Race Report: iRecycle 5K

[caption id="attachment_1314" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo courtesy of PACE Magazine[/caption]

Race prep begin the moment I started Thursday's run. I wanted a run that wasn't easy (easy runs before a race have never worked) but wasn't going to leave me too fatigued for the race either so I decided to do three 5 minute intervals at 9:30 pace with 2 minute recovery walk. That's only 15 minutes of moderately hard running plus 17 minutes of easy running/walking for my warm up, recoveries and cool down. It worked perfectly as I was tired afterwards but feeling like I could do more, much more. I then spent a good 30 minutes afterwards, stretching and using the foam roller. Friday, I made a goal to stay clear from all soft drinks, fried foods and junk food and to make sure I drank plenty of water. Pre-race dinner was pizza, yes, pizza. I went to bed at 10 pm, pretty much my regular time and woke up at 6:15 am. Got up and did some light stretching, drank a Boost High Protein and was out the door by 7 am.

I arrived at the race site around 7:30 am which was a good thing because the nearby parking spots were filling up fast! I pretty much sit in my car until 7:50 am just to keep warm. I spent the next 15 minutes doing a short warm up jog and more light stretching as a means to keep my body warm instead of standing around and shivering like everyone else. At 8:10 am, I lined up somewhere in the middle of the pack knowing the fast down hill start would cause many to go out way too fast and there was no point getting caught up in that. At 8:14 am we were off which sort of caught me by surprise since we started a minute early.

And to give you a comparison of how accurately and well executed my race plan went, here it is. I came up with this plan the evening prior and visualized every section.

SECTION	MY RACE PLAN	WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
Downhill Start (0.0 - 0.6)	Everyone is probably going to start out too fast with the down hill start so stick to an 8:30 - 9:00 pace and not any faster! You're legs will thank you by the time you hit the trail.	I stayed relaxed, let my body warm up and resisted the temptation to run faster than an 8:30 pace.
Cottonwood Trail (0.6 - 1.4)	I've ran this trail a dozen times so use it to my advantage! Stay under a 10 min pace and don't walk until I reach the water stop.	Once I entered the trail, everyone seemed to slow down to above a 10 min pace so I knew I had to do some passing which isn't easy on a narrow trail but after about 1-2 mins and passing 2-3 runners, I found myself right in my desired 9:30 - 9:55 pace and kept it there.
Trail Exit & Water Stop (1.4)	Target time: 13 mins. Get water and walk 60" even if I don't need to. Prepare my mind for the hills. Say positive mantras.	Actual time: 12:57. Right on target! Perfect so far. I actually didn't feel the need to walk but I was like, "stick to the plan, stick to the plan" and forced myself to walk 60" through the water stop.
Hills (1.5 - 2.2)	These two hills will be pure torture. If it becomes too much, switch to 45 strides, 30" walking. Target time at the top: 22 minutes.	About 30" into the first hill, it already started to suck so I immediately switched to 45 strides, 30" walking. There was a short downhill between the two hills that I used to recover and make up some time. The second hill was much longer and harder but I stuck to the game plan of 45 strides, 30" walking to get up it. At the top, I checked my watch...23:16. Okay so I'm only 1:16 off but I'm still in this!
Downhill (2.2 - 2.6)	Recover for 60" then fly down the hill at whatever pace feels comfortably hard.	Ran down this hill averaging around a 9 min pace which felt pretty darn good knowing the hardest part of the course was over! Passed several runners who were walking after running non-stop up the hill which is always a confident booster that I played it smart.
Short up hill (2.6 - 2.8)	It's short and short hills are easy!	Okay, it was far from easy and I went back to using 45 strides, 30" walking where everyone else was walking at this point. Again, passing more runners...awesome!
Turn onto Dupree (2.8)	Target time: 30 mins	Actual time: 30:30...wow, did I just make up that much time on that downhill! Feeling great! I can do this, I can and will meet my goal of under 34 mins!
Final stretch (2.8 - 3.1)	It's down then up. On the down hill, take it easy, resist the temptation to go faster too early, save that energy for the up hill, you will need it!	Just as predicted. The down hill felt great, I wanted to go faster as another runner got right next to me and we were stride for stride but as we started up the final hill towards the finish, I was glad I held back as I barely had enough to stay under an 11 min pace and had nothing left for a kick at the end.
FINISH	Target time: 33:59 or faster! It's only a 'B' race, the goal is not to PR but run a smart race and not my fastest!	Actual time: 33:16. It can't get any more perfect than that! I finished strong and with confident which is exactly what I need going into the next 2 weeks of training and into my 'A' race, the Spinx 5K.

