Rail Trail 5K race report

This past Saturday I ran in a local 5K. The location was the rail trail where I normally train, so I know it well. I had debated all week about whether or not to run it, given my current back injury. I had had an awful run the Tuesday before and had to stop due to back spasms. On Thursday I had a fair, but slow, run.

Last year I had PRed at this race. It was difficult to go back this year and run it knowing I would be much slower. But...I decided that the day I don't do a race because I worry it won't be my fastest is the day I need to hang up my running shoes. I need to remember that I run because I truly love it and not let my competitive self get in the way.

I decided to go ahead and run it and try to stuck to around 10 minutes miles, because it seems the faster I go the worse my back is.

I arrived to the race about 20 minutes prior to the start. It was a very small race...just over 100 people and completely flat, out and back course. I grabbed my packet, put on my number and started my warm-up.

Before I knew it, we were off. It was very hard at the start to stick to 10:00 miles. I wanted to take off and run my best, but didn't want my back to give out in the middle, so I stuck to my pace.

By the time I made it to the halfway turn-around I was sore, but it was manageable. I kept on chugging along. By the time I hit 2 miles I picked up the pace a bit. I ran the last 1/2 mile at my normal 5K pace and was sore but able to finish it. My final time was 29:42....a far cry from last year's 26:52. But, I was glad I got out there and stuck it out.

About 1/4 mile from the end there was a man collapsed on the side of the course being loaded onto a golf cart to be taken to the ambulance at the finish. He was a tall, built guy and was a complete rag doll at the time...4 large men struggled to get him on. My guess is dehydration. It was very hot and humid. Kind of a scary finish to the race.

So...not the most interesting race report. I have since the race been fitted for an SI support and ran with it yesterday and my back felt great, which is awesome. I will talk a little more about my back injury and PT in my next post. :)

Here I am after the race:

More HM Pics and Thoughts

Since the race I have thought of a few more things to share:
1. The best spectator sign I saw read "Run Like You Stole Something"...I LOVED it! I actually laughed out loud.
2. In high school I ran cross country. I knew one of my old teammates would also be running the half and I saw her around mile 9. It was fun to chat for a bit and great to see her!
3. My quads were KILLING me for several days after the race. I finally remembered that miles 8-13 are a gradual downhill. I forgot how killer the downhills can be!
4. I am still a little sensitive about the fact that I don't have a "runner's body". I am working on getting over it. I was so amazed at the starting line to see a TON of others girls without a "runner's body"...it did a lot for my nerves.
5. When I went through a water stop, I always tried to throw my cup off to the side. However, it seems everyone in front of me were content to just drop it right in the middle of the road, leaving us back-of-the-packers to wade through a sea of cups. Is it just me, or is that rude??
6. At mile 11 I almost fell..hard. My foot got stuck in a rut in the road and I ended up lurching forward. I must have had a guardian angel that day, because I somehow recovered without landing flat on my face. A guy watching on the sides gasped when it happened. After I recovered I looked up and said "Wow...that could have been ugly!"
7. And finally...being that it was my first half I actually purchased the race pictures. I plan on framing one...still trying to decide where to put it...total dork, I now. I am the one in the blue hat. Here they are:

Long Island Half Marathon

Well, it has taken me almost a week, but here it is...my race report!

I grew up on Long Island, but now live 4 hours away. Originally my mom and daughter were going to come along with me, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I ended up going by myself. The race was on Sunday, but I drove down on Saturday so I could pick up my number and race packet at the Expo. The Expo was small, but I did manage to get 2 shirts from the Run Like a Girl booth...one for me and one for MissyMiss.

Saturday night was the first time I ever slept in a hotel room alone....very strange! It was a bit lonely, but also a little nice to settle down and watch a movie in the quiet without having to explain to the front desk why I can't keep my 3-year-old away from the phone. :)

I went to bed around 11, but had a hard time sleeping! I had 2 alarms and a wake-up call set, but was still worried about oversleeping and ended up waking up every hour!

I was up for good at 6 and checked e-mail, watched some tv and had my traditional long run breakfast: bread with peanut butter, mini Kitkat and Capri sun.

