Baltimore Women's Classic 2012

Yesterday morning, I trekked out very early for my second Baltimore Women's Classic.  This was my favorite 5k of 2011, and they again delivered a great race.

I rode with my sister and her boyfriend into the city bright and early.  We got there extra early to be sure we had enough time to park and pick up our packets.  Last year, the BWC goody bag was amazing!  Since it was my first race, I did not know it then, but the goody bag really was way better than any other.  This years goody bag was bright purple with lime writing.  It content's were really great, but not as good as last year.  We got some really cool stuff this year--including olive oil, Luna Bar, sun glasses, chap stick, Emergen-C, and lots of coupons/fliers.  We also picked up our race shirts.  This year's race shirt is lime with purple writing.  I love it!

The BWC organizers really know how to get the crowd pumped!  An hour before the race, they had a DJ pumping the tunes.  A half hour before the, a local fitness celebrity lead a warm up of Zumba and dancing.  I made a quick trick to the bathroom, and then it was time to hit the starting line.  After a year of racing, I have learned that people do not really honor the suggested starting place based on pace.  I started in the ten minute mile pace group and that suited me well.  By no means was I in the front of the pack, but I did avoid that bottle neck at the beginning and I did keep up with the crowd.

What I love most about this race is the course!  It highlights all of the most beautiful parts of the city.  You run past the art museum, Federal Hill, lots of cute city neighborhoods, then end running right along Baltimore's famous and beautiful inner harbor.

The heat was on yesterday for the race! By 8 am, it was 87 degrees and very humid.  I was hoping to get a PR for this race, but once I felt the heat and humidity, I gave myself some slack.  Heat and humidity really affect me, making me nauseous and dizzy.  I did not want to experience this at my favorite local race, so I really took it easy and enjoyed the race.

The Baltimore Women's Classic makes each runner feel special.  By around mile 2.5, spectators line up and start cheering the runners on.  After crossing the finish line, each runner is handed an ice cold BWC logo towel, a bottle of water and a rose.  After you get out of the shoot, there was tons of food!  There was Pinera Bread  bagels, water melon, chips, oranges, Cabot cheeses, bananas and more.  After getting something to eat and drink, I hung out with my sister and my friend Jen for a while.  We watched the awards assembly and then headed home.

I am so glad I did the Baltimore Women's Classic for a second time.  It is still my favorite 5k.  Do you have any races you do year after year?

A dream is a wish...

--Amy