Race Reports: Kiss Me, I’m Irish Run and City of Peoria Cactus Dash

Last weekend, Chris and I ran races on back to back days.  On Saturday, we ran the 5^th annual Kiss Me, I’m Irish Run,* and on Sunday, we ran the City of Peoria Cactus Dash.  We’re beasts like that.

The Irish Run is staged at Westgate, which is the large entertainment area housing the stadiums/arenas where the Cardinals and Coyotes play.  It’s only about 15 minutes away from our house, and it has all sorts of fun restaurant offerings, including a Yard House.**  The event can get a bit crowded, and even though it has age group and other awards, it ends up being more of a “fun run” than an actual race.  Anytime you take a large group of people (900 in our run and 2500 overall) who don’t normally race, ask them to show up in costumes,*** and then point them at a balloon arch, it’s highly likely that pandemonium will ensue.  This year’s race was no exception; although we were close to the start of the pack, we still ended up behind several strolling senior citizens and some folks with BMI’s that seemed to be rather higher than their ages.

Time for a brief moment for a caveat – I don’t begrudge anyone – ANYONE – for trying to better themselves through physical activity, particularly running.  Since I started running 10 years ago, I’ve cut my dress size in half and dropped 20 pounds of weight, looking and feeling much healthier than at any other point in my life.  I also don’t begrudge anyone for showing up to a run in costume, all decked out and ready to have fun and enjoy the experience with friends and family (I made sure to wear my green for the run, as you can see below).  However, please, for the sake of all that is holy, line up at the race start in the appropriate location, and if you end up in the wrong place in the pack, move to the right so faster people can pass on your left side.  There is almost nothing more frustrating to someone trying to perform well than to go out fast at the start, only to then be stuck jogging in place behind a line of people in tutus who are holding hands and singing “Kumbaya” while blocking the entire width of the course.  I love the camaraderie that running brings all of us, but please, please don’t start at the front of the pack if you’re not fast enough to do so; most of the time, I’m not, and I adjust my start line location accordingly.

Wearing the green!

Anywhoo, back to the race.  The run itself was good; we ran the 8K distance (there was also a 4K, 17K, and an “Irish” K, which seemed to be about a mile), which comes out to 5 miles.  My first three miles were good, although I went out a bit too fast, around 8:05, 8:05, then 8:30.  At mile 3.6, I totally bonked due to a massive cramp that ripped up and down my right side.  I ended up walking for 4-5 minutes, although it killed to do even that; I think the only thing keeping me moving was watching tons of ladies pass me (passing me on the left, since I was on the right side of the trail now, taking my own advice) and not wanting to fall further in the standings.  Eventually, I was able to walk the cramp out, then jog, then get back into the 8:30-8:40 minute miles.  I regained a few spots on the way to the finish line, and I ended up finishing 2^nd in my age group with a time of 42:53.  Chris did well, too, staying with me for the first few miles, then taking off and ending up with a time of 39:45.

Truly, I was pretty amazed I ended up placing in my age group, as I thought my walking had effectively ended any hope of that.  As it turns out, though, the race organizers would need to mail me my major award, since the time had come for us to head out to packet pickup for our Sunday race with the City of Peoria.

On Sunday morning (thankfully, not too early), we headed a bit northwest to Lake Pleasant Harbor to run in the very first City of Peoria Cactus Dash, a predominately trail run on the shores of Lake Pleasant lasting for just under 3 miles.  I have to admit that we were wary of this run, since the earlier “first ever” City of Peoria run this season (back in September, the Fiesta K) was a bit of a clusterf*ck; the course wasn’t marked well and the volunteers seemed to be helpful but slightly misinformed on where we were supposed to be running.  Jake, Chris, and I ran the race, and we all ended up with different distances on our GPS units. 

Thankfully, the City of Peoria crew is top-notch, and they took extra precautions to make sure this run didn’t suffer the same fate as the Fiesta K.  The trail was exceptionally well marked, the pre-race briefing was thorough, and there were helpful volunteers at all junctions on the course, handing out water, flagging runners across driveways, and directing everyone appropriately.  The course itself was short but decently tough, with several short, steep climbs and a few technical downhills as well.  The scenery was the main attraction, as our route hugged the bank of Lake Pleasant.

Action shots from the course

The field was small (about 100 people total), but there were still a few great runners out there, and Chris and I were thrilled to find out we both took first place in our age groups.  We hung out for a little while after the race to claim our awards and enjoy the lovely weather.

Hooray, honey!

One of the younger age group winners, with us applauding in the background

We’re number one!

Overall, we had a great weekend of racing, and I’d highly recommend both races for anyone looking for fun in the future.  The races really couldn’t have been more different – one was big, one was small; one was hyped up and loud, one was calm and local; one was road, one was trail – but they were both excellent, and the race crews should be applauded.  We’ll be back for both next year!

Later!

Amy

* It’s fun to do this run since I’ve run it every year now since its inception.  Slainte to another 5 years and beyond!

** It used to have a Margaritaville, but that closed a few months back.  Sad day, that, but really, who needs a Margaritaville in freaking Glendale, of all places?

*** With dogs and baby strollers, too