Yesterday I got to run a fun new race in Orange Park, the BASCA "Cape"Abilities 5k, which supports
BASCA ("Building Abilities of Special Children & Adults," their mission is to provide better living, working, educational, social
and recreational opportunities for children and adults with special
needs.)
I left the house around 6:20, which was a little later than I wanted, because my ETA was 8:15 for an 8:30 race - whoops! I was able to push it a little bit, and arrived just a smidge after 8, and got a parking spot right behind the BASCA Boutique, very close to the finish line.
I put on my sneakers and geared up, just in case the packet pickup line was too long to return to the car, but I got lucky and was able to return to the car.
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| Soft, heather grey tee |
After throwing my goody bag and tee shirt into the trunk, I hustled back to the starting line, where they'd already begun thanking sponsors and such.
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| Lots of mascots, characters, and even cheerleaders (not seen here) for photo ops |
I got my start line selfie (you can see that it's already really hot!), sang the National Anthem, and we took off.
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| My face is already very red |
The course was really loopy, and we saw the first runner after about 3 minutes. The rest of the course was uneventful. I trotted a lot, but never a full run. Not in this Florida heat.
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| BASCA residents out for a leisurely stroll |
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| Mile 1 - nice and shady |
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| Mile 2 - Much sunnier |
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| Mile 3 with the Finish Line up ahead |
Right at the finish line, I was able to pass two people. My official time was
54:55 (pace 17:40). I was last in my age group, and if I'd put on a little speed, I could have gotten a damn age group award! The two women in front of me in my age group came in at 53:18! Awwww, man!!! I was also 118th out of 128 total finishers.
I got my medal and a bottle of water, and took my finish line selfie.
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| Great medal for such a small race |
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| I did it! |
After taking everything to my car, I took my gear out of my pockets and picked up the goodie bag from packet pickup, so I could walk around the "FunFest."
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| Random swag - Water bottles, snacks, dental floss, hand sanitizer, markers and pens |
There were even tables from a local Dairy Queen with free hot dogs and Dilly Bars.
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| Grilled (not boiled) as they should be! |
The hot dog was great, but the Butterscotch was
meh. Glad it was free.
After I ate, I played a few games they had (like Ball Toss and the Lollipop Pull) before heading back to the car. I walked around the BASCA Boutique, scoring a few of my favorite Thrift Shop finds - picture frames.
Once I was done there, I headed over to Wawa to change clothes and pick up a drink.
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| It's a thing of beauty |
Oh, wait... hold up... WATERMELON lemonade? Oh, I've got to get me some of that juicy goodness (spoiler alert: this stuff is like liquid Jolly Ranchers! So. Freakin'. TASTY!!)
Anyway, after that, I headed over to the Orange Park Mall for some random JCPenney shopping, and Chick-fil-A for lunch. With not much happening at the mall, I also hit up Party City, Dollar Tree, Aldi, and yes... another Wawa... before heading home.
