When in Rehoboth...

I had no plans to run a race this past weekend, being just one week from the 28.4 mile Susquehanna Super Hike, and in the middle of my last big build for the Chicago Marathon. But then the family decided to spend the holiday weekend at Rehoboth Beach. And then, as fate would have it, a race that got postponed last week for Hurricane Irene got rescheduled for this week. And if that weren't enough, the starting line was literally about 150 yards from the front door to our hotel. Just like that, I was signed up for the Sundance 5k or Sashay.

If you can't tell by the title and if you're unfamiliar with Rehoboth, let's cut to the chase: the charity the race supported was a homosexual support center. Why do I even mention this? Really, for one reason and one reason only: it was one of the most fun 5k's I've ever been a part of.
Consider: * Bloody Marys and Beer on the finish line (at 8am). Check
* Amazing food spread including quiche (quiche????) at 8am. Check
* Copious awards and enthusiastic cheering when they were given. Check

Seriously, what a cool surprise for a 7:30 am race. That said, I knew my focus for the weekend was my 20 mile run on Saturday, which went fine... 8:31 pace through awesome Cape Henlopen Park. But doing a race the day after a 20 miler meant I was the opposite of rested and tapered. Truth be told, I was tired and sore. But still, I'm too stubborn to turn down a 5k so close to my hotel.

In the end, I was mostly pleased. I ran a 19:40, which is where I run a ton of 5k's when I AM rested and tapered, which could mean this build is going really well. In addition, the 19:40 was good enough for 6th overall and first in my AG. In the end, I was tiny bit disappointed, as second place was a mere 40 seconds faster than me, and I really feel that I could've made things interesting had I gone into this race ready to truly run fast. But still, everything I'm doing right now is all about Chicago, and when I take to the Windy City in October, I won't be remembering what happened in a little 5k in September, even if they did serve bloody marys!

The bonus news for this one was that my daughter, Allie, also grabbed 3rd place in her age group, and my wife completed the 5k, too. We've done races together, before, but this was our first on vacation - a cool treat, indeed.

Extra bonus: A young lady with Type 1 diabetes came up afterward and asked about my Team Type 1 jersey, and we chatted at length about the team and the disease. It's always awesome to meet other D's out "in the wild," particularly at the races!

Results for the Sundance 5k or Sashay can be found here.

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