Crim Race Recap: Killed it!

I killed it at the Crim today!!  It was an amazing race and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED it!  Since I ran the Crim for the first time last year, I wanted to break it down side by side.  I went to look at last year's Crim recap (when I had just started blogging) and I didn't even include the race time!  haha - who does that?? 

Overall

2010: felt like garbage after mile 4.  Hills chewed me up and spit me out.  Walked a bit; more than I'm willing to mention.  First time I experienced chub rub.  ouch.  Had to stop to tinkle on the course.  Lame. 

2011: Felt like a CHAMP!  From the first step, we treated this as a training run and it couldn't have gone better!  The miles went by so fast, I actually felt bummed about it :(  I've never had that happen before.  I was enjoying the run so much that I didn't want it to end.

Time
2010
2:06:50
405/514 age group 25-29
7179 overall
(I don't know how to find all the details of the runners from last year)

2011

1:54:30 Garmin time - the time I'm going with :)
1:56:09 chip time?!?! 99 seconds off?  what the heck?

6260/9590 overall
2595/4943 women
348/545 age group 25-29

Obviously better in 2011, by 10-12 minutes :)  I'm going with 12!! 

Hills

2010: The hills chewed me up and spit me out in pain.  Brutal.  Felt like crap.  However, ignorance is bliss and I had no idea what I was getting into.  That obliviousness was nice.

2011: From last year, I knew I had a tough course in front of me but was determined to train properly and kill it!  And that's exactly what happened!  After 11 weeks of 501 training (my running group), we've done at least 7 different hill workouts and man, did they pay off.  After the Bradley Hills, I was like "is that it?"  HA!

Injury

2010: my first Crim was the beginning of my left IT band PAIN.  Like, collapse out of the car when I get home.  Not able to walk up steps for a couple days.

2011: I bit my cheek eating my jelly beans.  Not the few I took at mile 4 or 7 on the course; the ones I ate at the after party while standing still.  Go figure.  And it hurts still!  (but nothing like an IT band problem)

Friends

2010: Drove up to Flint solo.  Shopped at Birch Run solo.  Checked in/expo/hotel solo.  Ran all by myself without talking to another human being.  LAME

2011: Drove up with a friend on Friday to shop at Birch Run, did the expo, found a great place for dinner, ran the race with her and three other 501 friends.  AWESOME!

Shopping

2010: Hit up Birch Run and found lots of back to school clothes as well as a spi-belt at the expo.  Win.

2011:  Rebecca and I hit up all the stores and tried on a lot of things and bought NOTHING.  What two women can go to an outlet mall and buy nothing?  And then hit the expo and buy nothing?!!  Unheard of!  Lame.

Can you tell how happy I am with this year's race??!!  I LOVED it!!  Can't wait for the race pics to see if I finally have a good one :)

Hope you all had a great race weekend!!