Last weekend I went to Auburn to visit my younger son and watch some Tiger football. You might have read about it in the latest Team Rabbit rap. War Eagle! Auburn is pretty close to the Georgia state line so the week before I wondered if there was a Saturday 5K I'd be able to do. The game wasn't until 6:00 PM central time, so I figured I could swing a race if it was within an hour driving distance. My research found two! I emailed both race directors to find out about race day registration and picked the one that responded first. The race was to start at 9:30 AM...Eastern time!
My older son and I flew out bright and early Friday morning through Atlanta (which is only a 90 minute drive to Auburn) to Huntsville (a 3.5 hour drive). Crazy logistics, but their dad was picking us up and we were driving down to Auburn for the weekend together. We had a bit of a delay in ATL and played gate change roulette a few times, but finally we were on our way! Once in Huntsville we stopped for a quick lunch then headed on our way. Arrived at the younger son's house and caught the end of the Nationals first playoff baseball game. After that we picked up his roommate and headed off to dinner and to celebrate their October birthdays! We ended up at Shakey's Pizza of all places for dinner because our chosen location was packed. Oh well - maybe next time. Shakey's was just fine and I have not had their pizza in many, many years.
Once back at the house I was thinking about my race the next morning. I had all my things ready, but suddenly realized "the race starts in Eastern time and I'm in Central time!" I had to plan to add an extra hour to my morning! Of course, I'd get that hour back after the race...haha Good thing I remembered though, or I might have been late!
I actually woke up before my alarm and manged to get out of the house quickly without disturbing anyone. Hit up the McDonald's in town for an iced coffee and an extra bottle of water. I had a banana and a half a bagel for the ride. And a yummy sugar cookie! The race was in LaGrange, Georgia and started and finished near the Callaway Stadium which is part of LaGrange College. They are the Panthers and there were big crimson panther paw prints painted on some of the streets we ran on. Cool! Not as cool as the Auburn Tigers paw prints around that campus though!
The race, Smilin' Waylon's 5K, had been advertised as a fast course, but I'm not so sure I'd agree because right after the start you immediately go up a hill! Then there are some rollers and a good climb around mile 2, I think. There was a nice down hill after that, but I was happy to run the entire course and come in just barely under 30 minutes. It was my fastest standalone 5K of the year! The volunteers were all very nice and there were some groups of folks cheering. I wore my rabbit ears but an Auburn shirt. And the ears did get some bunny love! Waylon's Run raised about $3,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of West Georgia and was a fun, little event. And I check the state of Georgia off my list!
Next Up: Cheering and Pacing Extravaganza at the Can Lake 50!
Happy and Healthy Training!
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