INGERSOLL HARVEST RUN 10K - Runpiker Series #6

Race reports are tough to write and post within a timely way when life and its priorities get in the way ... LOL! :)

This is my blog post from last year. I laughed when I reread it because think I wrote it too soon after the race ... I sound rather cranky in it! I still recall how terribly hot and humid it was that day, and how sluggish I felt running throughout this race. It wasn't much fun for me, but I did receive one of my favourite tech shirts to date so this was a bonus. :)

This year, I had better reasons for participating in this race. My former running partner was planning to be in the 5 km, and two DM friends were registered for the 10 km as well so I was anticipating it more as a social event rather than as a race. :)

But before I get much further with this recap. I just want to point out that this race was #35 for me. :) And I anticipate running my 40th race by the end of October. :) :) I think the number on my bib this time is a good omen ... my next race, Race #36, which is the Springbank Half Marathon, is going to be a good one. :)

So how did I do a year later?

*****

I'm going to call this a.k.a. The "Accidental PR" race! :)

Official Time

"On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!" Start

Chip Finish

10 km @1:06:04

Pace 6:37/km

Garmin Time

1:06:01

Pace 6:34/km

Not too bad with the Garmin and chip times - a difference of only 3 seconds? Wow! :)

My mom was visiting from Peterborough/Douro where she now lives so it was wonderful to have her come along with Ben and me to one of my out-of-town races. She was at one of my local London Honda Series races in the spring, the Downtown 5K, with my sister and two nieces to cheer me on, but this was her first Southwestern Ontario/Runpiker Series bystander race. :)

After picking up my bib/t-shirt/chip from pre-registration, I found my Jacquie, my race partner, in line at the washrooms. :) Similar to last year, the men's side of the public washroom was taken over by women by the time I arrived so I solidified this takeover by joining this particular line for old time's sake. :) We only had a few minutes to chat before we needed to get into line for the race. This is when I realized that I did not have my iShuffle ... CRAP !! I had forgotten my music at home! My morning prep for the race was out of sync with me paying attention to having others joining me today that I had left it plugged into my computer at home. CRAP !! I have never run a race before without music and now there was nothing I could do about it. I was about to find out what all the non-music-listening runners experience when running a race unplugged.

Just like last year, this race started at the bottom of an incline so runners were lining up on the actual incline, ready for take off. As we stood there waiting for the race to start, I kept looking around for Lauren and Lindsay, but without any luck. I found that both funny (peculiar) and funny (ha ha) because these races are not very large; it should be easier to find people. However, several hundred runners together waiting for a race to start actually all look very similar!

Jacquie's boyfriend ran over to us with his cell phone to take a quick photo - "Evelynne's mom wants a picture of the two of you at the start!", he exclaimed, once again proving that no matter how old you are or what you are doing, your mother will always want a picture of it. :)

Jacquie and I discussed our goals for the race today. She told me that she wanted to run a sub-30 5K today and I told her that my goal was to run my 10K at a steady and consistent 6:30/km pace. I told her not to run with me at the beginning because she needed to run 30 seconds/km faster than I intended so good luck!

Someone then yelled, "On your mark, get set, go!" So we did. :)

1 km = 6:25

What a difference not having music in my ears. I have never heard so much heavy breathing all around me at the same time - LOL! It did make me laugh a little to hear everyone's breathing change so dramatically with race start anticipation. Although my music is never loud enough to block out noise, I could listen in on conversations between partner runners more clearly. :) This was amusing as well.

2 km = 6:34

Ahead of me, I finally catch sight of Lyndsey in her purple skirt. :) She's well ahead of me and I'm glad that there will be somebody else at the finish line to cheer me in! I am not feeling the greatest; I am better than I have been in my last two dismal workouts, but I'm just not feeling it. I'm tell myself to give it until the 3 km mark before determining if this is going to be a good race or not.

3 km = 6:31

Okay, I am now getting into my groove. 6:30/km is beginning to feel comfortable so I focus of holding it right here. I am running with a large group of runners, but most of them turn left onto the 5 km route whereas I cross the road to follow the signs and volunteers for the 10 km route. Although I see runners ahead of me, the group is a lot sparser, and similar to last year again, we are heading toward the Cami car plant to run around it. I am running behind someone for a while, but she starts walking periodically so after pacing behind her for a while, I eventually pass her when she's walking again.

4 km = 6:29

Around the 4 km mark, where the second water station is set up, I see a runner waving toward incoming runners. I think to myself, "How sweet! It's nice of that runner to wave to her friend behind me." It's only when the runner starts running again that I clue in that it's Lyndsey waving and that she was waving to ME! CRAP! Now I feel bad for clueing into this after the fact, and I will have to apologize for not being the brightest person to pick up on this. :( I'm not accustomed to knowing people at these races who will wave to me - ha!