My hotel was right across the street from the starting line, which ROCKED! I left my room with 30 minutes until race time. The weather called for record high heat and humidity, so I decided to wear my hydration belt and was very glad I did!

With a few minutes to go I found my spot at the "10+ minute miles" and waited to start. Before I knew it, we were off! I got really emotional at the start of the race. It had been along road just to get there and it almost felt like a dream. My plan was to stay around 11:00-11:30 miles. It was VERY crowded and my first mile was likely even slower. I am not used to racing in such a big crowd!

The first few miles were FUN! Everyone around me was so excited and the energy was great. I noticed that as the miles ticked by people got quieter and quieter.

There was a water stop just about every mile and since it was so hot and humid, I drank at every water stop. By mile 5 I was feeling like I should use a porta-potty, but as I ran by one, it had a good 6 people on line. I didn't want to lose time, so I just kept running. The next one also had a line.

At mile 6 I ate my fruit flat even though I didn't feel hungry. I definitely felt better after eating it.

Now I am around mile 7 or 8 and know I have to use the bathroom soon. The guys are running behind stores and into bushes, but I could never do that. At this point, we are on a highway with lots of store and I spot it...a DUNKIN DONUTS!! As I am pondering running in, I see a guy running out. That decided it, I ran in for a quick pit stop, even washed my hands and then right back out on the course!

The rest is a blur. As the miles went out people really slowed down and more and more took walking breaks. I was able to run the whole race and was shocked with how many people I passed in the last few miles. On my long runs, I always picked up the pace a bit for the last mile or so and I was able to do that during the race and passed a TON of people during the last mile. I felt AWESOME at the finish!!

I finished in 2:27. My #1 was to just finish. My 2nd goal was to finish under 2:30, so I did it!!!

I am still a bit in shock that I actually achieved something I have dreamed about for so long!!!

Here are a few pics from the race:


The starting line! The race actually started on the other side of the ballon arch.

Me before the race

Me after the race....I DID IT!!!

I have felt a bit strange this week...a little lost regarding my running. For so long I have been so focused about running this half. It was a little strange to not have a plan for what next. So...I signed up for a 5K the first weekend in June! My plan for the summer is to work on speed and the local 5 and 10Ks.

I also apologize for not vising everyone's blogs as much as usual...it has been a crazy week! I intend to catch up in the next few days!

I did it!

I did it!!! I finished my first half marathon...such an amazing feeling. It was so worth all of the training and hard work to get here! Full race report to come...I am just too pooped right now!

Race Report

So, here is my race report from 2 weekends ago. (I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog...between a vacation and a houseguest, things have been busy here!!)

I ran this race last year and placed 3rd in my age group, which was a complete shock. So...I was looking forward to running it again.

The race was about 45 min away, so I had to be out the door by 7:45...early for this night owl. I got to the race, grabbed my number and did my normal walking warm-up.

I noticed that there were a lot of 20-somethings and 40-somethings, but once again the 30-somethings were lacking in number....so I was hopeful to maybe place again.

I lined up at the starting line and noticed a girl wearing regular workout clothes...not fancy running gear. Normally I root for these girls...I was there not too long ago. I have also gotten my butt kicked by girls in cotton. But...here is the thing...her shorts were white...and short...and see-through and she was obviously wearing a thong!! I couldn't help but notice...I think that everyone noticed, I was determined, then and there, that no matter what my time was, I would not be beaten by thong girl...no way, no how. There was no way she would finish ahead of me and my mom-panties.

The gun went off and I started out fast...too fast! I ran the whole first mile with a 7-year-old about 20 feet in front of me. There was a man running beside me that reminded me of one of my running forum buddies (shout out to Mike!). We were joking about how much it hurt to be behind such a little guy.

I caught up to the little guy around mile 2 and ran that mile with him. I was starting to feel the heat and humidity and struggling to keep up with my target pace of 8:45.

By 2.5 I was hurting...I kept telling myself "Go big or go home". I had passed the little guy and also some girls that looked to be in my age group. I knew that if I slowed down the girls would pass me and kill my chances of a medal. It was an out and back course, so I knew that the girls in front of me looked to be older or younger.

I finished with a time of 27:02 and came in first in my age group...I was psyched! The 7-year-old finished just 4 seconds behind me and 3 girls in my age group finished within a minute of me, so it is a good thing that I maintained my pace at the end.