This may be a bit overkill and probably way too much planning for most but I have to say one thing, it works! Two 'C' races with absolutely no planning and I struggled through each race and ended up with slow and frustrating times and felt like I would never find my speed again. Then I planned out 2 weeks of smart training and this race plan and suddenly end up going from a 36:00 to 33:16 5K in just 2 weeks time. Now you tell me if I'm crazy or if this is overkill?

Race Report: Plaque Busters 5K

[caption id="attachment_1254" align="alignright" width="224"] 3rd Place in Age Group[/caption]

This was my first running race since March and I really wasn't expecting much. It was more of a "fun run" to determine where I'm currently at in my running. This race was in John's Creek, GA so I knew there would be hills and yes there were plenty of hills. The short ones didn't really seem that big of a deal but it was the long ones that proved to be too much for me to handle. First 2 miles, I ran the best I ever had but that third mile with the 1/2 mile steep up hill that got the best of me.

Still, with this being a 1st annual race and not knowing if my slow time would stand, I decided to stick around for awards anyway because as I've learned these smaller, low key races, you just never know who will show up and who won't. I got lucky and the fast runners didn't show up and I ended up surprisingly placing 3rd in my age group. It may not of been my best race by a long shot but a top 3 age group finish is still a top 3 age group finish, right? Well, I at least think so!

Race Report: Palmetto Hearts 5K

With severe allergy symptoms (sneezing, running nose, itchy throat), I almost decided not to do this race but it was for a great cause. It benefited Palmetto Hearts who serves and supports South Carolinian’s touched by Congenital Heart Defects and Diseases. Believing individuals’ and families’ needs vary as greatly as the CHDs affecting them, we offer several types of support—emotional, informational, social, and financial. Through such efforts, we hope to share the trials and celebrate the joys of loving someone with a CHD.

So I went with no real goal or race plan in place, just finish. I arrived at the race site about 45 mins before the start of the race and there was already a single line for pre-registrations. The line took forever! I don't know why they didn't split the line by last name but it took nearly 20 mins for me finally get my number and packet pickup. I don't think they expected the high turnout, over 250 runners and walkers for an inaugural race is pretty darn great and I love that so I didn't really mind that the start was delayed because of that.

The race started around 9:15 and the first mile which is all downhill was pretty easy. I kept it at a nice relaxed pace knowing about the hill in the second mile but I still ended up having to walk partially up that hill. Did good going down it through and to the start of the last mile. At that point I was having a hard time breathing and really struggling to maintain my pace so I reverted back to what my coach told me and did 45 strides with 30 rest. Of course going up hill that even prooved to be tough. At one point I felt like I was going to throw up but luckily I didn't. I finally made it to the finish line but much slower than I would liked. Oh well, like I said, I didn't really have a goal knowing that my allergies would be slowing me down.

Mile 1 - 9:34
Mile 2 - 10:52
Mile 3 - 12:53

Official time = 34:48 (11:04 average pace)

Overall: 95th out of 258

Age Group: 8th out of 30

Race Report: Reedy River 5K

I ran this race with my brother, his 2nd 5K but first "real" race. We decided to start near the middle because I thought it would be a good place to start but boy I was so wrong. Even though it's in big bold letters in the email that is sent out that walkers should start in the back, they still started way up front. There were so many walkers and slower runners it took me nearly 1/2 mile to finally get into my race pace, but by then I was already way off my goal pace and had a lot of making up to do.

Shortly after we hit the first hill and was steeper and longer than any of the hills I train on, but surprising I flew up it  without breaking pace, passing others that already gave into walking. Mentally it was a huge confidence boost considering I'm normally the one getting past on hills. Once I got to the top of the hill, I saw my brother up ahead who got out to a faster start. I resisted the urge to run faster to catch up to him and instead stuck to my comfortably hard pace. I ended up catching and passing him on the second hill. By then, I realized this course is much tougher than I anticipated it would be but I was determined to give it everything I had no matter what. Every hill I would make it up about half way and then give into walking, my brother would catch up to me but there was no way I was going to let him pass me so I would start running again.

