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!

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! :) :)

DONNYBROOK DASH 10K - Runpiker Series #3

Last year, I participated in the 5K race. It was my third 5K race of 2010. I did not have a blog at the time; therefore, I have no written record of this race, but I do have my results:

June 6, 2010

5K @34:12

Pace 6:50/km

So how am I doing one year later?

*****

I am behind on my blog by almost a week ... the upcoming posts may explain a bit why, but for the sake of expediency, here is my post from DailyMile about the race, for those of you who read my blog, but are not following on the DailyMile ...

a.k.a. "I Felt Like a Bag of Toys" Run :(

Well, for the first time since I started comparing my 2011 runs to last year's, I ran at a slower pace. :(

June 5, 2011

10K @1:12:08

Gun start/Running mat finish with bib tag collection

However, when I consider all the factors that were working against me in this particular race, I don't think I did too badly! :)

From the DailyMile:

It was bound to happen and HEY, this WASN'T my goal 5K at Bayfield or my goal 1/2 marathon at Niagara Falls so I am okay with today's performance and result. If anything, similar to last weekend's RP race, I learned a lot so I can't call this a bad experience. Here's my best attempt to edit the ugly, the good, the bad, and the good ... I had a terrible bout of nausea before I left home for Dorchester and hoped it would pass by the time I arrived, but I ended up curled up in a ball in my vehicle between kit pick-up and start time. Instead of warming up, I spent time in the washroom (new and clean - a positive!). I kept telling myself that I might just have a good race still; that this wasn't necessarily an indication of a bad race. I started 'well', and even steadily passed multiple 5K runners on the quiet streets. The 10K runners went right at one point and we were then on a shaded trail (lovely) where I passed 2 runners, Pinky and Miss Purple. This distraction from my tummy was much needed and I started thinking that I would be okay within a few more km after all. After turning left onto a gravel road, I set my sights on catching up to Red Guy and Blue Guy. But this is when it got a little tougher, too, running challenging hills repeatedly on gravel in the hot sun and humidity. I was still on target by the 5K mark, but realized the second half was going to be much tougher. When we switched from gravel road to pavement, BOTH my left ankle and left achilles tendon felt very sensitive (not hurting, not aching, just making it known that they were not happy with the hilly gravel roads). I never did catch up to Red Guy ... instead, this race turned into a concentration of willpower ... willing myself forward when feeling so crappy in the merciless sun on such a hilly course with my old injury starting to act up. I kept thinking, if this were Niagara Falls, what would you do? How would you handle it? Maybe this is happening now so you can learn how to handle situations like this. I refused to look at my Garmin the whole race because I did not want my taskmaster telling me if I had a good pace when clearly the running conditions were sub-par for me today. And this is when the ball on my right foot started to hurt. You.have.got.to.be.kidding.me!! By the 8K mark, I reached a very steep hill and thought about my race next week ... so I stopped running and walked it. Again, at the 9K mark, another steep hill so I stopped to walk. And this is when a runner came up from behind me: "I've been trying to catch up to you this entire race!" he exclaimed, "You haven't stopped running for most of it!" I then realized that, hey, even with everything working against me today, I was actually someone else's 'Red Guy' (literally, as I was wearing my red tech-T)! I then caught up to him at the top of the hill when he started walking. In a shout-out to Terry's suggestion on DM last Sunday, I turned to this runner and asked him if he wanted to pace with me to the finish. Although I started feeling my usual adrenaline rush near the finish line, my new partner needed to walk a few more times so I decided to stay with him. We ran in together to cheers (very nice!) and as the one volunteer stepped toward me to collect my bib number first, I quickly stepped to the right behind my running partner so his was collected before mine. He then shook my hand firmly and thanked me enthusiastically for helping him to the finish line. Complete opposite ending from last week when I outright raced someone to the finish line, but just as satisfying. :) Even after a two hour nap this afternoon, I am still feel very blah. Not sure what is ailing me, but better today than next Sunday when I am going for a PR in a 5K !!! :) :) Race Week/taper week probably is coming at an ideal time. :)

DAIRY CAPITAL RUN 10K - Runpiker Series #2

Last year, I participated in the 5K race, and I had a lot of fun. :) This race set the tone and my enthusiasm for doing the rest of the Runpiker Series runs in 2010. It was my second race of the year. I have no blog record of running this race from last year, but I have my results:

May 2, 2010

5K @36:19

Pace 7:16/km

So how am I doing one year later?