5 km = 6:39 (hill)

There's a long, steady incline hill in this section and it slows me a little. Soon after I reach the crest, the runner I passed earlier catches up to me. I start chatting with her when she runs alongside of me. :) I don't want to play this silent, competitive, yo-yoing with someone when it's just us in this section of the race. It's her first time running this race, and we chat about what the rest of the course will be like (the railroad tracks which had a TRAIN on it that stopped me during last year's race is around the next corner). Within a few minutes, she stops to walk; I do not see her again ... until I see the photos of me near the finish line later at home. :)

I'm making a point of this because I am the type of runner who never turns around to see who is behind me. It's just not something that I do. In fact, I personally find it odd when I see people ahead of me who consistently look over their shoulders to see who is behind them. I am only realizing now, after the fact when I see the photos, that she wasn't too far behind me for the rest of the race. This means I was the "Red Shirt Chick" to her throughout the race. :)

6 km = 6:31

Recently, one of my DM friends started a thread on running mantras with her friends, which I found very interesting. Most of the ones that were shared were very inspirational. However, lately, I find that the one I use the most is, "I am a machine" - LOL! Not very Oprah-esque, is it? :) I just find that when I am on my long runs, trying to stay at a steady, even pace, I start telling myself that I am a machine, not to deviate from my steady pace, to keep going unaffected by anything else. For some reason, it's working for me. At this point, I am feeling very, very good. I am strong and not at all tired; I am not even breathing heavily. My adherence to being a "6:30/km machine" is working after 6 km and I am proving to myself that I am in total control.

7 km = 6:46 (head wind)

Well, so much for all that "control" I thought I had!?!?! After turning the corner to head east toward the railway tracks, I run head first into wind. I didn't notice if before because the car factory did a good job of blocking it, but now it is blowing directly at me. It's been awhile since I have run in wind; I recall all the wind we had back in the spring, which proved a little challenging on my daily runs. For all my complaints about the intense summer heat and humidity, I had forgotten about the lack of spring and fall wind. :( Clearly, I am a machine that doesn't work as well in a head wind. :(

8 km = 6:53 (head wind)

This is such a sobering reminder ... all the months that I have spent running and 'enduring' in an effort to run a goal PR at my Niagara Falls HM this fall, but I have to keep in mind that the weather conditions may play a bigger impact on my goal more so than my preparation. This wind is making it tough for me to keep steady pace. I am aware that running along the Niagara River is susceptible to windy weather so if I encounter a head wind on October 23rd, I will have it for the duration of the race, making my race tougher. I need to mentally prepare myself for this possibility. I have been joking about rain all summer on that day, but I need to factor in wind as a possibility, too.

9 km = 6:30

It turns out that this route is exactly the same as last year's after all. There's the section on grass and on a short trail through a field to connect us to a subdivision street, which makes this 'unique.' :) I have crept up on Lindsay and we laugh and call out to each other; I continue to try to master control over myself by keeping at my intended pace.

We are on the last stretch when there is a steep up and down hill ahead; it's great to go down, but I recall the tough getting up part. :) In a move that makes my heart smile, Jacquie is there at the top of the hill, waiting for me, ready to pace me into the finish; she knew the hill is where every runner needs it the most. Awesome timing because we catch Lindsay in the valley and encourage her to keep pace with us up the hill. It is so much easier to run up a hill with someone pacing beside you than it is alone! I am pleased to see that at this point, I am laughing and chatting with Jacquie. I'm feeling good and this, for me, is the best of a race - still feeling good by the end of it albeit a little more tired. :)

10 km = 6:23

Jacquie stops pacing me at the parking lot where Kurt is waiting for her. Ben and Mom are off to the side near the finish line to cheer me in. All is good. :) And as I see the clock change to 1:06 as I am running up to it, I am very pleased because I have just PR'd (without music, I must add - go figure!) when it wasn't my main goal, but my average pace display is showing me that I have done a pretty darn good job of sticking to my intended pace throughout.

The best part of the race was meeting Lyndsey - officially! - after the race. It meant a lot to me to both meet her in person and the added bonus of running to the finish line with her! You are clearly a wonderful person and here's to future races together, my friend! :) :) We made the introductions to one another's mothers - woo hoo to cheering, picture-taking Moms! - and we checked to see if there are door prizes waiting (the hat you passed onto me to give to Ben went to the Goodwill yesterday, Lyndsey!).

Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet Lauren, but with her blistering speed that made her the 7th female overall to cross the finish line, and a third place finish for her age group, she was no doubt halfway home by the time I arrived at the finish line!! CONGRATULATIONS, LAUREN!! :)

Finally, to top my terrific race day off, when I checked the results for both 5K and 10K races online, I discovered that my friend, Jacquie, had WON for our age group in the 5K !!! And this meant a FIRST PLACE MEDAL. I called her to squeal with excitement over the phone and Miss Disbelieving laughed with shock that she had done so well! I emailed her the race director's email address and the next day, I received this photo from Kurt (he bought our Champion some flowers) with Jacquie's first ever running medal. :) It gave her the incentive to state that she would like to train between now and the end of October for the 10K race in ... NIAGARA FALLS (!!!) ... which makes that medal priceless. :) :)

An awesome race ... and a very different post from my post about last year's event - LOL! :)

I am off tomorrow and then I have an 11.5K on Tuesday. Week #11 begins ... my final week of the Strength Training phase. :)

SOUTH HURON TRAIL RUN 8K - Runpiker Series #5

This is my blog post from last year's run. A little bit different than the one I am writing today. :)

"On your mark, get set, go!" Start

Bib tag collection Finish

I do not have an official time yet from today's race (it's not posted yet), but this is my unofficial Garmin time - 54:08 (6:43/km). I am quite sure my official time will be in the 54:20-30 range (Editor's note: official time turned out to be 54:23)

For a change, I brought along our camera and took photos of quirky signs and places between Exeter and London, as well photos of the event set-up itself. Sorry - no photos of the trail or race itself because I was too busy running to stop with my camera! :) This photos will give you a much better idea of what these smaller-in-size community runs in the Runpiker Series look like in comparison to larger city venues. (As a head's up, Blogger is very basic so often the way I arrange photos and commentary does not turn out the way I intended. The "Preview" option is useless so the odds that this post will look disjointed are very good!)

