It started Friday night. I had the best intentions to get to bed early as we were having to get up at 3:00am and drive to Fort Smith to race the Survivors Challenge 5k. Well, by the time we had gotten everything settled and ready it was after 10:00pm. I was already beginning to dread Saturday.
Then just past 11:00pm my fire department pager goes off and we have a car fire at Cupids. For those that don't know what Cupids is, its an adult entertainment/lingerie store. You can figure it out from there. Dispatch said the vehicle was 15 feet from the building so that was enough to get the adrenalin going good. I should be really good at duathlon/triathlon transitions because I can go from a dead sleep to fully dressed in about a minute. This was one of those calls where I had the feeling it could be bad, and since I needed the sleep, it usually would be.
So off I headed to the station, arriving to find my crew getting turned out. I had a driver so I took my Captain's seat which meant I was responsible for all the men on the engine plus have command at the scene. As we got close to the scene we didn't see any smoke so we all were a little calmer. When we turned in the parking lot it was almost funny. There were guys bailing out of that place like crazy. I guess the red lights were scaring them off. We found the vehicle with the apparent fire but it was out. Evidently the owner had a gas line come loose and set his under hood area on fire but he got it put out with a fire extinguisher before we got there. All my guys were disappointed as they really wanted to go inside!! I think I made it back home just after midnight. Then I couldn't get to sleep. I had that shot of adrenalin and didn't get to use it.
So I tossed and turned, then finally got to sleep about 1.
Just over two hours later I was up and drinking coffee getting ready for the 5k. It is about a 2.5+ hour drive to Fort Smith so I was not looking forward to that. Gary, Curtis and Rock were also headed out so along with Annette we had 5 total going from our club.
We arrived at the race in classic Cruiser style, one hour ahead of the start. This gave us time to get registered and check things out. It looked to me like it was going to be a fairly small race so I was hoping the other clubs would not field a team. No such luck. We needed one more male and one more female for us to make a team but we didn't have it. So the best we could do was get individual points.
After registering we took off for a warm up run getting about 1.2 miles in. There were lots of volunteers so it appeared that this would be a well supported race and it was. My goal was just to PR which meant I needed a 27:19, about a 8:48 pace. I really wanted to break into the 26 area but that meant an 8:41 average pace. So my main goal was to start out slower around an 8:50 then speed up the next two miles.
It was really a great race course but it wasn't flat. There were a few rolling hills, not real big but big enough to slow you down. I managed to force myself to run slower on the first mile and my split was an 8:53. Pretty much what I wanted for the first mile. I kept pushing through mile 2, dropping down to an 8:47 pace. Going into mile 3 is when I started losing it. I guess my lack of sleep, the hills, and the start of the heat had its affect. My 3rd mile dropped to an 8:54. One good thing was that after the first mile, no one passed me. I slowly picked off other runners one at a time. It was weird though, there was almost no one walking and usually you will see several people walking by mile 2 or so. Not today. I will have to admit that on the last hill I was feeling pretty winded so I did walk just maybe 30 seconds or less, but then I fired off again. The runners that passed me while I took that break I soon took out. The finish was on a slight downhill and if I had known I was as close as I was I would have started my sprint sooner. It's so hard in a 5k to time that just right. I did sprint it in though and passed three people before I crossed the finish line. My final time - 27:25. I had missed my PR by 5 seconds!!
I was a little annoyed at that but after talking to Gary, Curtis, Rock and Annette, I soon found that all of them seemed to slow down on that 3rd mile. We all had good times, but none of us really did what we wanted. Such is the way racing goes. It's really a constant learning process for me. Oh, and I did try something different. I hadn't used an Ipod in a race in over a year but I did today. I had hopes that it might give me something extra mentally or give me some extra push. It didn't.
Gary did win 3rd place masters and Rock won 1st place in her age group so the day was not a total loss. Afterwards we all stopped on the way home at Cracker Barrel in Russellville for a late breakfast. Then Annette and I hit the Starbucks in Conway to help us get home.
It was about 1:00pm by the time we got home. Annette and I both were pretty tired by then so it wasn't long and we were both napping. We already had evening plans. Jackie was having a big birthday party at Cregeen's Irish Pub in North Little Rock and there was probably 25+ Cruiser friends going to be there. 6:30 for dinner and then some were going to the Piano Bar at the Rivermarket. Well, we had already decided we would do dinner and come home since we had a 6:00am Brick workout scheduled for Sunday morning.