*****

1:07:24 Official Posted Time

Pace 6:45/km

Gun Start/Chip Finish

8 seconds shy of my current PR! LOL!

Garmin Recording

10.22K @1:07:29

Pace 6:37/km

.22K @1:10

1:07:29 - 1:10 = 1:06:19? LOL!

Wow! What a day! So much to think about during and after the race ... so much that I learned today ...

To begin, it was nice and cool first thing in the morning, but it turned out to be quite warm and very humid during the race. It almost felt like an anomaly that I wasn't racing in the rain! :) Ben and the dogs came with me to Woodstock so this race was a family affair.

* * * * *

LEARNI NG #1 - You are never too old to run.

I saw an 88 year old woman cross the finish line in the 2K. Six people ran in after her. :) Everyone near the finish line clapped and cheered as she crossed the finish line because it was so inspirational to watch her in action. :)

* * * * *

After the 2K finished, the 5K race started (~10 minutes before the 10K) so I watched and cheered this nice size group of 308 runners and walkers start their race before I headed to my start line. There was a significant group of walkers with walking sticks and matching t-shirts at the tail end, which was unusual but great to see in the 5K. I then headed to my starting line.

Once again, my heart sank a little when I saw how small the 10K group was (131). It 'almost' gives me the impression that no one likes to run in these races unless s/he can run 10K in an hour or less ... but I know that I am never going to become one of 'those' runners unless I keep doing what I am doing so ... it is what it is. :) I wasn't there to compete against anyone but myself, and my goals for this run were different. Memory serves me well because I recalled from last year that there was a very long steady incline in the few km of this course so aiming for a PR was out. Instead, I had determined that this would be a free-for-all run. I wanted to see how well I could do in a 10K without going by the Garmin, instead running it by "feel," even if I ran out of fuel near the end. I set my Garmin for "Pace," "Time," and "Average Pace."

* * * * *

LEARNING #2: "Average Pace" works really well for me.

I would check my Garmin periodically to see how I was doing by the "Pace" window and there were some very wide variations ... 6:15, 7:45, 6:30, 7:10 ... but my "Average Pace" remained pretty much steady at 6:38 throughout the race. This helped me to not to get demoralized or panicky about a very slow pace, but to keep in mind that I was making up for it in the long term when running faster on the flat road and the downhill. I didn't slow myself down when I saw that my pace was sub-6:30; instead, I kept going with it to see how well I could do. Because my "Average Pace" remained steady, I trusted my running ability.

* * * * *

So it was the familiar swooooosh as 'it seemed' that everyone ran ahead of me. At one point, when I passed by a police car, I heard the officer start to direct traffic through. This gave me an indication that I might be last or that there was a gap between me and the next runner ... I didn't give it too much thought, but was something that I noticed. With 28 races, you would think I know better, but in this particular race, I did get caught up in the starting pace:

1 km - 6:24

In my defence, I had warmed up with a light jog so I was not running this 'cold' ... but it is too fast for me. It felt fine, but then we hit the steady incline:

2 km - 6:41

3 km - 6:41

Still a very fast pace for me, especially on an incline ... but hey, I was the one who decided to run by "feel" so I went with it. By this time, I was passing a lot of walkers. :) It helped boost my ego when needed out there. :)

4 km - 6:40

I spot a woman well ahead of me with a distinctive white running top with a blue stripe down the back in the middle. I noticed this shirt at the starting line and this shirt/runner would prove to be my personal 'rabbit' for the rest of the race.