There was a nice downhill section and I took full advantage of it. I didn't slow down to recover as I normally do and instead sped up to keep the same comfortably hard pace. There were two more hills to get up and over but that last one, I thought my lungs were going to explode but there was no way I was giving up now. I glanced at my watch which read 29:29 with about a quarter mile to go. I knew I wasn't going to make it under 30 minutes but it didn't keep me from continuing the effort I had held all race long. Once I made the final turn and could see the finish line, I tried to go into a sprint but there was just nothing left in my legs. It felt like the longest stretch of road ever, what felt like 10 minutes was really only 90 seconds. I crossed the finish line 31:57, my brother right behind me 9 seconds later. I'm pretty happy with my time given I never previewed the course and had no idea how bad the hills would be and a significant improvement over January's 5K which was a much easier course.

Overall Results: 734 / 1,592

Women: 312 / 900

Age Group (30-34): 44 / 112

Race Report: Race for the Grasshopper 5K

This was my third year running in the Race for the Grasshopper 5K and my worst. Over the past few months, I've slowly lost my motivation for running. And now with a full-time job and limited daylight hours, it's just been way too easy to say "I'll run later" but later never happens.

I went into this race with very little training and honestly wasn't expecting much. The weather was great for January, low 50s. Much better than the last 2 years. I can remember standing at the start line waiting for the gun to go off and feeling nothing. No adrenaline, no nervousness, nothing. It was just one big group run where I didn't know a single person. To me, it felt like another solo run, another 5K without my husband supporting me or friends cheering me on. Why am I even here, running this race? I just didn't want to be there and sure as heck didn't feel like running.

The gun went off and I started running at an easy pace to get warmed up but it wasn't even a half mile in until I got a really bad side stitch. I tried to slow down but it just wouldn't go away. I pushed through the last mile which felt like it was twice as long as the first two miles just wanting to finish and get this race over and done with. I crossed the finish line in 33:37, pretty slow for that course.

Once I finished, I learn one important thing, I absolutely hate continuous running and prefer longer distances using run/walk method. Ironically my 9 miler last week felt easier than today's 5K and am probably not going to do that many 5Ks this year and instead focus solely on triathlons.

Race Report: Jingle Bell 5K

Honestly, I really wasn't expecting to do well. I ran the course (actually doubled it so I could get my long run in at the same time) the past two weekends but struggled both times with 12-13 min miles so I thought my chances of a sub 35 minute 5K were slim and decided to just forget about a time goal and just go out there and have fun in the mud (it rained the night before).

The weather was fairly mild for December, overcast and low 50s, perfect running weather! There wasn't that many runners so I could of lined up just about wherever I wanted but decided near the back was where I wanted to be since it forces me to start out slow.

The first two miles of the race, I felt fantastic. My legs felt great, my breathing under control and for the first time, I was perfectly dressed for the weather. Just after the 2 mile mark, my legs starting feeling heavier and heavier and my breathing was becoming more labored. I tried to keep running as long as possible, slowing down and focusing on my breathing but eventually I had to walk. I kept this run/walk thing pretty much until I hit the final quarter mile which happens to be on the road at a slight uphill. It's not steep but you definitely feel it. After running on soft dirt, sand and hay, the hard asphalt made my legs feel like they were bricks. But I was determine to make it up and over that hill because I knew the last tenth of a mile was all downhill. I gave it all I had that last quarter mile and to my surprise I finished just shy of 33 minutes, way better than I expected! W00t, w00t!

I'm still waiting for the official results and pictures to be posted and once they are I will update this post.

Race Report: Candlelight 5K

Considering I haven't ran since June 9th and helped my husband for 5+ hours earlier today shoveling and spreading white rock and brick edging to our backyard, I couldn't of asked for a better race. I was so tired when we got done with our landscaping project, that I almost decided against doing this race. But I love night races, mainly because I love evening running and there just isn't many night races to choose from around here. Plus unlike last year, the weather was actually pleasant. Mid to low 70s felt pretty darn cool after weeks in the 90s.