We rode with Bailey and Jane which was nice since I had already driven almost 6 hours. Dinner was great, we had a lot of fun celebrating Jackie's birthday with all our runner friends. I really would have liked to have went to the Piano Bar but I knew I would not have been able to bike/run Sunday.
More to follow on Sunday's activities!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thursday Updates
It's Thursday night and I am just now getting to type something in my blog.
It has been a crazy week. Starting with last Friday when I had to shut down one of our businesses and put 6 people out of work. So this week I have had to work in Little Rock cleaning up loose ends and manning the shop. None of which is very fun.
Sunday afternoon Annette and I got a good bike ride in with some of the Cruisers. Ended up with 17+ miles. Wasn't bad for Annette's first ride on her new bike. I think she liked it!
Monday night I was too stressed from work to do much of anything so I called it a rest night. Then Tuesday night I got home late so I missed the clinic. I felt like such a loser by that time. I was able to go upstairs and do a hard 45 minute full body workout on weights and core. That made me feel much better but I still missed running.
Wednesday I had to run and I was determined to get Tuesday nights speed workout done. This was a pretty tough workout and I decided I would attempt the advanced workout. Coach Dennis had us doing 6 x 200's with a 200 slow jog rest between each one followed by 2 x 400's with a 400 slow jog rest in between. Both done at interval pace.
So off to the track I went. Starting out with about a 1.7 mile warm up including strides. It was very humid Wednesday evening with temperatures in the mid 70's. The 200's seemed much harder than they had the last time I did them. But I got through them. Actually I was probably 10 seconds too fast on most of them but thats pretty close to where I needed to be. By the time I got to the 400's I was slowing down and I nailed them, about 3 seconds fast on each of those. I finished up with about a 1.8 mile cool down run which gave me a total of 6 miles for the night. I was pretty beat up afterwards, my feet were hurting and my knees were sore. Thats speed work for ya. I felt it all day today too.
After work tonight, Annette and I headed for the hills of Greystone to ride bikes. Last summer a few of us did hill repeats here and there was a group of Cruisers running tonight there too. We were late getting there since I was working in Little Rock, but we soon ran into Cindy and Jane on their bikes. They had already been riding maybe 30 minutes. Let me tell you, there are some mean hills in Greystone. Annette did really well for only her second time on a road bike. I tried to coach her on the gears which is what she seems to be having the most trouble with. After dealing with some of these big hills you learn pretty quick which lever does what because if you don't, your in for some serious pain or you will be walking up the hill. I was very proud of Annette, I think she only walked up two of the hills. The last hill going back to the club house is one that will get you. There is a fast downhill just before it so your rolling pretty fast as you start up it. But as soon as you go maybe 50 feet up, you come to almost a complete stop. It's just one of those short and very steep hills that is deceiving to look at. I had to stand up in the lowest gear I had to make it up. There are several in Greystone like that, but they will make you stronger for sure.
I can already tell I am much stronger this year on the bike. Sunday morning we are meeting early for a brick workout. I am looking forward to hammering down on the bike and just see how much improvement I have made on that course. Saturday we are heading to Fort Smith for a 5K Grand Prix race. It's a long way to drive for a 5k but we will have fun and we should get lots of points. Hopefully we will have a full mens team.
It has been a crazy week. Starting with last Friday when I had to shut down one of our businesses and put 6 people out of work. So this week I have had to work in Little Rock cleaning up loose ends and manning the shop. None of which is very fun.
Sunday afternoon Annette and I got a good bike ride in with some of the Cruisers. Ended up with 17+ miles. Wasn't bad for Annette's first ride on her new bike. I think she liked it!
Monday night I was too stressed from work to do much of anything so I called it a rest night. Then Tuesday night I got home late so I missed the clinic. I felt like such a loser by that time. I was able to go upstairs and do a hard 45 minute full body workout on weights and core. That made me feel much better but I still missed running.
Wednesday I had to run and I was determined to get Tuesday nights speed workout done. This was a pretty tough workout and I decided I would attempt the advanced workout. Coach Dennis had us doing 6 x 200's with a 200 slow jog rest between each one followed by 2 x 400's with a 400 slow jog rest in between. Both done at interval pace.