I drove up to Exeter solo (~45 minutes). My race partner is currently in the Bahamas visiting a friend so she was not going to be there (too bad, too, as she does a good job pushing my pace in races!). The weather forecast was looking quite accurate - it rained overnight and it was already warm and muggy first thing in the morning. I knew this race was going to be a sweatfest!

I headed to the registration area to pick up my race bib and swag. I was really, really surprised when Bib #3 was pulled out for me. When I expressed surprise at receiving a single digit bib for the first time, the volunteer told me it was an indication of how early I registered. Different races have different methods for assigning numbers so this was cool for me for a change. :) Photos of my swag are at the end of this post.

After dropping the swag off at my vehicle and grabbing my racing gear, I headed over the finish line to see the participants in the Fun 2K arriving.

For fun, I took photos of some kids as they ran in. The look of excitement on their faces was priceless. This also gives you a perspective on what my finish would look like - taking a path through a cornfield, turning the corner onto the community centre grounds, catching a good whiff of manure, and then running to the finish. :) I love this pic of of the little girl, with her ponytail flying behind her and both of her feet in the air. :)

I tried taking a photo of me in my bib and pre-sweating, but ended up laughing my head off after this first and only amateur attempt. I am sure that whoever was in the washroom at the time was thinking that I was a freak (I would!). I didn't take too much time to experiment with this because I had to go warm-up before race start.

This is where I ran to warm up - by the gate entry to the community centre. Do you see the police truck on the left? The O.P.P. (Ontario Provincial Police) drove up while I was warming up to attend to a call - a car in the driveway had the back window smashed in. :( I am not daring/rude enough to start taking pics of the home owners while they were talking to the police officer. They probably thought I was odd taking photos of the sign. :(

This was my last photo before starting the race - a pic of other runners taking their places behind the start line (grey duct tape!). :) I stood somewhere in the middle - there was a lot of people up near the front, most likely because this race wasn't chip timed and they knew that the additional time it took to cross the line would be added to the total time. :( One of the organizers said a few words, thanked everyone for their support, warned everyone to be careful on the slippery boardwalk, and then literally called out, "On your mark! Get set! GO!" And then we were off! :)

This was Race #34 for me - my 4th 8K in two years. I would like to think that I have the whole "starting rush" thing mastered by now. It's amazing how many different kinds of 'starts" there are! I've been in crowded starts where everyone is pushing and jostling because we are trying to all fit through a narrow area, I've experienced slow starts in which it's challenging to get up to speed because there are so many people in front starting slowly, and I've experienced the swooooosh! in which it feels like everyone has just passed me with lightning speed, leaving me in the dust.

Well, today was a "leaving me in the dust" type of day - LOL! It was a very, very fast start and I went with the flow for bit before gaining some sort of control over my pace. As always, it is a little disconcerting to see how many people are flying by me and flying ahead when I am running at a faster-than-intended speed for me. I've written before on this blog how a race size seems to determine the average pace of participants. I don't have the official results yet as I am typing this, but I bet that when I analyze it, the average runner in this particular race will have had a much faster pace than what I see in larger, city venues. At this point of time, I just have to maintain a healthy attitude about racing against myself and beating my own pace as well as having fun. If I were out there to compete against others, I would have a very bruised, black & blue ego by now! LOL!

1 km - 6:17 / km (10:07/mile)

Not only did I watch as the majority of runners flew away from me, but I kept having runners come up from behind to pass me, too. :( It really began to feel like I was going to be running at the tail end for awhile! I keep reminding myself of the game plan, and to run this race "well." Fortunately, this faster start didn't burn me out (I've experienced that before at races) so I was not panicking about whether I could make it through the race to the end.

2 km - 6:48 / km (10:57/mile)

I currently hate running over grassy ground. We started the race running on pavement along a few streets, and in order to access the entrance of the trail, we had to run across a section of park grass. I'm not accustomed to it, and it doesn't feel as easy and smooth as pavement. I am sure it makes for a better workout, but I'm not in the mood for that at the start of a race. :) The gravelly path is nice, but the boardwalk sections do prove to be damp and a little slick from the rain the night before. I slow a little on the boardwalk because I'm a nervous nelly about slipping and falling. :)

3 km - 6:52/km (11:03/mile)

This is when I start passing several runners. I am yo-yoing with a few run/walk runners ... I pass them when they are walking/they pass me when they are running. A few of them look like they are purposely using the walk/run method, whereas others look like they were caught up in the fast start and are now paying for it. :( There is a group of us and I start to pass each one steadily as we swoop up and down and around on this trail.

4 km - 6:59/km (11:14/mile)

Last year, it rained a little on us and it was great in the heat and humidity. No such luck this year - it's just thick air and mugginess. :( We are not running hills, but there are a lot of inclines, and I am pretty sure we are running a slight incline at all times because I can feel that this isn't flat ground. I like the path - it feels good under the feet, but it's slower than asphalt. I am very pleased to see the 4 km marker because it's the hump and because I have just finished passing 7-8 people so I am now on my own in the woods. I didn't stop at the water station (I'm wearing my water belt) so I lost a few people who did stop, and I ran up a few inclines that slowed others down. I think at this point that I might be running the rest of this race alone.