There are multiple water stations and I have slowed once to use one of them them for cooler water. I am running with my water belt and due to the heat and humidity, I have already been using them frequently for small squirts of water to wet my dry mouth.

* * * * *

LEARNING #3: I am really smart to wear a water belt!

I want to make a note of this (again) in case something changes for me in the future, but I really do not understand how anyone can run in the weather without a water belt. I am carrying water and sipping at it when needed, but isn't the heat dehydrating everyone one else, too? I think there is only two of us wearing water belts.

5 km - 6:38

I am finishing the first loop and running faster because of the cheering noise from the crowd at the finish line for the 5K runners finishing. They have the fire truck hose spraying, too, which was soooo nice last year and I am already looking forward to it at the end of my second loop. I hear the announcer overt the loudspeaker advising the crowd that the first 10K runner has just entered the park. I think that he should announce that this runner will NOT be lapping me today! :) :) Woo hoo - I made it past the 5K mark before he runs into first place! :)

But now I have to do that bloody incline again. My pace going up them was not so enthusiastic:

6km - 6:51

7 km - 6:44

However, this is when I start to pass a few 10K runners. There are several runners walking up the hill and although my pace is excruciating slow, I am still passing them. One of them catches up to me and passes me again, but this is when I decide that I will skip the water stop, knowing that she will use it, and use it as my opportunity to pass. For some reason, the water station is in the valley so runners run down to it, stop for water, but the have to run up a hill. Sure enough, she stops, I pass, and she then tries to catch up to me on the hill, but it's too late; she has lost momentum and can't get up to speed on the hill. And I keep truckin' ...

8 km - 6:34

As I dip into the one side of the park, Ben and the dogs are there to greet me. This pic is Ben's viewpoint. I am a little nervous that the dogs will go nuts and try to run to me, but they are as good as gold. I ask Ben later, what did you do to make them behave so well? And he tells me, they didn't clue in it was you until you passed ... then they went pulled like crazy on the leashes to catch up to you! :) :)

This is when I notice that I am catching up to two more runners. Although I am very hot and tired, I am feeling very good because my average pace is holding steady, and I have no caught up to more runners who have been ahead of me the whole time. Both runners slow at the next water station and I do, too, because I need to throw some cool water on me, and within a few minutes, I have passed the two of them. :) :)

9 km - 6:53

I am slowing and starting to feel very sluggish in this one section of the race. I just felt a wave of tiredness and I am wondering if this is when I am going to hit a wall, or start slowing significantly before the finish ...

But as I round the corner, I see white shirt/blue stripe lady. My rabbit. :) I had lost sight of her through all the curves and turns we are making, but there she is. Without realizing it, I start to run faster. It is my goal to catch up to her. Just keep this pace steady, I tell myself. Don't go crazy, keep it here, and you will catch up.

And I did. :) My rabbit starts to walk with less than a km to go, and I pass her. I half expect her to start running and catch up to me, but I don't see her again. :)

10 km - 6:19

This is when I see several more runners ahead of me ... and they are walking.

* * * * *

LEARNING #4: I always have enough in reserve for the end.

29 races and regardless of how tired I feel, I have never walked before the finish line. :) One fringe benefit of being very conservative when it comes to pushing myself in a race?

* * * * *

At this time, I can see the curve before the finish line chute, and I am happily passing another runner who is walking. I see one last runner ahead of me. She has slowed to a walk, but I am pretty sure she will start running again before I reach her so as my last motivational milestone in this race, I decide that I will keep up to her pace to the finish to get me across the line.

Sure enough, just as I thought, she starts running again as soon as I am behind her. Good! I can follow her pace in ... except that it turns out that my pace is just a little bit faster ... we are so close to the finish - should I bother trying to pass her? And for a refreshing change, instead of being laid back and just finishing the race, I decide that yes, I do want to pass her. :) She ran the entire race well ahead of me, and I did a great job catching up so why not go for it?