So off to the track I went. Starting out with about a 1.7 mile warm up including strides. It was very humid Wednesday evening with temperatures in the mid 70's. The 200's seemed much harder than they had the last time I did them. But I got through them. Actually I was probably 10 seconds too fast on most of them but thats pretty close to where I needed to be. By the time I got to the 400's I was slowing down and I nailed them, about 3 seconds fast on each of those. I finished up with about a 1.8 mile cool down run which gave me a total of 6 miles for the night. I was pretty beat up afterwards, my feet were hurting and my knees were sore. Thats speed work for ya. I felt it all day today too.
After work tonight, Annette and I headed for the hills of Greystone to ride bikes. Last summer a few of us did hill repeats here and there was a group of Cruisers running tonight there too. We were late getting there since I was working in Little Rock, but we soon ran into Cindy and Jane on their bikes. They had already been riding maybe 30 minutes. Let me tell you, there are some mean hills in Greystone. Annette did really well for only her second time on a road bike. I tried to coach her on the gears which is what she seems to be having the most trouble with. After dealing with some of these big hills you learn pretty quick which lever does what because if you don't, your in for some serious pain or you will be walking up the hill. I was very proud of Annette, I think she only walked up two of the hills. The last hill going back to the club house is one that will get you. There is a fast downhill just before it so your rolling pretty fast as you start up it. But as soon as you go maybe 50 feet up, you come to almost a complete stop. It's just one of those short and very steep hills that is deceiving to look at. I had to stand up in the lowest gear I had to make it up. There are several in Greystone like that, but they will make you stronger for sure.
I can already tell I am much stronger this year on the bike. Sunday morning we are meeting early for a brick workout. I am looking forward to hammering down on the bike and just see how much improvement I have made on that course. Saturday we are heading to Fort Smith for a 5K Grand Prix race. It's a long way to drive for a 5k but we will have fun and we should get lots of points. Hopefully we will have a full mens team.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Best Run Ever
Do you ever have those runs where everything just seems to click and feel right?
Today was one of those days. And it makes no sense at all. I hadn't ran since Thursday and last night we went to the Twisters game with Rock, Tim, Kelly, Robert and some others. Several beers and margaritas later we didn't get home till midnight. So no early run.
I felt like a slacker so finally about 11:45am I took off for a run. I figured up front that this would be a miserable run. It was sunny outside, temp wasn't bad, around 62 but the wind was 19 mph and gusting to 32. I decided I needed the IPOD for one thing and I was also going to try out my Brooks Racing Flats.
Maybe it was the wind, maybe the ipod, maybe the racing flats. Maybe it was margaritas! Whatever it was, it felt like the best run I ever had. Not once did I even breathe hard. It was just going to be a relaxed pace run anyway, running to Fred's and back. I did purposely run the first mile slower but I mainly just enjoyed being outside, running, feeling the wind and listening to my ipod. The only thoughts I tried to have about running was about my form. I'd run through my checklist and make sure I was kicking my legs, pumping my arms right, etc etc.
Usually on this training route I almost always walk at least once just to break the boredom. Not today. Steady and speedy was the case. And not once did I try to run fast or hard. Just swing and breathe. I also thought about my mom since it is mothers day and she has been gone from us for over a year now. I think she must have came and visited me because this run was just almost spiritual. Weird, I don't understand it, must have been in the zone.
Here were my splits:
Total miles - 3.35
Time - 31:59
Avg. Pace - 9:33
1-9:49
2-9:33
3-9:24
4-9:14
This You Tube Video is from the movie Forest Gump. This is what happens when you are in the zone!! I think I could have done that today.
Today was one of those days. And it makes no sense at all. I hadn't ran since Thursday and last night we went to the Twisters game with Rock, Tim, Kelly, Robert and some others. Several beers and margaritas later we didn't get home till midnight. So no early run.
I felt like a slacker so finally about 11:45am I took off for a run. I figured up front that this would be a miserable run. It was sunny outside, temp wasn't bad, around 62 but the wind was 19 mph and gusting to 32. I decided I needed the IPOD for one thing and I was also going to try out my Brooks Racing Flats.