5 km - 7:02/km (11:19/mile)

I see people! I see 2 Purple Ladies, an Orange/black lady, and the Woman in Black. much further ahead. I feel good knowing that I have just caught up to the tail end of another group of runners. :) I'm hoping to run closer to them as a way of making me run faster ... I just checked my average pace and I am slower than my established minimum goal (6:45/km; 10:52/mile). :(

6 km - 6:54/km (11:06/mile)

Once again, we are running over grass in another park to connect to a laneway leading to a road, and it's on an incline so I am finding this tough. :( Just ahead is where the second water station is set up. The two Purple Ladies keep running past it, but both the Orange/black and the Woman in Black stop for water. I follow the Purple Ladies and I am pacing behind the slower one. We start running for stretch on the paved road and I run faster to make up for some lost time on the trail. I move to the left to pass Purple Lady #1 and soon after - swooosh! - the Woman in Black sprints through the middle between us - she clearly has a second wind and prefers the speed of the pavement like me. :) I pass Purple Lady #1 just before the turnoff back onto the trail, and then I am following Purple Lady #2 for a stretch. She starts to slow after awhile so it leaves me chasing the Woman in Black. She is setting a good pace and I see my average pace finally declining. Woo hoo! And although this trail is tougher to run than what I am accustomed to, I am feel okay. :)

7 km - 6:26/km (10:21/mile)

I catch up to the Woman in Black and because she is not wearing headphones, I decide to say something. She clearly knows that I am on her tail, too. I tell her that she has done a great job setting the pace, and that I have been following her. She tells me that she's finding it tough. :( I tell her that she might feel like it's tough, but she's looking good so keep it up. :) She then does what I am was hoping she would do - she surges ahead. She's either inspired by me or thinks I'm a weirdo, but it doesn't matter. She is doing what I needed her to do - run faster! And I can keep pace behind her - go go go because we are in the last km and I need to bring my average speed down a little more to meet my goal! We run past Blue Dude - he suddenly appeared on the path in front of us - and then I see walking runners ahead. It looks a like a group have tired just near the end. I follow the Woman in Black until we reach a 90 degree turn off the trail onto a dirt incline path to the left beside a cornfield. Most of the tired runners who were walking are still walking up the incline. To my surprise, the Woman in Black comes to a complete stop at the corner because she has decided to walk up this incline, too. I'm gunning for the finish because I have a PR to set so I run up this incline past a few walkers, and then turn another 90 degrees to the right onto the community centre grounds and head straight for the finish. Some of the walkers have started running again and I pass a couple of them, but I am not able to pass them all. I don't have my usual faster running reserve at the very end, but I am running steadily (between 5:20 - 6:00/km) on this stretch before I pass the timing clock @54:23 (I think- we'll see when the results are posted).

So in conclusion it was a good, fun race for me. :) I enjoyed running it because it's different from what I usually do. My achilles on my right foot is a little tender today because of a rock I stepped on that was on the path (I'm lucky I maintained balance and did not turn over on my ankle), but other than this, I am really glad I did it. I am a little disappointed with my time - I was hoping to see a "53" in my time. :)

After the race, I headed back to the Ag building for watermelon, Gatorade and pieces of bagel. I checked out the prize table and woo hoo! For the third time this year, I won something - these socks - LOL! They happen to be my size and with the extra cushioning in the heel and ball areas, they will be great for winter running when I can hide them under running pants. :) I'm assuming they were donated as a prize because they weren't selling. :)

I didn't overdo it at the refreshment tables because I had something else in mind for the drive home - ice cream from Dairy Queen. Terrible food choice, but I was hot, sweaty, and in need of cold. I couldn't resist because it was located right there at the gate of the community centre. And what I like about this photo is that there are two volunteers in that ATV staring at me, wondering why the heck I am taking a photo of my ice cream cone in the parking lot! This is the saddest looking cone ever, don't you think? The photo doesn't capture how ugly it looked. It tasted good. :)

On the way home, I stopped to take all the photos in this blog post. I noticed many of the signs on my way up to Exeter, but didn't stop because of my timeline. It was a slower, meandering drive home.

I always try to stop in at Lucan Architectural whenever I am in the vicinity. There are some very interesting things here - recycled items from old homes for sale to people who are looking for authentic items for their century homes. Wrought-iron gates, bird baths, statues, and benches surround the store on the outside and old windows, cupboards, hooks, etc. are inside. They have also branched out and are selling colourful tin items made in Mexico, which are attracting more people to stop by the store. These colourful tin items really do catch your eye as you drive by, and as you can see by the next photo, I couldn't resist this:

To end my verbose post, I have photos of the swag. I was confused by the bag at first with the one reinforced corner and drawstring. I thought it was very odd until Ben pointed out that it was probably a pocket bag ... he was right. :) Two mini lotions, post-it notes, future run brochures and a United Way temporary tattoo. :)

I am off tomorrow and then it's back to HM training with Week #8 on Tuesday. The weather forecast this week looks rainy and less hot so I'm hoping it will be a good one, especially after reducing my mileage last week to give myself a bit of a break.

Happy running!

SUMMER NIGHT 5K - London Honda Series #4

History Review

2003 - 34:07

2009 - 35:35

2010 - 36:11 Last year's blog post

Now that my blog is a year old, a significant number of my race report posts will be starting with a link to the previous year's race report post. How cool is that? :)

So "if" you clicked on the link above, you will have at least the background story on my previous three races before reading this post. :)

So what's happening with my running one year later?

*****

Official Time - 32:12

6:17/km

Gun start/Chip finish

Garmin Time - 31:24

6:17/km

#338 out of 448

14/28 Age/Gender Group

25 DNF

This was Race #33 total-to-date for me. :)

This was my 16th 5K race. :)

And before I begin my race report, I have to play my usual race bib game:

17-7 = 10

10 / 2 = 5 ... my favourite number :)

So I achieved the conservative goal I set - sub-33. And I achieved a secret goal I had ... to cross the finish line before a particular runner!

