Review; Buffalo Run

Today was my first, and only, road race in Montana. I've been running of course, but at a much lower mileage than normal. I tend to follow the same couple of routes. The distances out here are so far and its so hot by the time I get finished with work, I just haven't been that adventuresome. I have done several different runs on the weekends, but when I'm doing my maintenance runs I just can't quite muster the enthusiasm.

Anyway, the race. I think this was the smallest race I've ever done. It was probably even smaller than that time M. and I did a "no charge" trail race/run thing in Delaware. There were maybe 16 people, max, in the half marathon. I didn't see the fields for the 1, 4 and 7 mile (they started an hour after the half), but the awards ceremony seemed to indicate the fields for those races weren't much bigger.

The gun went off at 7:00am. It is very cool here in the mornings - I think it was probably around 60 degrees. The course was a very straightforward rectangle. The first two legs were gravel and up-hill. They were the worst legs of all - we were running into the sun and I could barely see at times. The day got hotter as the race went on, but it didn't get much over 80 degrees, if that. Once the first two legs were done, the race seemed like it was entirely downhill. I doubt that it was, but it felt like it, which is what counts.

The management of the course was very good, considering it's a teeny tiny little race. There were several watersheds spread through the course. The scenery was great - we were running along the base of the Mission Mountains, and there were several streams and at least one river. It was very pretty and peaceful - I could hear hawks and cows in the distance. They marked the miles on the pavement parts, which I like.

As for my personal performance, I think I did well. I ran a 1:43:45. I didn't get mile splits for miles 2-5, but mile 1 and miles 6-13 were all around 8:00 minutes a mile. Finally, I didn't bolt at the start and ran a reasonable first mile (7:50). I started at sixth overall, and stayed there. I was the second woman to finish, and the first in the 21-30 category. I got passed around mile 3, but kept plodding along and caught both people and one more that went out ahead of me (some guy passed me, so I stayed sixth).

Basically, it was a very nice race. I hung out afterwards and talked to some people. There was a family from Maryland, a high schooler interested in medicine and Maggie from work (my favorite of the nurses, she's very cute). There wasn't much food afterwards, but eh. They had plenty of water, which is what really counts. Bagels would have been nice, but I am in Montana, afterall. Bagels are not big here.

Anyway, I am down to my last pair of underwear, so it's time to go to the laundry mat.