So I did. :)

I pulled to the right and keeping my pace, I started to pass her. And then the unexpected and (for me) magical happened ... she started to run faster and started racing me to the finish. :) And somewhere internally, my inner competitive spirit suddenly appeared and I ran with everything that I had. I could hear people clapping and hooting because we were both gunning it!

.22 km - 5:19

Best pace: 3:38 (told you I was gunning it!) :)

* * * * *

LEARNING #5: Although I like to think of myself as very laid back, I can become very competitive when challenged!

* * * * *

When Ben found me walking and catching my breath, he exclaimed, "WOW, Sweety! You were really running at the end! Your arms were swinging and everything!" Thank goodness he caught my very funny photo finish in the pic above, eh? :) :)

And now to ingest even more humour into this ... when the race results were posted later in the afternoon, I realized that when the police officer had let the cars pass the barricade after I ran by that I really HAD been the last 10K runner! I ran from last place to 8th last place and I know this to be true because I counted all the people I passed along the way, and my count equals the number of runners posted on the results after my name - LOL! I had fought and battled my way eight places up!

Runner #123 out of 131 10K racers. :)

So here ends my tale of the Dairy Capital 10K run for 2011. Truly a great 'test' run. My sixth race of 2011; my 29th race total to date; the second time I have been to this event; and, my 10th 10K race total to date. it was fun, I learned a lot, Ben and my dogs were with me, and best of all ...

With that crazy 2 km incline (twice!) of 20 metres, I was only 9 seconds off my PR. :) :)

Rest on Monday; back to the track Tuesday. :)

AROUND THE SQUARE RUN 10K - Runpiker Series #1

If you happened to find this blog post while searching for your results from this race, click this link for Run Around the Square. Cheers!

****

For my friends who read my blog posts, thank you for your patience with my late posts as I try to catch up after a too busy week!

a.k.a "The Pancakes & Sausages Run"

I have used "The Drowned Rat Run" in my blog and on DailyMile too many times so I need a new moniker to differentiate this race from the others! :)

This is a new(er) race. The first one was held last year, and then added to the 2011 Runpiker Series, replacing the Embro Highland Games 10K. Because I have no blog record of running at this time last year, I checked my Garmin history for a past comparison ...

May 15, 2010

7.10K @55:01 with Wallace

Pace 7:44/km

This entry made me smile because it shows that I was adding mileage and that I was no longer walk/running by May of last year. A nice reminder as to how I was improving last year at this point in time ...

So how am I doing one year later?

*****

May 15, 2011

10K @1:08:11

Avg. Pace 6:49/km

Gun start/Bib tag finish

Garmin time: 1:07:23

Avg. Pace 6:44/km

I am pleased! :)

But before I write more in my post, the t-shirt's quote because it's a good one:

"I pass through this world but once.

Any good, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any other human being, let me not, defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

~ Stephen Grellet

*****

This weekend's race was held in Goderich, ~ 1 hour 10 minutes north of London, and truly one of the prettiest towns in Ontario by Lake Huron. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy to appreciate Goderich's enviable lakeside location when it's grey, raining non-stop, and there's a chilly wind ... brrr! It is hard to believe I was just sweating in humid, August-esque temperature weather in the last few days because Spring's rain and coolness returned with vengeance here last night and today. Although I was happy not to run in humidity, today's pelting rain was a little more than I bargained for. :)

Ben and I drove up early this morning, 'me' with a bag of dry clothes I anticipated needing, and 'he' with a fishing rod and gear. :) Originally, he was coming with me to cheer me on, but when he reminisced about some nice fishing spot up there that he used to frequent, I urged him to go fishing instead. Better for him to be happy and wet fishing than miserable and wet cheering for me! This was intended as a fun run, not a PR race or a half marathon, so his absence from the sidelines was not a problem (except for anyone reading this blog because there are no photos to share!).