I came home and put on my medal and my kids were so thrilled with it. It was a great race!

The other good news....thong girl didn't stand a chance. I beat her from the start. :)

My homemade medal (and race report!)

I ran a local 5K race this past Saturday and it was a great race!

I got there about 30 minutes before the start....got my packet, put on my number, visited the bathroom and warmed up a bit. It was a very small race...I would guess only about 100 runners. It was held at the rail trail path where I normally run, which is perfectly FLAT!

The race started and I was a bit slow at the start because it was a narrow path and it was a bit crowded. I was quickly able to pick up my speed. My previous PR was 28:04 and my goal was to just break 28. I had planned on a pace of 8:45-9:00.

I was able to keep a great steady pace for the whole race, due to the flat course. At my last race I was with one woman most of the race, but passed her in the end. I saw this same woman at the starting line today and she came over and said "Hey there! What is our goal for today?" I love how friendly most runners are. She started a little ahead of me and was ahead most of the race. I caught up to her at about the 2.5 mile mark. She asked me how we were doing, I told her our time and pace, wished her luck and passed her.

At about 2.9 miles I could see the finish and was able to pick up my pace a little and finish strong. My time was 26:52!!!! I am just thrilled with this! I waited for my racing friend to finish, gave her a high five and we discussed what races we were doing next.

I had to leave right away so that I could grab a cake and bouquet for my daughter's dance recital and be home for my hubby to go for a ride.

A few days before the race my hubby had bought MissyMiss a yellow "Live Strong" bracelet. It was way too big, so she gave it to me and we decided it would be my lucky bracelet for racing. Once I got to the car I called home to tell her how well I had done and she was sure it must have been the bracelet.

When I got home I was greeted by my kiddies at the door, who had made me "medals" out of pipe cleaners and construction paper...I will treasure them forever.

Make a Wish Race Report

I had my first 5K of the year this past Saturday and it was awesome! I was starting to forget that wonderful feeling I get when I race and am so happy that I signed up for the race.

It was a charity run to benefit the local make-a-wish chapter. I got to the race about 30 minutes before the start time, grabbed my bag/number, dropped the bag back off at my car and then headed to the line at the women's bathroom, which was way too long! The men's room (of course) had no wait at all! I finally made it to the stall and then headed over to the starting line.

It was a run/walk, so there was an interesting mix of people. As everyone headed to the start, I tried to get a spot in front of the walkers, but not too far in front. There were a few opening remarks before the race and one of the speakers was a mom whose son had leukemia and was granted a wish. Of course being the sensitive girl that I am, I got all choked up.

Finally the race started and I hit start on my Garmin and turned on my iPod with the volume low. My best time last year was 28:20 and I was just hoping to beat it. My goal was to stay around 9:00 miles. The first mile was just fine...I was cruising along and felt good. Then I hit the hills...yikes! I run hills at least once a week in my neighborhood, but I run them much slower. I was thrilled that I was able to stay around a 9:30 pace on the uphills.

By mile 2 I was really feeling it and starting to wonder "Why do I sign up for these things?" But...at this point I was passing all of the people who had gone out way too fast, including most of a boys high school lacrosse team....suckers. :) This helped to keep me going.

As I hit the 2.8 mile mark I could start to see the crowd at the finish. I was right around a 9:00 pace. I felt like I had nothing left in me at all and just wanted to make it to that finish line. I turned a corner and heard the cheering and somehow I reached deeper and was able to pick up the pace. For the last bit, my Garmin read 8:20 pace.

I crossed the finish line at 28:04. I was thrilled to beat my best time, but of course feeling like if I only I could have ran a little faster and broken 28 minutes. :( (But...I did start a little ways back from the starting line and also stopped for a few seconds to check on a girl behind me who fell during the race. The small races here are not chipped, so I will just have to run faster to earn a sub-28 official time.)

But...there is always next time. My next 5K is next month and the course is completely flat...yee haw!

Thank you to everyone who left me such nice wishes for the race on my last post...I love reading all of the comments...they truly make my day.

I almost forgot to add...when I got on the scale the morning of the race I saw that I have reached my first weight loss goal...13 pounds lost...go me!