Maybe it was the wind, maybe the ipod, maybe the racing flats. Maybe it was margaritas! Whatever it was, it felt like the best run I ever had. Not once did I even breathe hard. It was just going to be a relaxed pace run anyway, running to Fred's and back. I did purposely run the first mile slower but I mainly just enjoyed being outside, running, feeling the wind and listening to my ipod. The only thoughts I tried to have about running was about my form. I'd run through my checklist and make sure I was kicking my legs, pumping my arms right, etc etc.
Usually on this training route I almost always walk at least once just to break the boredom. Not today. Steady and speedy was the case. And not once did I try to run fast or hard. Just swing and breathe. I also thought about my mom since it is mothers day and she has been gone from us for over a year now. I think she must have came and visited me because this run was just almost spiritual. Weird, I don't understand it, must have been in the zone.
Here were my splits:
Total miles - 3.35
Time - 31:59
Avg. Pace - 9:33
1-9:49
2-9:33
3-9:24
4-9:14
This You Tube Video is from the movie Forest Gump. This is what happens when you are in the zone!! I think I could have done that today.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Women Can Run
Congratulations to all the ladies that completed the Women Can Run Clinic's around the state.
Annette won first place in her age group and set a new PR at the Women Can Run 5k today. That is a big accomplishment especially considering there was close to 900 women running in this race. I heard that Cheryl also had a PR and I'm sure there were others. Congratulations ladies on a job well done!
Below is Annette with her new bike (which she hasn't gotten to ride yet) wearing her 1st place medal.
Annette won first place in her age group and set a new PR at the Women Can Run 5k today. That is a big accomplishment especially considering there was close to 900 women running in this race. I heard that Cheryl also had a PR and I'm sure there were others. Congratulations ladies on a job well done!
Below is Annette with her new bike (which she hasn't gotten to ride yet) wearing her 1st place medal.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Marathon Recovery
I'll be honest, I haven't been very good at this. Racing a 10K a week after a marathon is a no no but we did it anyway. I don't think Coach Dennis was too happy with us. I am trying to be better the rest of this week.
Tuesday night at the clinic most everyone was either in race recovery or still in marathon recovery. Dennis just had everyone do a little over 4 mile run and it was fun. We had a big group, ran all the way out to Stagecoach Elementary from the track and back. Those that were more recovered threw in some farhtleks to their workout. The rest of us just ran.
I have asked Coach Dennis to put me a summer schedule together so I can have a program to follow. For the next 10 weeks I basically have nothing but 5k's that I am racing then I will start back into fall marathon training.
Here were my stats from Tuesday night. I slowed down at the end to talk.
Total miles - 4.77
Time - 47:50
Avg pace - 10:02
1- 9:47
2-9:53
3-10:21
4-10:19
5- 9:47
On another note Annette will soon be biking. Last weekend we ordered her a new Specialized Dolce Elite ladies specific road bike. This will be great cross training during the summer and a lot of fun.
Tuesday night at the clinic most everyone was either in race recovery or still in marathon recovery. Dennis just had everyone do a little over 4 mile run and it was fun. We had a big group, ran all the way out to Stagecoach Elementary from the track and back. Those that were more recovered threw in some farhtleks to their workout. The rest of us just ran.
I have asked Coach Dennis to put me a summer schedule together so I can have a program to follow. For the next 10 weeks I basically have nothing but 5k's that I am racing then I will start back into fall marathon training.
Here were my stats from Tuesday night. I slowed down at the end to talk.
Total miles - 4.77
Time - 47:50
Avg pace - 10:02
1- 9:47
2-9:53
3-10:21
4-10:19
5- 9:47
On another note Annette will soon be biking. Last weekend we ordered her a new Specialized Dolce Elite ladies specific road bike. This will be great cross training during the summer and a lot of fun.
Monday, May 5, 2008
1st Brick of the Year
This evening I did my first "brick" workout of the year. The plan was to run about 2 miles then transition to the bike, bike whatever I could get in around the neighborhood, then run 2 miles again.
This was actually a fun workout. I got the bike off the rack and had it leaned and ready. Had my helmet laid out with my bike shoes on the floor next to it, just like it would be in a duathlon. I didn't really have a designated route, I was just messing around and figured I'd try to get 2 miles on the garmin doing some type of out and back. The traffic around my neighborhood is so bad in the evenings that its really difficult to have a good run or bike because your always having to wait on cars or dodge cars.
