Racing with the Triple Stroller: 603Endurance Summerfest 10K Recap

I don’t want to do it with the triple. I really don’t. Those hills…

Those were my thoughts Saturday morning when my husband told me he had to work on Sunday. I had planned to run the Six0Three Endurance 10K on Sunday as an eight mile long run: 1 mile warm up, six mile run (not race) and then a mile cool down. I knew I wouldn’t  be able to come anywhere close to last year’s third place finish and PR time of 41:52. But I still wanted to go, enjoy the race and seeing friends and club members I know. So when the hubby told me he had to work I thought I’d just stay home. I’d get up early on Sunday and run eight solo miles before he went into work.

That was the plan. And then I got thinking. Eight solo miles and then Sunday with the kids…what are we going to do? Go to the beach? Go to the children’s museum? Stay home? None of those options seemed appealing to me since we did all of them last week. Go to the race?

The race seemed the best option. So I bargained. If I can’t fit the triple stroller in the back of the car then we won’t go. I folded it. Popped the back wheels off and it slid perfectly into the back of our car. No excuses.

We had our plan for Sunday. We would run the hilliest 10K around: all four of us.

  
I’m so glad we did. I’ve never had a race experience quite like yesterday. The support of friends and strangers alike while I ran was amazing, one woman even offered to help me push when I’d slowed to a walk on one of the tough hills (there are six of them). People cheered us on, high-fived the kids and I.

It was a good way to go back to a race that I’ve run competitively and not have a bit of competition in mind. I had a rough goal in mind based on what I thought was realistic for the course and for pushing the triple: I wanted to finish in 60 minutes or average 10 min miles. We missed the first goal finishing in 1:02, but we managed to squeak in under the second goal averaging 9:58 pace.

The race was tough. pushing that load up those hills was a challenge. I walked at times when it was so steep that was the only option. And when I did Jack would pipe up, “Are you gonna run mommy?” But I did it! and I feel pretty darn proud. I didn’t give in to my excuses. I “Embraced the Hill.”

We stuck around after the race. I like races. I love the atmosphere. And the kids liked it too, sneaking orange slices, noshing on burgers and running around the field with all the other kids.

The guys who organize the race we kind enough to give me my own award. A belt buckle for tackling the course with the triple.

  
-Sarah

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