Race Reports - January 7 & 8

New Year’s Resolution 5k, Saturday, January 7, 2012
Garmin time 30:19, 9:58 avg. (official time 30:25)

I had big plans for my first race of the year. I got up ready to put them into action. Saturday morning at home was cool and damp, which meant it was cold and damp at Kanawha State Forest. Since the race was put on by the Mountain State Wilderness Search and Rescue Team, there were lots of dogs running, which is always fun – I’m a super dog lover. I really wish Bree were still young enough and in good enough shape to run with me. When she was young and healthy, she could run like the wind… (But I do have a potential 4 legged running partner - next race that welcomes dogs, I may have to “steal” Patty from Mom and run with her!)

I hit the start line with a goal to run the race in 29:30 (approx 9:30 avg). I knew going in that this was a tough course, so I tried to start slow and keep it easy the first half. I thought I was doing well with pacing but once again the 2nd half with the long slightly uphill got to me. That added to lack of rest & food/drink, made me hit the wall hard – I had to walk a bit in mile 3. This was the first time I’ve had to walk in a 5k in a long time and I’m really disappointed about that.

I didn’t meet my goal :-( and I had to walk :-(, but it was a run :-); it was fun with all the dogs around :-); I finished :-). Still a “win” in my book :-). It was also a course PR :-) (last race on that course was in July 2011; time on that one was 31:32, 10:28 avg).

Splits:
Mile 1 – 9:50
Mile 2 – 9:48
Mile 3 – 10:16
Mile - .1 – 9:59
Total: 30:19, 9:58 avg.


Winter Series Race 2 (8k), Sunday, January 8, 2012
Garmin time: 49:26, 9:59 avg; (official results: 49:30)

This was my second race of the year and my second race of the weekend. I thought I might be a little ambitious with back to back races again, especially with this one being a distance I had never raced before. I was a little nervous which was weird, since I’ve done a half, which is farther, but the brain works in odd ways sometimes. I had a fairly conservative goal of a pace of 10:30 per mile, which would have me finishing in about 52 minutes.

It was nice, sunny day, with a slight chill in the air, which made for awesome race conditions: perfect temperature, a flat course, and lots of motivation from other runners. In mile 3, a fellow Daily Mile runner came up from behind me, and I used him as a pacer for while. But he was too fast for me and I couldn’t keep it up. Looking at my splits you can see how much faster that mile was and how the next mile was slower since I had to recover. If you need it, there’s the proof that you have to run your own race at your own pace!

I let him go and was struggling to get back to and hold my own pace when I started running next to a running coach and her charge. She wasn’t there for me, but her comments and motivation to her runner really helped (a big thank you Ms. Running Coach! If I see you again, I’ll be sure to thank you in person!) I found my pace and my groove, so at about mile 4 and the last turn I was ready to finish strong & fast.

Throughout the race I kept looking at my watch, which I usually try not to do. The whole time the pace was faster than my goal, and I was a little scared about it – that I had started too fast and was pushing too hard to finish well or within my goal. I was afraid I’d hit the wall like I did the day before. But I didn’t and I wasn’t and I didn’t.

Instead, I finished strong and happy in under 50 minutes, which was more than 2 minutes faster than my goal. Awesome!! I’m really looking forward to race #3 (the 10k) in February.

Splits:
Mile 1 – 10:05
Mile 2 – 10:02
Mile 3 – 9:51
Mile 4 – 10:09
Mile 5 (.95) – 9:46
Total: 49:26, 9:59 avg.

Hello 2012 - My Goals for the Year

Time goals

1. 5k in 27 minutes (avg pace of 8:45 mpm) (current PR 29:19, avg pace of 9:19)
2. ½ marathon in 2:10 (@ avg pace of 10 mpm) (current PR 2:25:47, avg pace of 11:04)

In 2011, in the 5k I went from a 32:12 (9:51 mpm avg) to 29:17 (9:19 avg) so I think it’s do-able.
The half goal feels really ambitious, but I’m gonna dream big. ;o)

Distance goal:
1200 miles run (and/or walked) in 2012

Daily Mile has me at 1111 in 2011 but that includes bike miles and a few skateboard miles. I ran and walked 1004.26 miles in 2011. 96 more for 2012 doesn’t seem that bad…. Just need to do 24 miles a week every week, and I’ll have it. ;o)

2011 mileage breakdown:
1111.15 total miles  = 821.85 running miles + 182.41 walking miles + 100.23 cycling miles + 6.67 skating miles

Goodbye 2011

Squeezed in a 2 mile run this afternoon as my last run of 2011. Logged it into Daily Mile, and saw this as my total miles:

Thought that was pretty fitting total for the year. :o)

Thinking of trying out another running shoe...

