Too Hot To Handle 15K: Adventures in SLOW

Sunday was another one of those days where running and music collide. It started bright and early with the Too Hot To Handle 15K and continued with a matinee performance at the Meyerson Symphony Center with my wind ensemble, the Metropolitan Winds, and ended with me in a lump on my sofa.

When I noticed that the Metropolitan Winds concert would be a matinee performance (unusual for the group) I considered not running Too Hot To Handle because I knew that the schedule would be very hectic. However, Too Hot To Handle is a favorite of ours and a tradition as well--not to mention the great race swag (nice tech tank and a sweet running cap). This is one of the bigger races and that means that it is a great opportunity to meet up with running friends both old and new.


With Mark L. Pre Race

The alarm sounded at 5:00, of course, I checked the weather--I'm not sure why I bother these days because it will be the same from now until mid-September. Yep, 83 degrees at 5:00 am...survival is the name of the game today. Erik and I arrived at the race and spent most of our pre-race time in the potty line. It looked like most of the other race participants were there too so it gave us a good opportunity to chat with some friends. We lined up with the rest of the crowd and were on our way and I immediately thought "I'm so not feeling this" my body felt heavy and slow from the very beginning. We held a good pace for the first couple of miles, but began to slow a bit as we went. I really think that our running speed was pretty good and consistent, it was the stops at the water stations that slowed the overall pace. We really took our time to get a good drink and spend a bit of time under the sprinklers. I have never poured water on my head during a race...until now, and it felt so refreshing as it rolled down my spine.

We crossed the finish line several minutes behind my goal for the day and I was so thankful to be finished. At the finish line they were handing out towels that had been soaked in ice water. I had to brace myself for the cold as I put the towel over my head...oh my! I am pretty sure that this is the best idea ever for a hot weather race.

Total Time: 1:32:35
35 out of 102 in Age Group

My summer mantra is "miles are miles" but I found it hard not to be disappointed in myself after this race. I ran the same race 5-6 minutes faster last year in the same kind of weather and this is likely a new personal worst for the 15K distance. I know that I am capable of running faster, but I felt that it was more important to try to stay cool and hydrated...that and the whole concert thing---that takes some energy too and I didn't want to be a zombie on stage. I signed up for this race as a chance for a focused run before El Scorcho next Saturday and El Scorcho is still my main goal for the month. Running in the heat is no joke and I know that I am not a great hot weather runner. Case in point: I ran this same course 13 minutes faster in January at Too Cold To Hold. How many days until the first freeze?


Smiling With Elaine Post Race

We spent some time talking with friends and cooling off in the shade and then it was time to rush home. In an hour's time I transformed from my running look pictured above to this:



I spent the afternoon performing American music with my colleagues in the Metropolitan Winds. It is always a thrill and an honor to take the stage at the Meyerson....and I realized that this was my 10th anniversary concert with the group...how is that even possible? We had a great crowd and I was happy to look out from the stage and see my mom and dad, brother and sister-in-law, and Erik in the audience. Making music is a wonderful thing to do, but it is even better when you can share the experience with family and friends. Erik took this picture during the concert, you can see me on the end of the top row on the left side-above the harp.



There isn't any reprieve from the summer heat--next up El Scorcho 25K. What is El Scorcho, you ask? Pure craziness....a race that starts at midnight at a park in Ft Worth. At 15.5 miles it will be my longest race ever and it will be filled with friends, tutus, blinky rings, water guns, and a showdown between the Ninja and Drum. I. Can't. WAIT!!

(Special thanks to Mark L, Mark O, EW, and Erik for the pictures)