Rockin' the Crossroads

Saturday night Drew & I headed downtown for our second 5K!  I somehow talked Drew into doing another one, even though he disliked the last one so much.  I told him he'd enjoy it more if he actually trained.  So for the last month we've been running together 3 times a week, building up to this race.

My favorite runner.

 Rock the Crossroads is a night race that starts at 7:30 PM... when the temperature is a lovely 92 degrees.

Grinders!

The race starts outside of Grinders.  Do you know it?  You should.  Apparently the food is so good that the owner has been featured on Diners Drive-ins & Dives (is that the name of the show?) and Guy's Big Bite.  We didn't get a chance to try the food, but maybe someday when we aren't running in the heat of summer.

Ready to race!

There were a lot of people there!  I guess there are lots of runners who like the torture challenge of running in the dead heat of summer.  Since there weren't any signs indicating pace, everything was a pretty big cluster at the start and we spent the first mile zig-zagging around slower runners and walkers.  Friends, if you want to walk a 5K, go for it!  But please go to the back of the crowd at the start line. 

A beautiful night!

Drew set our pace and I acted as Paparazzi.  I asked if he wanted me to wear my Garmin or if he wanted to just run.  He chose to go Garmin-less.  I think it was a good choice.

Speed Racer.

Evening racers.

The race weaved around downtown.  We saw lots of people going out to dinner and starting their Saturday night right.  I tried to get Drew to stop when we ran by this Mexican Food Truck.  We don't have food trucks in PV, so I was pretty excited.  He wanted to keep racing though.  No Mexican food for me.

Food Truck!

Sprint Center!

With about a mile to go, Drew was still going strong.  The course was actually pretty rough.  We went up a hill on Main street that lasted about half a mile.  Brutal!  After the race I told Drew that he runs just like Ari; he attacks the hills.  We would be running at a steady pace then hit a hill and Drew would bust into another gear and just go for it.  Ari does the same thing. :)

Downhill!

By the end of the race people were dropping like flies.  Lots of walking!  I'm pretty sure Drew was getting a kick out of passing lots of other runners near the end. 

Almost there!

We crossed the finish line in 28:05.  Drew took 1 minute per mile off of his last 5K!  I was so proud of him. :)

Finisher!

We grabbed some much needed water and granola bars and attempted to cool off.  If there was ever a race that should hand out towels at the end, this was it!  Sweat was pouring into my eyes.  Should have worn my Bondi Band.

Sweaty!

Along with the race registration came admission into a post-race concert.  Sitting amongst a bunch of sweaty runners listening to a random band actually turned out to be pretty fun.  And the Blue Moon was absolutely the best post-run beverage ever.

Will run for beer.

Running buddies.

I cannot tell you how much fun I've had training for this race over the last month.  The shorter distances have given my knees some much needed rest and the time spent with Drew has been fantastic.  Anyone who has ever run with someone else knows just what kind of connection can be made while running.  There's not much else to do (besides breath hard and sweat) while running besides talk.  This is probably the reason Brooke and I became so close.  And why I became such good friends with Brittany so quick.  Running brings people closer!  And even if it was only for a few miles a week, I'm so grateful for the time spent running with Drew.

I asked if he'd be down for another 5K this Fall, but he says he needs some time to forget about this one.  Maybe we'll rock the Crossroads again next year.  Or maybe I can convince him into something even more challenging... half marathon maybe?