But, I beat last year's time of 37:00 with a time of 32:07 (unofficial) this year so yea, big improvement over last year but it's always better when you know what to expect! But if my unofficial time is correct, this will be my third fastest 5K. Of course I always tend to do better in impromptu races that I really didn't train for. If I keep focusing on my goal to have fun and just enjoy myself out there, then I usually do much better then when I'm being competitive and chasing a PR. Oh and I just about made it up that entire hill without walking. That hill is so freakin' long that you never think it's going to end! Of course once you hit the turnaround and come down it, well that's the fun part!

Oh and how can I forget to mention the issue with the porta-potties...they never got delivered! So, it was quite the nightmare with only 2 bathroooms....the line was a good 45+ mins long!

Mile Splits: 10:12, 10:50, 9:50, 1:16 (7:45)

Race Report: Swamp Rabbit 5K

I don't even know where to begin with the race but one word will sum it up: TERRIBLE.

This has to be by far my worst race experience ever! It was 6:30pm on a Friday night and of course, trying to leave work on Friday is already hard to do. Once I got there, I had to park what seemed to be a half mile away from packet pickup table which made me wish I took advantage of early packet pickup and already had my race number and t-shirt (oh well, live and learn).

As we lined up, I quickly realized just how crowded this race was going to be. I wanted to avoid walkers and slower runners so I decided to start in the 7-9 min pace group in hopes to avoid them. Wrong, I ran right into the back of this one women who after just a quarter of a mile was already walking. Then there was a lot of constant weaving around slower runners and trying to avoid potholes (which I missed one time and nearly twisted my ankle (it was fine).

It was hot and humid and I was in desire need of a water stop but once I came up on, there was a long line. I waited for a good minute and when I realized I wasn't going to get a sip of water anytime soon, I just kept going. Little did I know between that and the next was a killer quad burning hill!

Now I was wishing I had taken my fuel belt. By the time we hit the Swamp Rabbit Trail (a narrow paved trail), I was hoping it would thin out some...wrong! Now I was getting elbowed, triped and pushed off the path. Some areas would become so bottled neck and slow that my Garmin auto-paused a few times.


Needless to say I finished in a miserable time of 36:59. I haven't ran a 5K that slow since my first few months of running last year. Anyways, once I crossed the finish line, the misery didn't end there and I'm going through what seemed to be the longest chute ever, I'm looking around for the volunteers handing out water. To my shock, they are handing out shot cups of water and there is a long long line for it! WTF! Now I'm just pissed off. Thirsty, tired, hot and dizzy, I use what little energy I have left to stumble to my car that seems like it's now 2 miles away and head home with absolutely no desire and no way I'm doing that race ever again!

Race Report: Skirt Chaser 5K

This was a unique race where women got a 3 min head start over the guys. So I went in with a completely different strategy...well not really a strategy but more of a let's see what happens if I go as hard as I can from the start until the first guy catches up to me and then do whatever from that point on.

The women lined up but not many wanted to be in the front so I took this opportunity to see what that's like for the first time as I normally line up somewhere in the middle of the pack. The race started out with 2 laps around the track and those two laps I averaged a very fast 7:30 pace which I didn't even know I could do that and wasn't even all that winded, sure I was breathing hard but not out of breath.

Once I exited the track and hit the grass then asphalt, I had slowed down to a more reasonable 9:30 pace and as I was just about to hit the 1 mile mark when the first guy had caught up and passed me.

And that's when things started getting really difficult and was really feeling the effects of starting out way too fast but I didn't care. For the first time, I got to experience what it felt like to run in 5th place even if it was just for the first 1/2 mile.

Anyways back to mile 2...it was a real struggle as there was a long steep hill took all the energy I had left and the last mile felt like it was 5 miles long! I walked a lot that last mile and that's where I lost all my time too. The last tenth mile was on the infield of the track and going from asphalt to grass when you have nothing left is extremely difficult. The grass felt like mud and I felt like I had to use even more energy just to keep running. Still I had a blast even with the 100% humidity...yes 100% humidity, there were dark clouds above but it never did open up although I don't think I would of minded!

