2016 Wings For Life World Run {Race Recap}

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[Today the global running community gathered for the 3rd annual Wings for Life World Run. I joined thousands of runners from 34 locations in 33 different countries to run (and walk) for those who can't. A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a significant life changing event that has affected (and will unfortunately continue to affect) many individuals. And while there is no cure currently, there have been several advances in medicine, surgery, and technology that allows for an improved quality of life for individuals with SCIs. These advances are made possible through events like Wings for Life where 100% of the proceeds are dedicated to SCI research.]

This year I decided not to get to the start too early, which was probably not a good thing since I missed the highway exit and had to navigate through several road closures before I finally got back on track. There may or may not be a few traffic cones that came in close intimate contact with my car this morning (but none were seriously damaged. Hopefully). Before the race I met up with several running friends. I wasn't feeling very "kodak-ish" so I didn't take as many pictures as I normally do. But once a few pictures were snapped (by other people) I decided to head to the start corral and get as close to the front as I possibly could (my yearly strategy). It doesn't make a huge difference since (as we all know) I'm not a very fast runner. But it makes me feel like I'm getting an advantage over the other runners that are starting minutes behind me... until they run pass me.

When I ran in the first event in 2014 we started earlier (at 6am) which I actually prefer, but last year and this year we started running at 7am. The later the start the more time I spend running in the sun which makes for a very hot and very slow race. "Luckily" I'm not out there running for a long time (one of the perks of being slow).

My goal this year was to beat my distance from last year (6.84 miles) but unfortunately I missed that...

But as my friend Niqui said "It's 6.2 miles more than all the people who decided to sleep in this morning", so I'll take it (with the understanding that next year I need to train harder so I'm better prepared)

The course for the run has been the same for the past 3 years (as far as I could tell) so I was pretty familiar with the landmarks and that helped to keep me on target pace-wise. But the landmarks only got me so far. My legs were just too sore from yesterday's "bootcamp" and refused to run any faster. After the catcher car passed I ended up walking for another 2 miles until I was able to get on the shuttle bus (the busses pick you up and take you back to the start).  In terms of the on course support, I hope they provide more water stations next year. And maybe provide ALL the stations with ice. There was one station that had ice cubes in the water cups and it was like a gift from heaven. On a hot running day ice cold water can make such a huge difference. 

Once back at the start I only had time for a few pics... 

and then it was time to head home...

and start planning for next year...

#WINGSFORLIFE   #WOLRDRUN   #FORTHOSEWHOCANT

P.S. Happy Mothers Day!!!!