Race Day Tard Face (not a model)

Seeing as I've just been getting into the whole racing thing I was not aware that while certain outfits may feel really cool and you may think you look Bad A*$ that does not neccessarily reflect on film. 

ugh.

WHY did no one warn me #1 that pictures would be taken? and #2 that I should potentially wear a different outfit for racing entirely?  and I could even go so far as to add a #3 - that pictures could be snapped at any random moment so be ready at all times.

Welp. Guess I'll have to remember that next go-round...

So Saturday was my 5k for SWEat for SWE (Society of Women Engineers). 

It was sponsered by a SWE chapter at a local college and it was their first race to ever put on... that being said they did a fantastic job.  The race was through a beautiful park and other than not starting for approx 30-40 min the race went well.  They even had a professional photographer to capture the memories....

Now I seriously considered writing the photographer and asking her to take these photos offline, or at least not posting any on my own blog, but then I thought to myself "That's selfish Britt, if anyone can learn from your mistakes then it's your obligation as a blogger to post about this terrible race day offense".

or more like "Even if they're not good for anything else, at least some poor ppl scouring the internet and stumbling across your blog can get a laugh or two."

FINE.

But... I'm not posting the close up shot of me half stretching half texting... because it's really just wrong that that picture was snapped in the first place! rude.

Letia and I before the race:

Yes... I do live in TX.  We had a cold front.  This meant it was like 60 degrees outside... I was mostly excited bc that Lululemon sweat band not only covers my elf ears but it catches sweat and keeps it from dripping in my face.  Win win.

The jacket came off and got tied around my waist after about .5 miles... probably could've done without it.

Was also excited to try out my new Zensah Compression sleeves.  Maybe I could've done with a subtler color choice?

Waiting around for the race to start... there's a good shot of my #.

...and of my ridiculous hair.  HEY I did not plan for this race to happen the morning after my roommate's birthday celebration. It was rough even waking up.  I should get 1 million runners points just for attending.

Waiting around at the starting line... I was impressed at the range of people that showed up to race!

A few of whom beat my time... including this guy:

He doesn't even need a shirt.

And this guy, who should be a shining example of what you should do when you cross the finish line:

Seriously, he must be a professional.  Looks like the streamers were all to celebrate his big finish.

Then there's me.

I showcase this picture to show you the one female who beat my time and just how close to her I was... darn.  Too bad I didn't even realize I was that close to winning... I honestly figured there were about 100 people in front of me.  Guess I was 'In My Own Zone'.

I followed this guy most of the race... the back of his shirt said "SOS DEFENSE" so I pretended we were in training... ya know, to be legit spies or something... it's totally possible

"Hey! Wait for meeee!!!"

{#wanttokillmyselfforpostingthis}

Seriously... I promise I tried to think of smiling as I crossed the finish line but somehow that did not translate in to any of the pictures...

I probably could've passed SOS DEFENSE guy but I think he really didn't want to be beat by a girl... and I'm not about to crush someone's dreams.  It looks like we may have worn him out as it was....

"Dam* little blonde girl nearly killed me!!!"

I'm proud of him for giving this race his all! And after running together I feel like we're BFF in some way... although he probably has no idea who I am.. or that he's now featured on my blog as "SOS DEFENSE man".

I thought about posting a few pictures of people who I felt took better 'finish' photos than I did.. then I realized that was basically everyone.  Too depressing and time consuming to post them all.

But I didn't want to leave out my other New Best Friend...

This old guy was AWESOME.  Love his duds... and definitely gave him a 'high five' and cheered him on through the end!

So, like I said... learned a lot this race.

Recap of Things I Learned this 5k:

#1)  Hot pink compression socks, while functional, may look better paired with skirts/shorts... or on Skinny Runner.  Really, most things would look better on that girl.

#2) Practice smiling while breathing hard.  Prior to race.  So you don't make a tard face in all your 'finish' photos.

#3) 60 degree weather probably doesn't call for ear warmers and long sleeved jacket.

#4)  Need new armband for phone (mine fell out mid race)

#5)  Old people who run races are awesome.

#6) I'm actually improving as a runner!!!!! woohoo!!!

Yep, the last one is true - I PR'd!  By like 2 minutes. 

According to my SoftRace App I completed 3.19 miles in 27:40.

So how did I prepare to run such a fast race time you ask? (haha, funny... I know... )

{Thank you RunningOffTheReeses for that lil gem!}

Let's see... like I said, the night before was my roommate's birthday celebration...

I had custom Cake Pops made!!

{That's the birthday card I got her in the Middle}

So, I'm pretty sure eating 2-3 of those babies made all the difference in my race.

I had Oreo and Chocolate Peanut Butter - YUM!!

But really I didn't do well at all the 5 days leading up to the race... work was more stressful than ever and I barely slept!  So recovery this week was important... recovery called for healthy foods and WINE.

Salmon and Roasted Veggies!  

Left overs for lunch!

And of course a FroYo celebration!

This mix was Cheesecake and Strawberry FroYo topped with Strawberries, Kiwiberries, and Cheesecake crumbles :)

We even decided to test out a new wine to celebrate.. the Root Carmenere!

I'm not a wine snob, in fact most of my favorite wines fall under $15 per bottle, but apparently my 'palate' is becoming more 'refined' since I did not  read anything about this bottle, sipped the wine, and told Mike it tasted like "Blackberries and Pepper"

Check the Label.

Pepper = Spice in my book. 

SPOT ON.

So a few Questions for the Day:

Do you like Wine?  Do you like to try to guess what random mix of flavors the bottle claims you should taste?

Any embarassing race photos of you floating about out there on the World Wide Web?

Any SUGGESTIONS for taking better race photos next time?  Certain 'go-to' outfits if you will?

Thanks!