I was happy to have my mom visiting from out of town so I was spoiled for this race - I actually had two people in attendance to cheer me on (Mom and Ben). I also met up with my racing partner (RP), who was there with her new 'friend' to cheer her on. :)

It was hot and muggy, just as expected, but not as severe as last year (lucky considering the record high temperatures being set in Ontario in the past week following this race). After setting my mom up in the shade in a lawn chair on the sidelines, I took off for my warm-up run. Like several others, I had my 'sweat on' prior to the beginning of the race. :)

I found my RP at the start line, met her friend :), and then we didn't have too much time to chat before the gun went off. RP told me originally that she had wanted to run a sub-30 for this race, but she had missed several runs recently and was not feeling it in this heat. I told her to go for it if she found her legs, but not to count me in - I was in this race for fun, I was not going to overexert myself in this heat/humidity, but I would do the best that I could pacing her. I was willing myself to go with the flow for fun on this one.

And then we were off! This photo is a pic of us waving to Ben and Mom near the start, happy little campers before becoming hot, sweaty and tired! :)

Overall, I really enjoyed this race. I know the course, it's short and sweet, with some challenges, and it has a fun atmosphere. However, this is the first year I can recall finding the course a little too cramped/busy for the number of runners. Either this race has increased in popularity or I was running in a more popular pacing/speed group than in previous years. Does that make sense? :)

The surprising, happy news that I can report from this race is that I think I could have run it faster had it not been as crowded on the path as it was. Perhaps it's best that I didn't as I probably would have been very bummed about just missing a sub-30 - LOL!

A great part of the race - running in union/pace with RP. Having a pacing partner is a wonderful, wonderful thing! :) RP and I ended up running in unison together, sometimes one in front of the other rather than beside each other. It was the only way to pass people when we were able to. We ran together for most of the race - she moved further ahead of me in the last km by running uphill faster when I urged her onward. I am now strongly considering joining a half marathon group next spring because I see how a regular group would probably encourage me to push/improve my pace more.

An irritating part of the race - the runner with the jogging stroller. Let me make it *perfectly* clear that I love runners with baby jogging strollers. I have nothing but admiration for them - what a tough workout! There are always a few of them in the races I run, and it's fun to see parents switch with one another while running a race together. Unfortunately, because this race was mainly on running paths and not on the open road, having a stroller in it proved to be an incredible problem. An additional complication was that this particular mother/runner was very aggressive. She was making runners in front of her turn around in surprise, thus making them jump out of her way with little room to spare. A couple of times, she and her stroller ran onto the opposite side of the path in front of the fastest runners who were returning to the start/finish line. RP, who was just ahead of me, turned around several times to look at me with a, "are you seeing what I'm seeing?!?!?" look. I empathize with how challenging it was for the mother/runner out there, but I wasn't impressed with how more challenging she made the race path for the rest of the runners around her. RP later told me derived some satisfaction by racing her to the finish line and crossing before her. :) I just wished she would have been more laid back and enjoyed this race for fun; her body language indicated that she wasn't. :(

I wrote at the start of this post about my secret goal, about running faster than a particular runner. She is someone who participates in most of the same races that I do, and her times are always slightly faster than mine. She is usually just ahead of me in points in the London Honda Series. At the last race, the Go the Distance 8K, I watched as she passed me when I was pacing with other runners instead of racing to the finish. A bit of a bummer when I realized after the fact that this had cost me 2 points - LOL! Anyway, I saw her running ahead of me through the section of the race when it was proving difficult to pass. I actually was thinking of just pacing behind her the whole way and then passing her at the finish. :) However, RP was keeping us at a faster pace so when she passed my target runner, I decided to follow suit and then hoped that I would not see my secret goal runner then pass me again before the finish line! (she didn't). :)

A tough section of this race is that the last km, which is essentially all uphill and once runners reach the top, we turn left for the last quarter km to the finish line. The pic to the left shows me heading toward the finish after running from the corner/hill. I'm cruising at this point. I'm hot, sweaty, tired, and happy to see the end approaching. Ben and Mom are standing up with their cameras, taking pics and waving. I'm smiling and waving back. Woo hoo! Almost there!

It's just after I pass Mom and Ben that I suddenly catch a glimpse of a runner to my left. I didn't realize I had someone in my left blind spot until she decides she wants to pass me. She has made me her goal to beat at the end! :) It's a funny thing what an action like that can do. I had the same instinctual reaction as I did at the Dairy Capital 10K - I just went zooooom and took off speeding! I didn't catch her in my sights again. It was exciting for me to experience that racing rush at the end. I really ought to thank this person because she's the reason I PB'ed in this race and when I checked the official race results, I really did beat my secret goal runner, but only by 10 seconds (I wasn't sure that I truly had because of the chip timing). I laughed when I saw the above photo Ben took because he captured the moment before this runner started to race me. :)

Everyone met up on the other side of the finish line when RP and I compared thoughts on the race, and shared the details with the others. I gave her friend my free beer and burger coupons so that the two of them could enjoy a free dinner together before Ben, Mom and I took off. It's the least I could do for RP because she's responsible for pushing my running pace in this race.

I am cancelling my 8K with striders tomorrow, and taking a rest day. I then have a 16K LSD on Sunday (hence why I am not going to push it with an additional 8K tomorrow).