First mile on the run was a 9:40. I actually didn't quite make 2 miles total but I was at 1.97 with lap two an average pace of 9:43. I grabbed the garage door opener and opened the garage door, ran in the house real quick for a fast drink of water then came back out and started changing into
my bike shoes and helmet. I was pretty slow on the transition with T1 time being 2:26.
I took off on the bike, not sure how many miles I would get but just riding and making a route as I went. I'm sure the neighbors were wondering what the heck I was doing. The traffic slowed me down some but I quit the bike after 34:40 and 8.98 miles. I had a 15.5 mph average and that was with several stop signs and weaving in and out of the neighborhoods.
T2 was better. I had a time of 1:56 switching back over to the run. I was pretty hot at this point and ran in the house, grabbed me a small bottle of water and took off running down the block. I tried to get a drink as I was running. By this time I was really getting strange looks from the neighbors.
I actually walked a couple times on this leg of my workout just to get a drink. At least the sun was going down and it was shady in a lot of places. First mile was a 10:10 and again, I missed the two mile mark only ending up with 1.77. Lap two was a 9:59 average. Not too bad considering this was my first brick of the year. Average heart rate was 159 and I burnt a total of 1393 calories.
Yesterday I rode with an advanced group of guys from the Cruisers. It was the perfect afternoon for a bike ride. We ended up with 20.5 miles and right at a 16 mph average. I never really pushed the pace on this ride. It was very relaxed to me other than we had a few pretty tough hills. I think all my running is really going to help my biking this summer.
I have asked Coach Dennis to help put me together a running schedule for the summer. Right now I have no plan. I really like having a training plan so at least I know what I need to do in miles. I have a 5k race on the 17th and a duathlon on the 26th that I am training for. After marathon training these shorter distances don't seem like much. I can't wait to do the duathlon though. It is a fun race!
This was actually a fun workout. I got the bike off the rack and had it leaned and ready. Had my helmet laid out with my bike shoes on the floor next to it, just like it would be in a duathlon. I didn't really have a designated route, I was just messing around and figured I'd try to get 2 miles on the garmin doing some type of out and back. The traffic around my neighborhood is so bad in the evenings that its really difficult to have a good run or bike because your always having to wait on cars or dodge cars.
First mile on the run was a 9:40. I actually didn't quite make 2 miles total but I was at 1.97 with lap two an average pace of 9:43. I grabbed the garage door opener and opened the garage door, ran in the house real quick for a fast drink of water then came back out and started changing into
my bike shoes and helmet. I was pretty slow on the transition with T1 time being 2:26.
I took off on the bike, not sure how many miles I would get but just riding and making a route as I went. I'm sure the neighbors were wondering what the heck I was doing. The traffic slowed me down some but I quit the bike after 34:40 and 8.98 miles. I had a 15.5 mph average and that was with several stop signs and weaving in and out of the neighborhoods.
T2 was better. I had a time of 1:56 switching back over to the run. I was pretty hot at this point and ran in the house, grabbed me a small bottle of water and took off running down the block. I tried to get a drink as I was running. By this time I was really getting strange looks from the neighbors.
I actually walked a couple times on this leg of my workout just to get a drink. At least the sun was going down and it was shady in a lot of places. First mile was a 10:10 and again, I missed the two mile mark only ending up with 1.77. Lap two was a 9:59 average. Not too bad considering this was my first brick of the year. Average heart rate was 159 and I burnt a total of 1393 calories.
Yesterday I rode with an advanced group of guys from the Cruisers. It was the perfect afternoon for a bike ride. We ended up with 20.5 miles and right at a 16 mph average. I never really pushed the pace on this ride. It was very relaxed to me other than we had a few pretty tough hills. I think all my running is really going to help my biking this summer.
I have asked Coach Dennis to help put me together a running schedule for the summer. Right now I have no plan. I really like having a training plan so at least I know what I need to do in miles. I have a 5k race on the 17th and a duathlon on the 26th that I am training for. After marathon training these shorter distances don't seem like much. I can't wait to do the duathlon though. It is a fun race!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Toad Suck Daze 10K
Saturday we ran the Toad Suck Daze 10K in Conway. Yep, 7 days after the Nashville Marathon we are racing a 10k. The goal here was just to take this one for the running team. Well, that's always easier said than done. I had no idea how the legs would feel. I had biked 8 and ran .7 on Monday and the legs felt good. I ran almost 3 at the clinic on Tuesday night. I only did cross training the rest of the week.
