Holding up the Finish in 2020 Fashion

There have been races in the past where I've been concerned about finishing before they start taking the Finish Line down. I never thought that I'd be holding the Finish Line up for other runners to pass under. But it IS 2020, so anything can happen... including the generator that keeps the finish line blown up running out of gas just as we went to take our finish line picture. So when we saw other runners coming in for their finish, we jumped into action.

Luckily, none of the finishers were particularly tall!

Obviously, we had the opportunity to run another ACTUAL race, with some additional precautions. I am so grateful that HMF has done what they can to offer some normalcy for runners in the era of Covid. In this case, because the entire course of the Riverfront Scramble 5k goes through a park, they were able to offer an actual start and finish line for runners to cross, with timing chips and everything. Runners signed up for waves, and we started within the hour whenever we were ready. Shout out to the HMF team at the start line... when we joked about needing an air horn, they actually pulled one out and seemed SO HAPPY to have a reason to let it off, even for a short burst. The people putting on these races really do miss it just as much as us runners do!

I mean, it's called the 'Riverfront Scramble' for a reason... running the dirt paths along the Connecticut River in Hartford is almost as nice as the Farmington River Linear Trail.

In addition to the waves, runners were expected to have a mask with them, and asked to put it on if they couldn't maintain a distance from other runners, and then again at the finish line to collect their water and post-race snacks. It was me, Mandy, and Amy for this one, and we were rocking the hottest fashion trend for runners this year... our neck buffs. 

No, really, these things are hot. Luckily, we had BEAUTIFUL weather, so it wasn't too excruciating to wear them the whole time.

Once the finish line was re-inflated, we took our obligatory finish line picture... there's only going to be a few in the year 2020, so we gotta get them where we can. I'm so glad I ran this race though... as mentioned in my last entry about the Collinsville Classic, there's just something about having a set course with mile markers and an official time that makes things more motivating. When I'm out running on my own, I've noticed that my 5k time is usually 5, sometimes 10 minutes slower than when I'm on a course. But I almost didn't sign up for this one... it was only with a bit of badgering from Mandy and with Angie's permission that I went for it.

I know what you're thinking. "Ally. The opportunity for a real race (or as close to one as we can get) in 2020... and you weren't going to sign up for it? Are you feeling ok? Did you catch the Covid?" Or maybe you're wondering "Why on earth would you need your younger sister's permission to run a race?"

Both valid questions. I've been feeling great, and as far as I know, have not caught Covid-19. But I DID need Angie's permission before I was going to sign up for this race. Because after we took our finish line picture, we had to immediately head home to shower and start getting ready... for Angie's and Steve's wedding.

You can't see them in this picture, but all my years of soccer and running have made my legs look FABULOUS in heels.

Yes, we ran a race in the morning and were in our sister's wedding in the afternoon. Despite Covid making it impossible to have the party as originally planned, the happy couple decided to get married in a smaller backyard ceremony with close family. So naturally, I wanted to make sure that Angie was ok with us going for a bit of a run prior to all the festivities. There wasn't much convincing needed... since it was a smaller party with pictures starting at 1pm and the ceremony not until 4:30pm, she didn't see a reason for stopping us from running a 5k at 8am. She MAY have rolled her eyes while giving permission, but I think deep down inside, she wished she could have been running with us too. Maybe next year, Angie.

But this brings a question to mind... Which provides more relief when you taken them off: A pair of sneakers after a race, or a pair of heels after a wedding?