Phelps Sauerkraut 20k Road Race

Today I ran the Phelps Sauerkraut 20k Road Race with a friend.  I didn't enter to race it, just to run it for fun and get a decent mid-length run in.  My friend has run it several times and was able to set a course PR by three minutes.

There is not much to say about the race.  Nothing overly exciting happened.  Our splits were consistent, the second ten kilometers were run 16 seconds faster than the first.  We maintained a nice, consistent pace throughout.  I briefly thought about running the course again to make it my long run but decided to get in line for hot dogs and sauerkraut instead.

One of the things that amused me is the different mindset of road runners and trail runners.  To be honest, I was a little nervous about the course because I kept hearing how difficult it was, with lots of hills, blah, blah, blah.  After all the time I've been spending on the trails lately the road course seemed nice and smooth and easy.  There were two decent sized uphills, but both were certainly runnable.  Even after the race people were talking about the "killer" hills.  I must have run a different course.

Also, there seemed to be water stops every mile.  I carried my 20 oz. Handheld Water Bottle.  At the 10 mile mark I grabbed 2 cups of water and added it to the bottle, just to make it a little cooler.  I guess having too many stops is better than not enough. 

I do have to say that the volunteers at the event were outstanding.  Lots of smiles and positive comments.  I tried to thank everyone along the course.  Events can not be a success without a great group of volunteers.