![\"13529160_1033411280027667_5991535859844494957_n\"](\"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/13529160_1033411280027667_5991535859844494957_n.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nI also got to meet one of my best-est Mississippi running buddies, too! \u00a0What a treat!<\/p>\n There were a few other people I had been wanting to meet but it just didn’t work out. \u00a0We’ll get that done another race.<\/p>\n After checking in to the hotel, we met up with a few of these friends for dinner. \u00a0We ended up eating at The Cheesecake Factory. \u00a0I’d never been to one of these before so that was fun. \u00a0After dinner, we were walking back to the hotel when we passed a Cupcake ATM. \u00a0For real! \u00a0A Cupcake ATM!!!<\/p>\n You swipe your card and then enter on the screen your selection of cupcake and toppings and then Ta-Dah~open the door on the right, and there’s your cupcake! \u00a0Brilliant!<\/p>\n Race day morning arrived very early. \u00a0MFH and I hadn’t realized that we had lost an hour due to being in a different time zone. \u00a0We had stayed up a bit later than we should have. \u00a0When that alarm went off? \u00a0Not. Fun. \u00a0Ugh.<\/p>\n I hopped out of bed and staggered into our bathroom and showered.<\/p>\n I HAVE to shower before a race. \u00a0It wakes me up. \u00a0If I don’t, I’m kind of in a fog for the whole race.<\/p>\n MFH walked me about half way to my corral and then he headed back to the hotel. \u00a0I followed the signs and directions to my corral and found it without any trouble.<\/p>\n *I’ve got to say here that this was the best organized and supported race I have EVER run. This was top notch stuff! \u00a0My kudos to the people who put on this event.<\/p>\n Everything went like clock work. \u00a08:05 I crossed the starting line, just like the pre-race email said I would. \u00a0I was impressed with the organization!<\/p>\n For a race of this size, I never did feel squished on the course. \u00a0Yes, there were people everywhere, but it wasn’t claustrophobic out there.<\/p>\n The first aid station was a little past the first mile marker. \u00a0It was warm. \u00a0It was in the upper 70’s when the starting gun went off. \u00a0They had the yellow flag flying…kind of a “Proceed with caution” flag. \u00a0I’ve learned to respect the weather when running in the heat. \u00a0By mile 5, the red flag was up. \u00a0I thought, “Oh, No! I don’t want to run a black flagged race two times in a row!”<\/p>\n To be honest, until the gun went off, I still hadn’t figured out a race strategy. \u00a0I knew about heart attack hill around mile 3 and I knew I’d have to dial it back in that area. \u00a0I decided to gut it out and try to bank some time at the beginning (which generally is a big no-no) because I knew that hill would hurt me and I didn’t know what I’d have in the tank after that hill.<\/p>\n At mile 2, my most favorite part of the race happened. \u00a0We passed a Catholic Church. \u00a0Big deal? \u00a0Well, yes!<\/p>\n See, in front of the church was the Priest. \u00a0He had a huge metal mixing bowl full of Holy Water! \u00a0He was sprinkling us with Holy Water and blessing us as we ran past. \u00a0How awesome is that!?!<\/p>\n Now, I was raised Baptist and now am Presbyterian so my knowledge of most Catholic things is pretty much non-existent, but I thought that was the coolest thing ever! \u00a0I’d never been blessed with Holy Water before! \u00a0Afterwards, I was hoping that since I wasn’t Catholic I hadn’t offended anybody or that it wouldn’t sizzle on my skin? \u00a0Hahaha!!! \u00a0Seriously, I thought it was very, very awesome!<\/p>\n That hill DID slow me down. \u00a0There wasn’t much in the way of shade on that hill. \u00a0It was hard. \u00a0I decided to power walk part of it to keep from overheating. \u00a0I knew it was warmer than when we started and some people were having some heat related troubles.<\/p>\n *Whose tummy tattled that she ate a huge pasta dinner the night before the race? \u00a0Good grief!*<\/p>\n![\"13537691_10154332737857803_4373866783902320193_n\"](\"http:\/\/w0ep.us\/TM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/13537691_10154332737857803_4373866783902320193_n.jpg\")
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