52 Weeks, 52 Runs. No. 31: Short and sweet

We live just south of Boston, but you wouldn’t know it from all the time we spend gallivanting around other states. So it’s nice to occasionally do a run that doesn’t involve a 4am start, a tank of gas, and a stay at the Hampton Inn (I swear we are becoming known).

It doesn’t get more Boston than the Jim Kane Sugar Bowl, which celebrated its 25th year last week. I love an evening run. This one was still really hot though (we may as well be living in Phoenix right about now), but at least it was a tired, on-its-way-out kind of hot.

Nice night for it.

I never in my life thought I would say this, but I was so happy the event was only a 5K. After the toe-pummeling half-marathon walk and eight-miler of the past two weeks, I was ready for something easier. (Not that a 5K will ever really be easy for me.)

I had initially thought I might be able to shoot for a PR, but I think I need to put that idea on ice for a while. At least until the weather calms down – or there’s actual ice. When I started this run, I thought I was going pretty fast, but my inner pace calculator was just toying with me. It’s funny how my level of exertion doesn’t seem to change with my speed. I could be running a 13-minute mile or an eight-minute mile (never going to happen, but I thought I’d put it out there), but I’d still feel as though my lungs were about to explode out of my chest like an alien life form.

We were right along the water. I wanted to jump into it.

Thankfully, my lungs stayed in place on this sweaty eve, but I struggled to keep up the momentum. I had somehow managed to shove my black-and-blue land-of-the-giants toe into my shoe, but the throbby pain was still there. Next on the agenda: new shoes. Again!

Very flat.

It was a great route, the same one as the Marine Corps Honor Run I ran back in May. Savvy readers may recall (or you will once you click on the link) that I was uber-excited on that day as I thought I may have been able to pull off a sub-30, mostly because it said the following on the website: “This is the flattest and fastest course you will find in the Boston area. Perfect for beginner runners or for experienced runners looking for a PR!”

Ah, how young and innocent I was back then … I’d still like to do a sub-30 one of these days, but funnily enough I think I need a hill or two to pull it off. Wait, did I say that out loud?

So the Jim Kane Sugar Bowl wasn’t the place for breaking any records, but that’s OK. It was a fabulous event. There were B.Good burgers and sticks of Yasso frozen yoghurt (rapidly becoming a favorite post-race treat) to make up for my lack of skills. Also, a T-shirt gun.

Last time I ran this course, I did it a minute faster. The heat still has me in its clutches. But I’m slowly wiggling free.

The event: Jim Kane Sugar Bowl
The location: Carson Beach, Boston
The date: July 19, 2012
My time: 32.04 (pace 10.21)
Hubby’s time: 21.01 (pace 6.47)
The cause: Local charities
The T-shirt: Yellow tech shirt
The aftermath: Burgers, frozen yoghurt, Nantucket Nectars, Joos juice, Larabars, Vita Coco water, bananas. All the good stuff.