Possum Trot 10 - June 14, 2015

In 2009, the Possum Trot 10K was my first 10K ever.  I originally did this race because it was just before my very first Peachtree Road Race and I wanted to make sure that I could do a 10K before running the world's largest 10K.  Silly, I know, but it is true.

This course is the same course as the Chattahoochee Challenge 10K which is held in February and is a PR course for a lot of runners in the area. The course is a very flat course for the Atlanta area and runs along the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, GA with only one hill around mile 5.3ish (which you run down at mile 5.7ish).   

We got to the race pretty early, so we were able to park at the Chattahoochee Nature Center which is the most conveniently located to the start/finish area.  The only down side to this lot is that you cannot leave until the race is over since exit is at the finish line.  Other parking options included parking at a local church and walking up to the start area which is about a mile away.

I got a fun surprise when I was getting ready to head to the starting line - my friend Becky came out to cheer for us!  It is always great to have friends along the course cheering for you and motivating you to give it that last push at the finish. 

The race was a few minutes late starting because people were still coming towards the start line. We had to wait for them because if we started we would have ran over them which would be a disaster for sure.  The crowd thinned out pretty quickly because we were able to run on the entire road the first mile.  

Summer is entering with a vengeance right - IT WAS HOT!  Seriously...HOT!  Like, 74 and 99% humidity type of HOT!  I was drenched before I was a mile in!  I was seriously thankful for my handheld today.  While there were multiple water stations along the course, I like having my fluids when I needed them.  

As I approached the mile 5 marker, I heard Becky's cowbell ringing in the distance.  Can I please just say how awesome it was to see Becky and Papa J cheering for me as I started the hilly part of the course.  I was very pleased with my time - I ran my fastest time for this race and my 2nd fastest for this course (my fastest was in 40 degree weather).  

Katherine and I waiting for both of our moms to finish

Momma K pushing at the finish

The post-race area was fairly small as far as vendors went.  However, the shirt pickup and award area was at a covered pavilion which was nice.  

Of course, it would not be a Possum Trot without a photo-op with a possum!  It has now become a tradition to get our picture with the possum after the race.  Seriously, how often can you get your picture taken with a 6ft tall possum?!?!  

While it was a little bit of a slower race for me, I was quite pleased with how I ran considering I ran a 10K the day before and the weather conditions that morning.  This race holds a special place in my heart since it was my first 10K.  It is always fun to look back and see how much I have improved over the past few years.  I will definitely be back again in 2016!