We are back from New Orleans, and the Mardi Gras 5K! That’s right: we’ve got State #10 in the books, and I’m the proud owner of another shiny medal! This was a fantastic race weekend away, and I am so grateful for the opportunity. Getting to run in another location is always such a gift and experience and I would love to share that with you!
Packet Pickup
We arrived in New Orleans around noon on Friday, and were lucky enough get checked into our hotel right way. From there, we had lunch, and then took an Uber to the New Balance store in Metairie for early packet pickup as recommended. I was pretty delirious from being up since 3AM with only two hours of sleep, so not much to report from that front. We got our swag bags and shirts, and then our driver took us back to town. I put out my race outfit and tried to determine how much outerwear I would bring for the cold start line.
We had a delicious pasta dinner and then called it a night, with the sounds of jazz music playing from the street. It was kind of amazing.
Race Morning
With an 8:30AM start time, we opted to get our rideshare for 7AM. We split a Nature’s Valley granola bar, although I was still a little hungry. What can you do?
And then we just hung out until our time to run. The Mardi Gras 5K was attached to a festival called Family Gras, located right next door. There was supposed to be an early entrance for runners, with access to the live music, vendors, and fun, but the weather was making things challenging.
Instead, we meandered around the venue, used the restroom, and just tried to stay warm. I ended up wearing shorts and a tank top, with a long sleeve shirt around my waist, and gloves, just in case. In the event of rain, I brought my hat, but that was it.
Time To Go!
After the kids’ fun run, we all lined up at the start line. The race director asked for the 6 minute per mile or faster runners to come to the front, but everyone else just filled in where they were. This meant I was way closer to the front than I would have liked. Oops.
They played the National Anthem and we were off.
The Mardi Gras 5K
In the interest of honesty, this was not the prettiest, most scenic or most interesting course in the world. We ran about a mile down the main road, turned left for just over half a mile, turned around and ran back the way we came. It was mostly flat, and the roadway was unobstructed and plenty wide enough for the runners. Along the way, there were plenty of volunteers and two water stops. I passed on both of those.
I started out way too fast (for me), and struggled in that first mile. To add insult to injury, my shorts started falling down and I had to knot the drawstring while running and not tripping over myself! Boo! But I solved that problem and kept pushing.
Every time I wanted to give up and walk, I told myself to hang on for a count of 20, then 40, then 100. And I kept doing that to the finish line. Even though it was cold, and threatening to rain, it was super humid and I had a hard time breathing.
I crossed the finish line with another post-injury PR! No negative splits this time but my overall time was significantly better. I’ll take it!
The Finish Line
I collected my medal and a branded towel, and then I waited for Mr PugRunner. He came in a few minutes behind me, which meant it was time to celebrate!
The race offered slices of King Cake and free beer, and I was so ready for it!
We hung out for a while, waiting for the Family Gras to open, but they were super delayed. It was fun just milling around and taking it all in, but then some rain drops fell, so we decided to get a car and head back to the hotel before we got stormed on.
Final Thoughts
First of all: STATE #10!!!! Huge! So exciting!
Second of all: a new PR for this stage of life. I’m also not terribly far off my overall PR, and I feel myself getting closer with every attempt. This is, again, such a boost of confidence, and I love it.
All in all, it was a good race for me. Yes, I could have been more conservative at the start, but it worked out for the 5K distance.
We were a little bummed that Family Gras was postponed, but with the weather, I can’t blame them. It did take the race from something super unique to just a regular, local 5K, but these things happen. To make up for it, we got fancy coffee and beignets at the hotel coffee shop, and that made it better.
What gives you confidence after a race? Do you prefer “regular” race events, or big production with lots of attached events?
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Congratulations!! Well done for doing it without any walking breaks! That counting method is a great idea.
I also like that you have “stage of life PRs”. Do you do it by decade?
LOL! It sort of just occurred to me. I had a really long break from running/racing because of my broken ankle and COVID, back to back. I still have a record of all those times, but it’s almost like I was really starting over. I don’t know that I will ever get back to pre-surgery times (not that they were fabulous), so this seemed like a fair way to keep myself motivated.
Congrats! That is so exciting to get to state #10 AND to get a post-injury PR! Too bad about the weather, but I’m sure it was still a fun city to visit!
It was all good things! And yes, so fun! The weather was a bummer but we managed.
Congrats on state #10! That is such a fun goal to have. Sorry about your shorts, I know that was frustrating. It sounds like you had a great race though and congrats on your new PR, that is great!
I live just outside of Nashville so I am hoping to do some bigger races this year but it is a bit intimidating! Trying to reframe that thought as exciting instead…
Guess who hasn’t ever run in tennessee…. This girl! I would love to race Nashville!
Love to see you and your hubs doing a race together. He looks great! Sounds like running is going well for you right now 🙂 We did the RnR New Orleans in 2019 it was a fun city for a weekend away but as you said, not the prettiest place to run. Congrats to you both
He has worked really hard to stay healthy after his crisis. I wish he wouldn’t run as much (outside isn’t great for him), but he has to come to that on his own.
Was RnR in the actual city? I would have loved running in the French Quarter and Garden District! A street in Metairie was not it lol!
Wow, congratulations! A post-injury PR, that’s huge. I love that your husband ran it too!
I like your mental strategy for hanging on- count to 20, then 40, then 100, repeat. It’s soooo mental- and if you had stopped to walk, you would have regretted it later. We can always do more than we think!
I was hurting. It was so humid and my body was not having it. But it worked, and I will shamelessly use that strategy again for as long as it serves me. It’s what I did the race before last to get me up and over the bridges/hills.
Congrats. That’s awesome about the PR.
I bet if you let yourself walk you would negative split. Or that’s only me. I’m older.
I like both kinds of races. And it depends if I’m alone or with others. Alone I’d just run and leave. With others it’s fun to hang out.
So what’s next? Can’t wait to see.
My big problem is that I slow down too much when I walk. We will see how the next few weeks go. I’ve done intervals forever, so you know I don’t mind.
Next up is probably the Gate River Run 15K. I might toss in one more before that but we will see.