Annette and I both had the same goal of just finishing under an hour. We had set new 10K pr's at the Capitol City Classic a few weeks back and Toad Suck was a much harder and hilly course. After running a marathon last weekend, we figured we would just run easy and try to stay under the one hour mark.
The race started with very high winds and chilly temps. About 54 degrees and I'd guess 20mph winds. This race always has a large crowd and is chip timed. There is also a 5k and kids race but these are not Grand Prix scoring events. I knew to stay under an hour I had to run at least a 9:40 pace and to PR I would need a 9:20 average.
As usual we started out a little too fast. I never practice what I preach but its hard to start slow when you see everyone your running with ahead of you. First mile was a 9:18 average pace. Wow, and it felt pretty good. The legs were not hurting, just felt normal. The temperature was rising pretty quick and it was very sunny so when we were out of the wind it was hot. I could tell this in my heart rate as it was higher than what I would have liked this early in the race. Never racing a week after a marathon I had no idea what to expect or if I would crash and burn before the finish. I was pretty much staying with Annette and Kelly. At the first water stop I grabbed a drink as I ran through the stop. I stayed somewhat behind the person ahead of me as they turned the corner left. I heard Annette yelling at me, "this way, that's the 5K" so I quickly had to turn back. This was the only bad thing I could say about the volunteers in this race. The guy was just standing in the middle of the road with a sign that said 5k left, 10k straight. Usually someone is at least yelling it out also. I wonder how many 10k runners went the wrong way.
We all ran pretty hard. I actually held back through some of the race. I wasn't suppose to be racing this and I was in unknown territory. Could I run 6.2 miles hard after a marathon?? Well, it worked out. I think running with Annette and Kelly helped push me. I took a few walk breaks just to conserve energy but as soon as they passed me I'd catch back up or get slightly ahead. Kelly was running super strong. Annette had a cold and some muscle soreness so she was not 100%. We continued to stay on pace or as I thought, ahead of pace. Since we were not trying to PR 9:40 was all we needed. We were averaging around 9:25 per mile. By mile 5 I started thinking how close to the PR we were. I was not off by much, but could I make up the time? I started trying to pick up the pace. Mile 5 was a 9:10. I knew then that a PR was a possibility but I really didn't want to hurt myself getting there. I ran through mile 6 a little harder, 9:02 pace. The last probably .2 or .3 hit the track at the high school for the finish. Kelly had gotten slightly ahead of me. As I rounded the first corner Cindy C. was on the sideline yelling at me to catch Kelly. Ha.....I didn't have anything left to catch her with. I didn't have a sprint left, though I did pick up the pace a little. At the finish I felt I had given it a good shot. Maybe not a 100% effort but I really had no expectations on this race other than to finish.
Me coming into the High School almost done
My final time was 58:25. I had missed my PR by :24 seconds. Not bad coming off a marathon! I did have a PR for the course. Last year I had a super slow time of 1:07:15 so this was about a 9:45 course PR. I really can't complain much about that. I do wish now that I had just pushed a little harder or not took one short walk break. At least I know my muscles recover quicker and I can run faster than my brain thinks I can.
Kelly coming in to the finish line
Annette also had a good race. She finished right behind me in about 58:46 and won 3rd place in her age group along with a course PR. Kelly was about 5 seconds ahead of me and set a new 10K PR. Gary who had also ran Nashville with us had a course PR and won 1st place Grand Masters. Michele finished way ahead of me, not sure if she had a PR but she may have. I still can't believe we all ran a marathon last weekend. I guess it just shows that our training is working and we are all very strong. Maybe even a little crazy for racing!
Miss Speedy Annette coming in to the finish
Here is Gary with his 1st place Grand Masters Trophy
Here are my splits from the race. Almost negative splits but not quite.
Official time - 58:25
Avg. Pace - 9:26
1-9:18
2-9:20
3-9:24
4-9:45
5-9:10
6-9:02
7-8:07
860 Calories
Avg. Heart rate - 176
The kids race was fun to watch also. My niece Kylie was running in the 5 year old race and Michele's kids were also running. Annette's Aunt Tamara won an award in the 5k. It was a good day for all.
Annette and Kylie in the kids race. Look at Kylie's form!!