GO THE DISTANCE RUN 8K - London Honda Series #3

BIB GAME: 19 + 1 = 20

20 is divisible by "5", my favourite number. :)

91 - 1 = 90

90 is divisible by "5", my favourite number. :)

*****

In 2009, I participated in the 3K Fun Run. This is when the Go the Distance event was still held downtown London on a Sunday morning race before it was changed to an evening race.

3K was pretty much all I could handle at that time!! :) :) My results?

June 2009

21:50

Pace 7:17/km

Last year, I participated again in this event, but it was my first 8K race. I was very proud of myself at the time for being able to run in the 8K instead of the 3K. It didn't matter that I ended up not enjoying this race at all because of the hot and humid weather and because I had not run it wisely - I still did it!

Out of the two 8K races I ran last year, this race was my fastest/PR, which is not a fair comparison with one being a road race and the other, a hilly trail race. I do not have a blog record, but this was my result:

June 6, 2010

8K @57:47

Pace 7:04/km

So how am I doing one year later? :)

*****

Official Time

8K @54:46

Pace 6:51/km

Gun start / Chip Finish

Garmin Time

8K @53:40

Pace 6:43/km

SOCKS were the swag this year, and IMO, they are very, very cool! I love my race tech shirts collection, but these socks receive two thumbs up from me! :) Sorry about my cheap camera pics ... or is it the photographer's lack of skills? :(

Sorry this post is late, but the gorgeous weather here enticed me to spend my day outside for most of it instead of being inside in front of a computer. I think (hope) you understand. :)

I achieved my goal of running under 55 minutes with 14 seconds to spare, according to the chip time. When I saw the weather forecast, I knew that the humdity, combined with a late day run, was not to my benefit. I'm an early morning run gal, and I love running in cooler weather. Therefore, I set my goal conservatively, and as you will see, I kept my run conservative, too.

Ben dropped me off on campus. I told him not to come to this event, and that bringing me to campus was all I needed from him this time. I could have walked, but I didn't want to arrive hot and sweaty ... I was going to be this way throughout my run so I wanted a little more time staying fresh. :) I picked up my chip and sat in the shade with other runners, waiting for the 3K to end and the 8K to start. I found my old running partner again so we sat in the shade together, discussing our Bayfield race last week, reminiscing about this same event last year, catching up on each other's news, and then deciding to pace each other in this race. I usually warm up before a race, but I decided not to bother for this one. I was feeling very casual about it and I decided that using the first 2K of this race as my warm-up was good enough for me.

Similar to last year, it's hard not to run faster in the TD Waterhouse Stadium. Check out my first km:

1 km - 6:35

So much for "warm-up," eh? Well, it felt good. I didn't feel like I was overdoing it and it was nice to keep pace with a solid group of people around the track before we exited and headed out onto the University of Western Ontario campus. At the 1 km marker, we were following a runner who decided that she would "jump" over the 1 km sign ... only she missed and ran into it, making a huge noise and nearly tripping herself. She looked sheepishly back at us as she continued to run. As dumb of a move as I think this was, I actually felt very bad for her because I knew we would be running past her soon and that it would be tougher for her to run the remaining 7K after embarrassing (and possibly injuring) herself this way.

2 km - 6:37

I discussed with my running partner before the starting gun to be patient, that we would start passing a lot of runners in the first 2K because they would run out too fast to keep up with the others. She told me after the race how she kept thinking about this, and then how delighted she was when, as we had our cadence synced for several km, we passed multiple runners. I didn't count, but we did "well" with our passing. :)

3 km - 6:43

There were several things I truly enjoyed about this race. One was knowing the course ahead of time so we knew exactly where all the inclines and downhills were. Another was having someone to pace with, which clearly was pushing me in a good way. I also felt relaxed and back to my 'norm' of just having fun being in a race, knowing that I was going to PR regardless so just go with the flow. :) I too k the time to thank race marshals/volunteers as I ran passed and even joked with some of them who were putting extra effort into cheering all of us on.

4 km - 6:48

I was trying to slow down somewhat because I didn't trust the 6:30-ish pace, not on a hot and humid night, so I felt better taking the speed down a notch. We were running well and enjoying the park scenery so there was no need to push it ...

5 km - 6:31

Sweet downhill section of the run. :)

6 km - 6:55

This is when I lost my running partner and the heat started getting to me a little. My partner wanted to run faster at the 6K mark, and I told her to go for it. Later, she told me that she had made an error, that she had meant to run faster at the 7K mark, and that her pace had significantly slowed in the homestretch when she was spent. I knew she had wanted to push it, but after my 5K race/PR last week and taking the time off this week to enjoy a break between training sessions, I really, really just wanted to coast at an easy pace.

I had the energy to pass a number of walking runners on a steeper incline. I literally ran up it past several people. One of the race marshals yelled out, "Number 191 !! GOOD GAME !!" I smiled and gave her the thumbs up.

7 km - 6:53

This is when I passed a runner I had been catching up to for a few km. She was slowing down and as you can see from my pace, so was I ... but not enough so that I couldn't pass her. Just after the 7km mark, she came up from behind me and passed me. I could hear her breathing and could see she was struggling, but I was still smiling and thanking volunteers, and after checking my Garmin again, I decided to coast it in because I was clearly under time from last year.

