CDPHP Workforce Challenge.

Every year when I run this race I find myself complaining about it’s size and yet, I still sign up the following year… because it is a great tradition with co-workers! This year there were more restrictions and detours, not allowing runners to access the Concourse and even the street from stairwells we had previously been able to use. And because of these restrictions, even though there were less runners, it was definitely more hectic at the start. The photograph below was where I was standing when the race started…

We had to wait for all the runners and walkers to go by, travel down the stairs to the street, walk to the start and then frantically dodge the walkers until we could comfortably run, which didn’t happen until about a mile and a half up the hill and in the park.

This year I struggled more than usual, from what I think was due to the bass at the start. I recently found out that if a bass is strong enough, it will change the rhythm of my heart. Because we were still up top, right in front of the music, this became an issue. It seemed as if my body was struggling to adjust my heart rate once we got going, either that or it was just a bad running day for me. I was thankful for my co-worker of whom I was running with; she kept me going to the finish. We shaved off a minute from last year and have plans for next year to help us avoid the large crowds.

I would just like to shout out two of the many volunteers who made this run happen, Kim and her husband who I quickly saw handing out water at the finish. We were thrilled to get our shirts in a size small (we always get there too late) and to have a banana to lift our spirits. Run we will- another year in the books.