Race Report: Race for Missions 5K

This was designated as a "fun run" meaning I didn't really care where I finished or about sitting any sort of PR. Heck, I didn't even treat this race serious and wasn't really watching my nutrition or hydration much. It was simply a race to have fun, plus my brother was going to run it with me, which this was his first 5K.

I drove the neighborhood where the race to be held and knew it was probably going to be a very challenging run with all the steep hills and that's about all the preparation I spent going into this race.

It was a somewhat chilly morning but was sort of glad it was on the cool side as I hadn't been able to get many warm weather runs in. At 9am, we were off. The first mile was mostly flat and went up and down short gradual rolling hills. By mile 2, the hills were being felt in my legs and my lungs. Mile 3 was a tough one as was the final uphill to the finish.

However despite this being a "fun run" and not taking this race seriously, I still ended up with a new PR by 14 secs. So what can I say, overall it was a great race and hope to do it again next year!

Anniversary Run

Today begins the 2nd year of running for me. This time last year I started with week 1, day 1 of the Couch to 5K program mainly because there was a sign about a 5K run/walk just 1.5 miles from my house. I passed this sign every day and decided to go for it. Yea, I only had 3 weeks but it was a run/walk so I didn't really care where I finished or if I had to walk most of it.

Well I finished that race in 47:30 which is a 15:17 average pace. It's a hard out and back course with a very steep down and up section. The first mile is down hill which makes the last mile all up hill. Today, I decided to do the very same run, although this time it wasn't a race but merely an all out training run...max effort. The weather conditions were almost identical at high 60s and sunny with very little breeze at 10 am. I decided to take on the first mile at a pretty decent pace...not too easy but not too hard either knowing the 2nd half was going to take a lot more energy. First mile, 9:11 which is a really fast mile for me! The 2nd mile was the steep down and up and I ran downhill, walked uphill. Then the dreaded 3rd mile...steep uphill and then gradual uphill the rest of the way. OMG...it was just as hard as it was a year ago! But I finished in 36:05 (11:36 pace) which is 11 mins faster so it's a really great way to see how far I've come in just 1 year.

Next Saturday, I will be racing in a church sponsored 5K in a neighborhood that is very hilly. It should be interesting if today's efforts will help with that race and I really have just one goal in mind...beat my brother who is not a runner. (His goal is to beat me). So we'll see.

Today's Workout: 5K Simulated Race
Today's Weather: 64-68°F, Sunny, 3mph Breeze

5K Personal Best!

This is the days that I absolutely love running! The days when everything just falls into place and you run the best you ever have ran.

I felt pretty much crappy the entire day and running seemed like the last thing I felt like doing. But I made myself go since my last run was on Monday and didn't have much expectations for this run except to finish 3 miles no matter how long it took me.

The weather was perfect, low 60s and mostly cloudy so warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt. The first 1/2 mile, I struggled a little bit but then everything started to feel really good. I started to feel like I had energy and was able to keep a consistent pace the first mile. The second mile was even better and faster than the first! The third mile had that steep hill which I did NOT have to walk up this time. Instead I was able to push through it and continued on running.

This is probably only the third time I have actually been able to run 3.1 miles continuously without taking a single walk break and a personal best. It did come in a training run and not an actual race but that's okay. 3.1 miles is still 3.1 miles no matter if it's in training or a race.

Weather: 64°F Mostly Cloudy, Light winds
Workout: 3 mile run - 31:41 (10:12 pace)

Race Report: Jog for a Cause 5K

This was my first GA road race and I opted to go with the 5K since I just did the Reedy River Run 10K the previous Saturday.

I also chose this race because it's close to where my parent's live. We arrived at the race location around 7:20am and it was much chiller than I had prepared for. I did my warmup jogs and stretches and at 7:55am, we all lined up at the start. They had 5Kers and 10Kers start together which I found odd because this race was not chipped time so middle of the pack runners such as myself had no idea where the starting line actually was.

This course was advertised as flat and fast so I expected it to be just that, flat. Because it was an out-of-state race, I didn't get to drive the course ahead a time. So expecting it to be fairly flat, I went out a little faster than I normally do on hilly courses. I was doing great until we hit that hill around 2 miles and factor in a strong headwind and it took a lot out of me. So much that I had to take frequent walk breaks. It's a bummer too because I was right on pace with a 5K PR until I hit that darn hill and headwind.

