OFFICAL TIME:
6.2 miles/1:06:40
Average pace- 11:02
GARMIN TIME:
6.24 miles/1:06:40
Average pace- 10:41
This is one of my favorite races in Mobile! And this was the 35th annual Azalea Trail Run. The weather was perfect...sunny and in the high 60's! Much better weather than last year with all that humidity. I started the race with Angie. Her goal was to come in under 1:10. So I decided to make that my goal too because I knew I wouldn't beat last year's PR (59:42) because I just haven't been running that pace this year. We tried to stay around an 11:00 pace. The course in this race is gorgeous! You run the first two miles on Goverment Street in downtown Mobile where the trees overlap the road...so pretty! Then you turn into some neighborhoods where tons of specators cheer for you...and offer you donuts and food lol! Miles 3 and 4 are run on Dauphin Street by all the old historic homes. At mile 5 you turn onto Broad Street, Canal Street, and then finish on Claiborne Street in front of Mobile Civic Center. The course was a little different at the finish this year but I think it was better. Around mile 5.5 I left Angie. I started feeling my pace and took off! My Garmin shows my best pace at 7:16 which I'm sure I did at the finish line because I really sprinted at the end! I LOVE when I am feeling good enough at the end of a race to sprint hard and finish strong!
Here I am at the end of the race...super sweaty!
Another fun thing about this year...the shirts were tech shirts instead of plain t-shirts! Love my shirts lol! The expo was fun...it is small but had several vendors. I bought a pair of sunglasses that were supposed to be fog free and were super light. They worked GREAT during the race! Definitley glad I bought them!
This was also the graduating run for the Sole2Soul Sisters we've been training for their first 10K! It was awesome seeing them cross the finish line!
As always, the Sole2Soul Sisters have to dress up in something FUN! This year we did the Flower Power hippie thing! I didn't go all out in my costume like I normally do but I still had fun!
Me and Paige and our every race picture lol!
And here are a few pics at the start line. Some of the Pace Sole2Soul Sisters group came and ran the race too! And their outfits were AWESOME!
And here's Missy from Pace! Love this girl!
Me and Sarah after the race!
Paige, Donna, and their friend finishing strong!!!
Paige, Donna, and me! So proud of Donna! She ROCKED her first 10K!!!
And of course we had to take a picture with the Azalea Trail Maids!!!
Here are some of us inside the Civic Center for the after party! They served yummy red beans & rice and my favorite...cheese grits! We did a little more shopping and some dancing and then headed out. Fun times!!!
On the way out, we ran into this guy here. I saw him finish the race and was so inspired! He rolled that wheelchair for 6.2 miles! My arms hurt just thinking about that! His name is Arthur. He said this was his backup wheelchair. He usually uses a racing wheelchair. He did the First Light Marathon in his racing wheelchair and finished in 4:30...a whole hour before I finished my marathon! WOW! I was so touched by his story and just had to have a picture with him. He was such a nice guy! I wish I had found out his last name. Not sure if I will ever see him again since he starts races with the wheelchairs (when he's in his racing wheelchair).
Overall, this race was awesome! But I wouldn't expect anything different from Azalea Trail Run! I ended my day spending time with my family and some friends at Alligator Alley! My boys LOVED all the alligators! And I was wearing my race shirt of course! That is my race tradition!
