This morning it was off to Trillium Brewing to run the 21st Annual Canton Road Race. The 10K option (there is both a 5K and a 10K) was the September Grand Prix race for the Thirsty Irish Runners and it was great to see so many familiar runners at the starting line and out on the course.

The race kicked off at 10AM and the clouds from earlier in the morning burned off just in time for the race which made for an added challenge as when the sun came out so did the heat. It was toasty out there on the course but it felt good to sweat a little extra while running.

The 10K kicks off from Trillium Brewing and the whole route is contained within an office/industrial park. The 10K is, in essence, a double loop of the 5K course with a couple extra stretches but the course is actually pretty nice while running. Runners run the grounds of the old Reebok headquarters and a few other stretches that add some decent shade that certainly came in handy today. There was a really nice showing of volunteers out on the course who helped direct runners and also handed out water at various spots along the course.

Before the race, there was some good chatter about the hills on the course which certainly lived up to their expectations. And because the 10K was a double loop of the 5K the same hills had to be battled twice. The hills were no joke and definitely kept the legs honest as you made your way both up and down the hills and the second time heading back up the major hill toward the 6 mile marker definitely started shredding the calve muscles.

Felt pretty strong while running today other than some persistent plantar pain that has been flaring up for months and each TIR out there cheering you on while on the double loop always helps. Finished up the Canton Road Race with a time of 58:54, good for 9:28/miles.

Here’s a finishing photo of me heading into the finish line! (I’m in the green shirt.)