I wanted to be sure not to miss the beginning, so I set my alarm for 5:30 am. I wanted to be on my bike by 6:30. Well, Sallie had other ideas. She wanted her breakfast at 5:00am, and told me so by nicely jumping. right. on. my. chest.
OUCH!
I fed her and crawled back into bed for just a few more minutes. I finally rolled out of bed shortly before 6am. Ate a quick breakfast. Consulted Google maps for my bike route. Got dressed. Woke Jeff up to say good-bye.
 |
| And I'm off... |
It was a really nice way to start the morning! Getting there so early was perfect, too. It gave me lots of time to stretch and relax and prepare for the race.
At 7:55am, the horn blew and the skaters were off. I immediately regretted already putting my phone away in my pocket and missing out on an opportunity to take a picture. Oh well.
Then all the runners toed up to the start line. Well, I wasn't exactly right in front.
My goal was to take it slower in the beginning and not get too caught up in the excitement at the start. I wanted to pace myself, so I'd be able to increase my speed later on during the race.
For the most part, my plan worked!
Average pace for mile 1 - 9:53 min/mile
Shortly after the first mile, I picked up my pace a little and wished the guy running next to me good luck on the rest of the race. The distance between me and the other runners in front of me was lessening, and it felt great! I even ran through the water stop, taking only small sips from the cup they handed me (spilling most of it down the front of my shirt).
Average pace for mile 2 - 8:20 min/mile
The hills on the course hadn't been too bad up to this point. Unfortunately, just after picking up my pace again, I was faced with the first big hill of the race. It nearly took it out of me, but I was able to persist!
There was a group of fire fighters that ran the entire 5K in full uniform. They were behind me for most of the race, but after the first big hill two of them passed me by.
I thought, I can't lose to a someone running in full fire fighting garb! I mean I'm just wearing a tank top and shorts.
So, I pushed myself and passed one of them. The other had gained way too much distance on me. I was only able to stay ahead of the one I passed for a couple paces, actually.
It wasn't too long after this that I felt simply like I was going to vomit. I tried to keep pushing myself through it. I mostly continued to run through the second water stop, but I did pause for a moment to take a bigger, better swig.
The remainder of the race seemed to be uphill!
The worst was right before mile marker 3. It was a real doozy!! I had to walk a bit after getting to the top. Luckily the course turned to a slight decline. The end was near! I was feeling sick. Again. I tried to pick it up and push myself, but I just couldn't. I somehow did manage to maintain my pace. Sweet! :)
Average pace for mile 3 - 9:15 min/mile.
According to my GPS, I actually ran 3.3 miles.
After the race, I ate a banana and a piece of raisin bread. Enjoyed a couple cups of water. Waited for my friend to finish the 10K.
 |
| All finishers were given a rose. |
Again, around Como Park, I got totally turned around and ended up needing to stop to consult my map a few times. All in all, I biked an extra 1.3 miles. Boooo!!
Despite the extra mileage, it was a great ride and good way to cool down after my race.
I was definitely excited when I got home and had to fill Jeff in on all the details. The runner's high didn't last too long before I curled up for a nice afternoon nap. Ahhh.
What a perfect day and great start to my summer race schedule!
UPDATE: The final results are in for this race. I'm so pleased with them, so I thought I should definitely update this post.
Time: 30:19
#83 out of 164 runners
#10 out of 31 in my division
Average pace: 9:45
Nice! Boy you really picked it up that second mile! I admire you for biking both ways, too.
ReplyDeleteWay to go!! That's such a great accomplishment!
ReplyDelete