons. I kept saying "Wow, look at that one" out loud to no one. I'm sure the other runners thought I was completely nuts. And now, enjoy these scenic views!
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| This was so close. We could hear the burners! |
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| OMG! More balloons! And look how sweaty I am, gross! |
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| 10 hot air balloons in the air at once! |
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| This might be my favorite photo of the day, and I'm not even in it! |
It was freaking hot out today. I was so sweaty, that it felt like I walked into a pool with all of my clothes on. I could feel my shoes squishing. It was disgusting. Most of the course was in the sun, with it in your face too. That sucked. And it got even hotter around these guys.
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| FIRE in the middle of the race?!? This pyromaniac is in love! |
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| They would pull the burner any time you asked! AWESOME! |
There weren't enough water stations to contend with the heat, so I was really glad to have brought my camelbak with me. But man, it was hot. The weather was 87 degrees when I finished the race. I was glad not to have puked or died on the course, because I felt like doing both. According to my Garmin, I finished around 2:20, not a PR, but a time that I'm very happy with considering the temps.
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| Look at that medal! The medal always makes it worth it! |
Miles Logged: 13.1
Hot air balloons at sunrise! I could not wipe the smile off of my face. Nor could I stop stopping to take a ton of photos. The 5 year old in me was in awe of the balloons. I kept saying "Wow, look at that one" out loud to no one. I'm sure the other runners thought I was completely nuts. And now, enjoy these scenic views!
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