Kicking off our last weekend in Cincinnati until after the baby is born, was the Run Like Hell.  This  was my second time running the race, and my main goal was to beat my time from last year.  Earlier in the day, I heard a rumor that the course had been changed and that it was no longer a 5K race.  Once we started the run, I knew that this rumor must have been true.  Rather than running out to Dana Avenue, a rather busy street, to start the race, we simply started running the course in reverse.  It’s a little hard to describe, but this new route ended up cutting out over 2/10 of a mile.

Nick and I dyed our hair blue.

I started off running with my dad, but he quickly picked up the pace and I could no longer keep up. I blame this on a few things. First, I haven’t been running very much recently. Secondly, I ate too much at dinner before the race, but the Rusty Bucket is too good.  Finally, I couldn’t breathe that well, which I think was a side-effect of a recent illness I had.  Anyway, I was able to run the remainder of the race on my own pace, and actually finished with a pretty good time of 24 minutes.  I don’t think the race tracked any results, so you just have to believe me.

Me And Kim, Elton John style.

My dad ended up with a great time, under 7:30 pace. Originally he had a goal of making it under eight minute miles. Kim’s youngest brother, Nick, ran the entire race with my mom and Kim’s sister. He wasn’t able to make it through the graveyard section of the course last year, and that was his goal for this year. Meanwhile, Kim brought up the rear of the pack, but still managed to walk a good chunk of the course before it was closed off. Kim’s cousin, Patrick, who has cystic fibrosis was able to come out to the event again to hang out with family and friends. This race benefits a very worthwhile cause and I hope it continues for many more years.

Patrick and I after the race.

I stole all of these images from my mom, and more can be found here.