I saw this same runner start walking again and I was going to run past her a second time, but in the spirit of my Donnybrook Dash run, I slowed beside her and asked if she would like to pace it in with me. She picked up her pace and we started to run together. I knew she didn't have the energy to chat so I said a few encouraging words ... "we are almost there ... maybe 200m tops." We approached another runner who was walking so I turned to her and said, "we're pacing in together - join us!" So she did. :) I swear I felt a little like a Mother Hen with a runner under each 'wing' as we closed in on the stadium. The second runner said she had started walking because she really needed to pee! I laughed and told her that the faster she ran in, the faster she could go pee! She then decided to run faster. :)

8 km - 6:43

As my original "chick" and I approached the stadium entrance, she asked me wearily if we had to run around the track again, I told her, no, that the finish line was literally straight ahead, less than a minute to go. As soon as we were in the stadium and on the homestretch , I said, "Let's go! We can do it! We are there!" And we ran in together as I waved and smiled at a few people I know who were cheering us in. :) After we crossed the finish line together, I turned to this runner, shook her hand, and congratulated her on a great run. She thanked me genuinely for running with her.

I met up with my old running partner, and we found leftover water and watermelon together. We then had a good time discussing the race in detail. :)

And guess what? I won a door prize! #188 was called, but this runner was no longer there so they asked for the nearest number ... which was me. :) I now have a red and black London Honda Series gym bag. :) And the sweetest, sweetest part about it was that, as I was heading back to my spot after picking up my door prize, the runner I had run in with ran up to me and said, "Way to go, Coach! You deserve it." Doesn't that make you do, "awwwwwww." What a sweetheart!

I forgot to include in my blog post for Bayfield last week that I won a door prize there, too! I was happy to receive something special on the day I became a member of the "5K in <30" club. I won a cosmetic bag filled with Crabtree and Evelyn hand cream, lotion and shower gel. :)

As for POINTS ... they have not been officially posted yet, but I strongly suspect that I just jumped from 17th place to 6th place, if my figuring is correct. :) I was last in my age and gender group - 12th out 12 women. However this still earns me 9 points and it is a double points event. Therefore, 18 points added to my current 18 points knocks me into the top 10. :) I just might be a contender this year. :)

Half Marathon training begins tomorrow ... and Mondays are now officially OFF/REST DAYS so how's that for starting training! :) :)

BAYFIELD SAFE HARBOUR RUN 5K - Runpiker Series #4

Last year, I participated in this 5K race. It was my 4th 5K race of 2010. It also was the race in which I established my fastest 5K time since I started running again in 2009. I have no blog record of running this race, but I have my results:

June 12, 2010

5K @33:54

Pace 6:39/km

Back in 2003, I achieved the following time in a 5K race, my PR back when I was younger and somewhat lighter - LOL!:

31:32

This is the race that I chose back in February to spend 14 weeks training for in order to achieve my goal of running a '5K in under 30 minutes.'

So how did I do?

*****

Official Posted time

29:51

Pace 5:58/km

Blow horn start / bib slip collection

Garmin time

5 km @29.21

Pace 5:52/km

a.k.a. "The Monkey Off My Back" Run!

(I say this jokingly ... if I were truly bothered by running 5K races in over 30 minutes, I would tried much harder before running so many of them!)

a.k.a. "The 5K under 30 Club Membership" Run!

Well, I did it, folks. :) I finally earned my membership into that club of people who can run a 5K distance in under half an hour. :)

Since returning to running, I've just been showing up to races to see how I do 'this time.' Today, I was both nervous and excited because this was the race I have actually focused on for the last 14 weeks. I have run 14 - 5K races, almost always for fun, but this is the first time since I have trained for one with time goal. I did this as a way of getting myself back into running shape after the winter and to increase my mileage to the level where I can start training for my rematch and new PR in the Niagara Falls half marathon this fall.

Usually when I blog about a race, I can describe it in detail. I am usually very aware of what is going on around me, making observations, watching other runners, checking out the scenery of where I am at, learning something new, etc. Not so much today! I have to admit that this race was more of a blur. I truly ran with focus, running full speed ahead with my eyes on the road ahead of me, trying to find my pace! I really can't say much about the actual race except that I recognized the route while running it, and unlike most of my recent races, I was always surrounded by a lot of people running a similar pace (it was VERY nice not to be a lone runner in a race for a change!).

After a tough personal week of wondering if my injured achilles tendon was going to be okay, and having trouble sleeping the night before, the signs this morning leading up to this race were all in my favour:

1. The weather channel predicted unseasonably coolish weather. It was just awesome! Ideal for me for running. Most people were complaining about the drop in temperatures, but I was rejoicing!

2. Morning prep and breakfast ran on schedule. There was no "I can feel the breakfast heavy in my stomach" for me today!

3. I took a hot shower in order to feel 'clean' and awake. Most race days I just go and then shower when I get back, but I wanted that super fresh feeling before leaving.

4. I wore my favourite tech running shirt, the black Grand Bend tech shirt from last fall's Pinery Provincial Park race (I am wearing it in the Niagara Falls half marathon pic at the bottom of my blog). I also wore my newest Saucony running shoes.

5. My Garmin was properly set, my iPod has my special 'Bayfield' playlist, and I have practiced using my new black Sprint Palm holder so I do not have to stop at any water stations. :)

6. The drive up there through farmlands is beautiful and relaxing.

7. There is just under 400 runners participating in either the 2K or the 5K so the event is a nice, 'fuller' community race without being too large.

8. My bib number is great (9 - 4 = 5 my favourite number!)

9. Warm-up goes well. Although I think it feels a little sluggish after some striders, my pace is actually quite good.

10. I have Ben with me. I owe Ben a lot for being there for me when this environment is really not his ideal (he hates any type of crowd with a passion), but he held my hand and then my gear while I warmed up. He kept me smiling with quips and encouragement, and was the partner I needed him to be before the race started.