Winners - Aunt Tamara, Annette and Kylie
Kylie and Michele's daughter Abby
Annette and I both had the same goal of just finishing under an hour. We had set new 10K pr's at the Capitol City Classic a few weeks back and Toad Suck was a much harder and hilly course. After running a marathon last weekend, we figured we would just run easy and try to stay under the one hour mark.
The race started with very high winds and chilly temps. About 54 degrees and I'd guess 20mph winds. This race always has a large crowd and is chip timed. There is also a 5k and kids race but these are not Grand Prix scoring events. I knew to stay under an hour I had to run at least a 9:40 pace and to PR I would need a 9:20 average.
As usual we started out a little too fast. I never practice what I preach but its hard to start slow when you see everyone your running with ahead of you. First mile was a 9:18 average pace. Wow, and it felt pretty good. The legs were not hurting, just felt normal. The temperature was rising pretty quick and it was very sunny so when we were out of the wind it was hot. I could tell this in my heart rate as it was higher than what I would have liked this early in the race. Never racing a week after a marathon I had no idea what to expect or if I would crash and burn before the finish. I was pretty much staying with Annette and Kelly. At the first water stop I grabbed a drink as I ran through the stop. I stayed somewhat behind the person ahead of me as they turned the corner left. I heard Annette yelling at me, "this way, that's the 5K" so I quickly had to turn back. This was the only bad thing I could say about the volunteers in this race. The guy was just standing in the middle of the road with a sign that said 5k left, 10k straight. Usually someone is at least yelling it out also. I wonder how many 10k runners went the wrong way.
We all ran pretty hard. I actually held back through some of the race. I wasn't suppose to be racing this and I was in unknown territory. Could I run 6.2 miles hard after a marathon?? Well, it worked out. I think running with Annette and Kelly helped push me. I took a few walk breaks just to conserve energy but as soon as they passed me I'd catch back up or get slightly ahead. Kelly was running super strong. Annette had a cold and some muscle soreness so she was not 100%. We continued to stay on pace or as I thought, ahead of pace. Since we were not trying to PR 9:40 was all we needed. We were averaging around 9:25 per mile. By mile 5 I started thinking how close to the PR we were. I was not off by much, but could I make up the time? I started trying to pick up the pace. Mile 5 was a 9:10. I knew then that a PR was a possibility but I really didn't want to hurt myself getting there. I ran through mile 6 a little harder, 9:02 pace. The last probably .2 or .3 hit the track at the high school for the finish. Kelly had gotten slightly ahead of me. As I rounded the first corner Cindy C. was on the sideline yelling at me to catch Kelly. Ha.....I didn't have anything left to catch her with. I didn't have a sprint left, though I did pick up the pace a little. At the finish I felt I had given it a good shot. Maybe not a 100% effort but I really had no expectations on this race other than to finish.
Me coming into the High School almost doneMy final time was 58:25. I had missed my PR by :24 seconds. Not bad coming off a marathon! I did have a PR for the course. Last year I had a super slow time of 1:07:15 so this was about a 9:45 course PR. I really can't complain much about that. I do wish now that I had just pushed a little harder or not took one short walk break. At least I know my muscles recover quicker and I can run faster than my brain thinks I can.
Kelly coming in to the finish lineAnnette also had a good race. She finished right behind me in about 58:46 and won 3rd place in her age group along with a course PR. Kelly was about 5 seconds ahead of me and set a new 10K PR. Gary who had also ran Nashville with us had a course PR and won 1st place Grand Masters. Michele finished way ahead of me, not sure if she had a PR but she may have. I still can't believe we all ran a marathon last weekend. I guess it just shows that our training is working and we are all very strong. Maybe even a little crazy for racing!
Miss Speedy Annette coming in to the finish
Here is Gary with his 1st place Grand Masters TrophyHere are my splits from the race. Almost negative splits but not quite.
Official time - 58:25
Avg. Pace - 9:26
1-9:18
2-9:20
3-9:24
4-9:45
5-9:10
6-9:02
7-8:07
860 Calories
Avg. Heart rate - 176
The kids race was fun to watch also. My niece Kylie was running in the 5 year old race and Michele's kids were also running. Annette's Aunt Tamara won an award in the 5k. It was a good day for all.
Annette and Kylie in the kids race. Look at Kylie's form!!
Winners - Aunt Tamara, Annette and Kylie
Kylie and Michele's daughter Abby
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