I finished (officially) in 34:06. But my Garmin measured it as a 3.24 course and my GPS 5K time was 33:33 so it wasn't a bad run at all. It's my 3rd fastest 5K time so I can't really complain. I will complain about the lack of explanation about what to do with the card they gave you at the finish line. It took me about 10 mins to realize I was suppose to fill it out and put it in the appropriate gender and age basket at the score table. Like I said, the race should be chipped time. Relying on runners to remember and fairly write their own time on a card seems crazy. Especially since the 10K was a peachtree qualifier.

Post-race, they had a nice selection of food but no water (at least I didn't see any), just powerade which was okay with me. But with the wind picking up and the sun hiding behind clouds, it felt like the temperature was dropping.

Weather: Mid 40s, mostly cloudy and windy.
Course Conditions: Wet

Back on Track, Sort Of

It's been 5 days since I went on my last run which was a slow and painful 3 miles. The last few days I have suffered from severe lower back pain which I think was in part of trying to walk my brother's 90 lbs German Shepherd. It wasn't her pulling but her stopping suddenly that I think did it in for me and then the tugging to get her moving again.

Tuesday, I decided to give inline skating a go for the first time in probably over 5 years. That helped worked my glutes and thighs while keeping my back from hurting as much. In fact, I think it helped loosen it up. I'm definitely going to incorporate more inline skating as a form of cross-training along with cycling once the weather warms up.

But today, I decided to try a short and easy 5k run on my normal neighborhood loop. I started the first mile at what I felt was a very easy pace only to realize I clocked a 10:39 first mile, must faster than my usual "easy pace". I felt really good and had no lower back pain so I kept going only to clock an even faster 10:07 2nd mile. At 2.3 miles, I hit the first steep uphill and decided to just walk up it and for a little while to catch my breath some. With 1/2 mile left to go, I started jogging again, this time clocking a slower 11:13 third mile. With about .2 miles left to go, I started to get a painful side stitch which prevented me from finishing strong as I normally do but to my surprise, I finished in 33:01, just 34 secs slower than my 5K personal record and I wasn't even trying to run fast! It felt good to get a great run in, especially since the last week and half hasn't gone as plan.

Then when my husband got home from work, we went on a 1.5 mile walk around the block so I got in a total of 4.6 miles today. Woohoo!

I'm planning to get back on my half marathon training on Sunday and with temps expected to be in the low 60s, I'm super excited!

Today's Workout: 5K Run - Easy Pace
Weather: 55°F, Sunny, Winds NNE 8mph

Race Report: Race for the Grasshopper 5K

I woke up to extremely cold temperatures...well for upstate South Carolina. It was about 19° but felt like 9° according to the local news channel. Brr..I was prepared for this race to suck. I told myself, no sense on trying for a PR, it's too cold and with so many layers on, highly unlikely. I arrived at the Battlefield around 9:00am, an hour before race time, picked up my packet and sit in my car for about 30 mins trying to stay warm. At 9:30 I started my pre-race ritual and at 9:50am, jogged my way to the starting line. It was cold standing their waiting for the gun to go off even though it was only for about 5 mins.

Runners, ready set...bang! And we were off! At a very fast pace too. At the 1/2 mile mark, I glanced down at my watch and saw I was going an 8:30 pace...wow! I never run that fast unless I'm doing speed work, so I decided I better slow my pace down to 9:30 if I want to finish this race strong. I also noticed how quickly I warmed up and was so glad I shed those top layers I had on during my warm up jog. I would of been way too hot if I kept them on. At 22° with a real feel at 17° at the start, it's hard not to overdress but glad I resisted the temptation to layer more than I did.

At mile 1, I was feeling pretty good but my legs were a starting to get tired from going out too fast. I wanted to maintain a 10:00 pace but I was slowing down to more like a 10:30 pace but still managed to do a 9:30 first mile.

At mile 2, my split was 20:21. About 90 secs faster than I expected to be at this point so I just continued on with a 10:30 pace, taking 30 sec walk breaks when needed which was only two. Around 2.8 miles, I decided to give it that final push, knowing the end was near. It was a downhill then an uphill the final tenth of a mile. Once I could see the clock and watched as it went from 31:59 to 32:00, I knew I had a PR and was really able to savor those final yards and finished in 32:25...about 90 secs faster than my previous PR of 33:57.