Love my Nike Pegasus but I'm thinking about trying out some other brands. Gonna save the ones of looking at here, so I have them all in one place. :o)


Saucony Kinvara 2 Women's Running Shoe

Nike Free Run 2

Brooks Ghost 4

Saucony Cortana

2011 Goal Recap

I know the year isn't quite over yet, and this goal review may seem a bit premature, but oh well; it is what it is.

1. Read 100 books
Since there's no possible way to read 22 more books in the next 4 days (I'm a fast reader, but not that fast!), I'm going to have to say I didn’t quite make it to 100.  BUT I did finish 78. Discovered that training to run a half marathon takes up a lot of reading time. :o) Wasn’t the 100 that I wanted, but it’s still a lot of books.

2. Run Charleston Distance Run (15 miler)
I focused on some other things this year (like goal #3) and deferred this one to 2012, but I don’t think I’ll get it then either. Due to scheduling and other events, I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s only a few weeks after I’m due to finish the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure (60 miles in 3 days).  But someday. it'll happen.

3. Run a half marathon
Done! I ran the Marshall University Half Marathon on Sunday, November 6, 2011. Had a goal to finish in 2 ½ hours, and I finished in 2 hours 25 minutes. It was hard. It was painful. It was challenging. It was probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. I can’t wait to run the next one.

4. Pick up the pace to 10mpm
Done and then some (for a 5k anyway)! Worked on this one all year. First 10 minute mile 5k was the Great Teays 5k on July 16 (finished in 31:07, average of 10:02 per minute). 2 months later at the CDR 5k I got under 10 mpm: finished in 30:42, which is an average pace of 9:48 per minute. And I only got faster from there. Ran 3 more 5ks in 2011, and finished all 3 in under 30 minutes. Finished 2011 with a 5k PR of 29:17, average of 9:19 minutes per mile.

 
 
Still working on my goals for 2012, but I will say that they will involve some hard work and determination. ;o)

Racing Thoughts

Trying to put together a race schedule for 2012.  So far these are the races I'm shooting for:

1. New Years Resolution 5k - January 7, 2012
2. Winter Series Race 2 (8k) - January 8, 2012
3. Winter Series Race 3 (10k) - February 5, 2012
4. University of Charleston Half Marathon - April 29, 2012
5. Komen Race for the Cure 5k - Saturday of Mother's Day weekend 2012
6. Dirty Dog 15K trail run - May 19, 2012
7. Run with a Cop 5k - June 2012
8. Great Teays 5k - July 2012
9. Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure (60 mile walk) - August 3 - 5, 2012
10. Charleston Distance Run 5k - Saturday of Labor Day weekend 2012
11. Marshall University Half Marathon - 1st Sunday in November 2012
12. Huntington Turkey Trot - Thanksgiving Day 2012
13. Run Run Rudolph 5k - December 2012
14. Winter Series 1 (5k) - December 2012

Now that I've got it all written out, it looks like a lot. :-\  Is it too much?  Looks like I've got some more thinking to do....

Winter Series Race 1 (5k) Race report

For some reason when I sent in the pre-registration forms for my winter races, I didn't realize until after I mailed them in that I now have 2 weekends where I'm running races both days - this weekend was the first of those.  Run Run Rudolph was yesterday morning and the first race of the Winter Series was this afternoon.

While yesterday wasn't exactly a bad run for me, it wasn't a great one either.  Today I felt more rested and more prepared, and was ready to run.  I didn't have any big plans or major goals for this race, except for maybe a course PR (last race on this course was the Run with a Cop back in June, which I ran in 31:36).

I set out at what felt like a nice easy pace and just ran.  It was a "Forrest Gump" kind of moment - "I just felt like running".  Started out farther back today than I did yesterday, so I didn't feel the pressure to be super fast at first, and I could just run my own pace.  Looked at the Garmin a few times, and was surprised to see the numbers that I did.  I wasn't sure I could keep it up, but I did, even managed negative splits.  

About half mile or so from the finish, a random guy running next to me looked over at me and said "let's pass those guys", so I took up the challenge and picked up the pace and passed those guys, and probably the next 4 or 5 people too. 

I don't know who he was, but I owe him a big "Thank You!!"  Not only did he give me the push to give me a new 5K PR, but he made me see that I can probably run the whole race  faster than I have been.  I'm starting to think about  my running goals for 2012, and I may need to revamp my goal 5k time to be a bit faster than I was planning  :o)    Three cheers for improvement!!!  So excited that I'm making so much progress.  And I thought I'd never be a runner!

Garmin Time:
3.14 miles, 29:17, avg. pace: 9:19
Splits:
Mile 1 - 9:39
Mile 2 - 9:28
Mile 3 - 8:58
Mile 0.14 - 8:32