I knew going in that I had selected a race with an ideal running course (all flat - literally no hills or inclines), but I also knew that this would not be chip timed. This meant that I had to run that much faster to ensure my official time was under 30 minutes. My official time was going to be negatively affected regardless by where I stood at the start and where I placed in the finishing chute. This is why I didn't want to stop for water anywhere along the way. Can you tell I was taking this very seriously? :)

And at the sound of the air horn, 293 runners took off in the 5K. My training program suggested that I stand back from the start line where all the racers are jumping out and running full tilt so I wouldn't be forced to run with them. No worries there as I usually take middle back position! But I did move up closer than usual to the front because this race was not chip timed, and I really did not want to miss my PR by a few seconds as a result of my starting position. My training program also suggested that this placement in the pack would slow me down a little (ideal) while I warmed up and would keep me from swoosh!-ing out too fast. This was good advice and it worked - my start was slower and built up as a result:

1 km - 5:56 (best pace 5:01)

However, I started running too fast in the 2nd km and I knew it:

2 km - 5:40 (best pace 4:27)

I kept telling myself to slow down and follow the plan, but it was really tough to do! It was as if I hit a certain pace (5:30/km) and felt very comfortable there so I didn't want to leave it, yet I knew I couldn't keep that pace up and I was hurting myself in the long run if I didn't bring it down. Maybe this is why I don't remember the race as much as I was struggling with myself to run the the logical pace and not the 'adrenaline-fuelled feels good' pace.

3 km - 5:58 (best pace 5:12)

And this is when I started to feel it. There was no hill to blame or change in course ... I started to feel tired and you can see this in the next km split. After 3km at a speed much faster than what I should have been running ideally, it's not a surprise:

4 km - 6:04 (best pace 5:01)

It was at around this point of the race when something unique to me happened, and whether you call it 'Providence' or fate, this is what occurred next. As I am tiring, I turned to my left and saw someone I knew - my running partner from last spring! We had run this same race together last year and she had returned to Bayfield to run it as well. I reached over with my hand and lightly touched her on the shoulder to get her attention, and we then had a mini reunion on the course while running. We had lost touch with each other by choice so to have something like this take place in the middle of my 'important' race was surreal! I have to give her credit where credit is due because when I told her I was trying to break 30 minutes today, she johnny-on-the-spot said okay! I'm in! It was a small miracle for me because what are the odds of finding an old running partner while trying to PR and pacing each other to the end? We chatted but I can't remember what was said because I was not zoned into the conversation while trying to maintain my pace and because I was feeling anxious about making it to the finish line in time. The race is a bit of a blur except for when I finally saw the finish line ...

5 km - 5:46 (best pace 5:11)

For the first time in a long time, I had nothing extra to offer at the end. I was very tired, breathing more heavily than usual, and running my heart out to reach the end in under 30 minutes. We passed several people, but then we were passed by others. The crowd laughed as a woman wearing a cape sprinted past most of us to the finish. There was no way I could catch up to her even if I wanted to as I was just fighting to maintain my pace at that point. :)

0.09 km - 6:22 (best pace 4:58)

This is when it's a little funny ... both in the funny 'ha ha' and the funny 'peculiar' meanings. Ben took a photo of me walking after my finish with the clock in the foreground reading "29:45." I was expecting an "official" time of 29:40 range so I was a little shocked to see "29:51" as my official time. And my running partner was listed as two seconds slower than me when in fact we crossed the finish together. :( Again, I should not be surprised by this because of the laidback timing method used for this race. However, once again, I am really pleased that I didn't make any water pit stops and that I pushed it when I did.

So! In conclusion ... my learnings from this race ...

1. I see now how cutting two weeks of my 'track work' had a negative impact because I struggled to find my pace throughout this race. I am sure that if I had had another two weeks of track work, I probably would have had proper pacing. Lesson learned. :)

2. I may sound like I am 'out to lunch' saying this, but I really like the 5:30/km pace. It feels comfortable to me, and I struggled with slowing myself down to the 5:50 - 6:00/km pace range, which did not feel as comfortable to me. I find this very odd because I really do not have the fitness level to run a 5K at 5:30/km! However, this is not the first time that I have noticed my gravitation to this particular speed. It seems to be my default fast speed. I'm not trying to run at this speed - I just find myself going to it first and then having to force myself to slow it down because I can't maintain it.

3. Having a pacing partner really works! I know this already from my experiences with running with others, but because it has been so long since I paced with someone, it was a nice reminder. :) I am unsure if I would have achieved today's goal if I didn't have someone with me to help maintain the pace.

4. It doesn't matter if someone has run 3 races or 31 races (like me!), there is a huge difference between running a race casually for fun and running a race for a specific time! Now I need to learn how to find the right balance between the two. :)

5. This was the.best.thing.I.could.have.done.for.myself! I felt sooooo low in February after 10 weeks of not running. When I started this training program, it still felt like a big letdown to me. After running a half marathon last fall and then starting to train for a '10K in under 60 minutes' for the spring, followed by a planned spring half marathon, instead I was going to focus on a dinky 5K?!?! But as I have progressed through this training, and learned so much more about running, I realized that it had actually been a blessing (for me). I have a new appreciation for 5K races :) and focusing on the improvement of my speed will clearly benefit me in the next 17-19 weeks as I train for a half marathon in the fall. Hindsight is 20/20 - I did not think this way at the beginning - but I truly believe it now. I am feeling very jazzed after my race (and my 2 hour afternoon nap!). I am enthusiastic about my plans moving forward, and much, much better prepared at this point to start training for another half marathon than I was a year ago. Pretty pretty cool! :) :)