At the finish, they had apple slices, bananas and coffee although I really wish they had hot chocolate as I'm not a coffee drinker.

It felt great to finish this race. In the cold and with two layers on and still able to PR! Although I wasn't sure if I would win a "grasshopper" (a cannon), I thought I may have a slim chance but wasn't sure so I stuck around to find out.

At 11:30, they finally tallied up the results. It felt like forever standing out in the cold for so long and not really moving much. I was tempted to just forget it and leave but I didn't. To my surprise, I came in 3rd in my age group. This is my first age group award and a new personal record so I was ecstatic! So despite it being so dang on cold, it was a great race! I can't wait for next year...I just hope it's a bit warmer.

Race Report: Spinx Runfest 5K

This was my biggest race as in number of participants and I knew I would be more nervous than usual. I didn’t sleep well the night before with anticipation for this event. My husband went with me (I always like when he goes although I know it’s probably boring for him) and we got there a little after 8am where I met up with the other iRUNners.

At 8:50am we lined up and there were a lot of runners, around 800 I think. I decided to start near the back for two reasons, so I could avoid getting caught up in running a faster pace than I had planned and second, I figured if I starting passing other runners, it would give me confidence and I was right. I have never had a 10:46 mile that felt so “easy”. I seriously felt like I ran only a half mile. Then the course went downhill where I knew I had to take it easy to prepare me for the uphill climb to the finish. I did walk some although I probably didn’t need to and realized racewalking was actually causing me to waste more energy than it was saving.

By the time I got to 2.5 miles, I started to get super nervous about entering the stadium. My legs began to feel like jello by the time I entered but the moment I did, I felt fine and even got this extra surge to run faster and ended up passing about 5 people in the last tenth mile. Talk about being nervous for nothing, it was the best part of the entire race! Needless to say if I actually gave it 100%, I would of had another PR easy but it doesn’t matter though, I wanted to run this race for fun and enjoy the atmosphere. Even with the cool misty conditions, the weather was actually quite perfect for running and was comfortable in shorts and my iRUN tee.

My gun time was 35:28 (11:25 pace)  and my chip time was 34:49 (11:13 pace), still my 2nd fastest 5K and I’m happy with that considering I didn’t give it everything I had. Next up on my calendar is probably an 8K on November 21. It will be my first 8K. I’m still undecided on whether I will actually run this race. It will depend on how I’m feeling and the weather and will decide 36 hours before the race.

Race Report: iRecycle 5K

I wanted to use this race as a trial for the Spinx 5K since it consisted of both a half marathon and 5K that shared parts of the course just like the Spinx race will. The pre-race ritual for me starts 24 hours prior with no junk food and no sodas and spaghetti for dinner. I woke up at 6:15am the morning of the race and immediately went outside to get an idea of what I should wear. To my surprise, it felt very warm, more like August and not October! It was 68° with 93%  humidity which made it feel more like 74° so I knew it was shorts and a tank top.

We (my husband went with me) arrived around 7:15am and I had an hour before my race started. I got my bid number and timing chip and went back to the car since it was starting to rain (it stopped 5 mins later). At 7:45am, I started stretching and warming up, at 8:00am, the half marathoners took off and at 8:10am, they had the 5Kers line up. Learning from previous races I decided to start more towards the front this time so I wasn’t zig zagging through slower runners. At 8:15am, we were off. The first mile felt great, my split was 9:46. I started the second mile and that’s when the half marathoners started to join us for about 1/2 mile. I was feeling really good until we approached a somewhat steep hill at 1.6 miles. I tried to keep running up it but as my pace got slower and slower and I just found myself walking up the hill. Once I got to the top, I could feel it in my legs and I found it really hard to start running again. I tried to zone out and think about something other than how I was feeling. I concentrated on my breathing but I was struggling to get it back under control. My goal for mile 3 was to stay under a 12 min pace which is exactly what I did. Once I hit the final stretch and saw the clock at 33:42, I told myself I can do this, I can finish under 34 mins and ran as fast as I possibly could towards the finish line. I wasn’t sure if I made it under 34 but it still felt great to finish around 34 minutes after finishing more than 37 minutes in my previous five 5Ks.

