6.2

Earlier this year, we decided to return to the Capitol 10K - its been 10 years since we last ran it. I don't know how many years we ran Capitol 10K and Blue Bell Fun Run, but at least ten years before we slacked off.

Of course, I had to work the ENTIRE way to Austin and for several hours after we arrived, but it was a nice trip and we always enjoy the Four Seasons overlooking town lake. We went for a long, hot, miserable run on Friday afternoon, followed by champagne on the back patio overlooking the lake. If you've never been to this hotel, it has a spectacular "back yard" with a rolling hill down to the running path along the lake.



There's a dock for launching sculling boats and watching the bats depart the Congress Ave bridge at sunset.



They also place chimneas out on the lawn at night to make s'mores.



Sunday morning we headed over to the race, which starts on Congress Avenue near the Hyatt and Embassy Suites. If you're not familiar with this run, it is THE largest run in Texas and attracts runners from all over the state - many from out of state. This year, they had 23,000+ runners - the largest field since 1986. I shot this photo with my iPhone while we were waiting to start.



The course is challenging, because the first 3.5 miles are straight up hill, with some steep drops and climbs thrown in for good measure. You head up Congress Ave towards the Capitol, make your way around it to 15th Street and then out of downtown on Enfield Road. When you cross MoPac, you're at the half way point and it's such a good feeling. The last few miles are slightly down hill, with only a few up hill grades before reaching the Lamar bridge - and back across to the finish line. The following photos are from the Austin American Statesman website and they show the amazing number of runners this year.



Headed up Congress Avenue towards the Capitol ...



This is a cool shot from behind the statue on top of the Capitol - must have been taken later in the race when the crowd had thinned out a bit ...



Wide shot of the race winding through Veterans Drive on the way to Lake Austin Drive ...



Before the race, Jerry had mapped out his exit strategy. Since he wasn't planning to run the entire race, I headed out alone after about the first 1/2 mile. When he reached his "jumping off point", he said he felt pretty good and wanted to forge on, so he walked and ran the whole race. We're both glad we did it - as our waitress kidded us on Friday afternoon, this was a Brewer come back weekend!