I got home and it wasn’t probably 4 hours later, I got the email with the link to the results. 33:57! I did it, I finished under 34 minutes. I knew I could of done better if it wasn’t so humid. A few times during the race, I felt really hot and started to get dizzy and had to slow down and even walk some to allow my body to cool down. Maybe just maybe the weather will be perfect for the Spinx 5K on October 31. I hope so.

Race Report: Free to Play 5K

My fifth 5K race this year. This race was actually a last minute decision to enter. I had plans on entering then decided not to and then about a week out decided to just do it anyway. It was a cross country double loop course at the North Spartanburg Baseball Complex. To make matters worse it was quite chilly with a light drizzle.

I arrived about 45 mins early like I always do to give myself 20 mins to warm up and 10 mins to stretch after registering.

Mile 1 – Went well, it started with a slight uphill before going downhill then around the baseball fields. At first it didn’t seem so tough to run in wet grass until I hit some really wet spots.

Mile 2- Started struggling really bad with heavy jello leg feelings. It took everything I had to pick them up and take a step forward. At this point, I was questioning myself on why I even was doing this race.

Mile 3 – It took every effort to just keep moving. I almost wanted to give up and just call it quits but I was determined to finish. By far this was the hardest 5K I have ever ran. What was suppose to be a slow easy fun run turned into becoming quite a hard and challenging run.

I finished with a time of 38:15, not bad for me at that course but it was last place which caused a lot of disappointment shortly after the race. The next day, I realized half the pre-registered participants didn’t even show up to run so by just showing up, I felt I already won the race. It’s a reminder to not get caught up in my times and just go out there and run my best each and every time. I’m realizing that everyone is different and for some of us running doesn’t come naturally and we must work harder to become faster and more efficient.
But crossing that finish line is still the best feeling though!

Race Report: Colon Cancer 5K

My 4th 5K Race. Got there 45 mins early, registered and walked around for about 20 mins then did my pre-run stretching.

Mile 1 – Felt great on but of course it was mostly downhill. Relaxed and breathing and heart rate was under control (stayed around 150 bpm).

Mile 2 – Was a bit of a struggle as the course started to go uphill and was forced to take a walk break at 2.5 miles. Overall still felt pretty good but was having trouble keeping my breathing under control (160-170 bpm).

Mile 3 – The last 1/2 mile was uphill and I struggled the last .6 miles of the race. I ended up walking to the mile 3 marker and then sprinting the last .11 miles to the finish line.

I went in with a goal of finishing under 36 mins and I finished in 37:05. It’s still almost 3 minutes better than when I ran this course back in May so I can’t be too disappointed to see that much of an improvement. I need to work on controlling my breathing more, especially during uphill climbs and increase mileage so that I’m not feeling like I hit my reserves at 2.5 miles.

Race Report: Back to School 5K

This morning, I participated in my third 5K with a goal of 35 minutes or better. I finished in 36:50 (according to my Garmin Forerunner GPS watch) so I didn’t beat my goal. But I did finish 3 minutes faster than my previous 5K on May 9th but it’s hard to compare since they are different courses. I am okay with that time but not excited about it. I know I can do better than that!

I started out way too fast the first mile so of course the last 2 miles, I really struggled. I slowed down and walked at the 1 mile mark but really should of kept on running. I guess mentally, I still have it in my head that I can’t run more than a mile but I was actually feeling fine so I honestly believe it was a mental block not a physical one at that point. After that, it was hard to start running continuously again. By mile 2, I had very little left in my legs plus lost focus on controlling my breathing and heart rate. I did have my iPod and never again will I race with music…it was too distracting when I’m trying to concentrate on my race. When I’m training it’s great but not during a race. Plus they advertised the race as being traffic free but it wasn’t, about 4-5 cars had to maneuvered their way around the crowd of runners.

Even though I didn’t feel like I had a great race, I’m not going to give up and keep up with my training! I have to look at it is I’ve been only running for 5 months and who knows what will happen this fall when the weather cools down.

My next 5K is on August 29 at Duncan Park, the same course as the Run for Scouting 5K I did back in May so it will be a more accurate test to see how much I will have improved in 3.5 months.