I am going to confess that my heart sank a bit when I reached the 10K registration table and realized that there was much fewer of us running this distance than the 5K. It was my experience all last summer at the Runpiker Series races that the smaller the pool of runners in a 10K, the faster the average pace; therefore, the greater likelihood of me finishing at the tail end - LOL! I recognize that someone has to be the last one to cross the finish line, and heck, it might as well be me because I am competing in these races against me ... it's just that it is a little sobering, coming from my exaltation with my new PR at the Forest City Road Race, only to run at a similar pace in another race without the comfort of being 'mid-pack.' <sigh> Something else to laugh/reminisce about someday, right?

~92 people lined up for the 10K and ~211 for the 5K at the start line (sold out at 350 so unfortunately, multiple runners said forget-about-it! when they saw the weather). We were wet, cold and ready to run in order to warm up! :) The race started in the town's old fashioned square, and did a loop of the town area back to near the start line where the 5Kers branched off to cross the finish line, and the 10Kers continued running for another loop. It was a gun start, and for the first time in years that I have experienced this, the run participants hand-wrote their names on the bottom tab of the bib when picking up race bibs so that these tabs could be collected by volunteers as we crossed the finish line ...

I have to hand it to all the volunteers and participants ... for such a lousy weather day, everyone was in amazing spirits. Similar to other Runpiker Series races I have been in before, the local feel to these community runs always makes it a great experience. The volunteers were soaked standing out there, but still managed to enthusiastically clap and cheers runners on.

There is not too much to tell in the vein of a storyline as this race was a basic and straightforward run for me. I stayed within a larger, stretched out group of people who were running a similar pace as me, mainly 5K runners, and I enjoyed my time running within a larger group of people because I was anticipating that once I started my second loop, I would be running on my own.

Learning #1 - I did something that worked for me so mental note (!!) ... I didn't want to wear my thinner running jacket because I knew it wouldn't do well in the rain. I decided I was fine running with one l/s and one s/s t-shirt similar to the FCRR 10K. I also wanted to run in shorts rather than running pants, which would just get soaked. I remembered that I had saved my souvenir plastic yellow rain poncho from my Niagara Falls Half Marathon (I didn't need it at the time). I brought it with me to this race and ran with it on for the first 6K. I certainly stood out wrapped in bright yellow plastic !! I found this great photo on another runner's blog to show you what I mean! I looked like that guy in the poncho in this photo. :) However, it actually worked very, very well for me. It kept me from getting soaked, it helped with the wicked wind we encountered in spots, and it provided me with slight warmth. The drawback was not being able to access my water belt easily, but given the weather, I wasn't reaching for water too frequently. I pulled it off and put it in the water station garbage at the 6K point, which was good timing because I did fine without it after this point.

Learning #2 - I am still not eating breakfast early enough. I felt "full"/sluggish with breakfast for the first loop of my run and had to tell myself to hang in there, that the feeling would subside during my run (it did). You would think that I have learned this lesson by now, but clearly I have not! :( I gambled, thinking a protein shake would not be as filling as a bowl of oatmeal. Wrong. I am still working out the kinks for this. However, it did make me smile to overhear two other runners at separate points telling their running mates that they could 'still feel breakfast' during the run so I was not the only one ... :)

Learning #3 - Instead of using the "Time" data field on my Garmin, I experimented with using the "Pace-Average" option. I wrote in my race prediction post this morning that my simple goal was to maintain a "6:40-ish" pace. This worked well for me. Instead of paying attention to my "current pace" and feeling compelled to adjust up or down accordingly, I ran by feeling and had a better idea of my pace overall with each passing km. I didn't look at it too much, and stuck with running at a pace that felt right for me in the moment. I only used it to make sure I was on track. I am going to do this again in the next race to see if this continues to work for me.

1 km - 6:33

2 km - 6:36

3 km - 6:45

4 km - 6:49 (very windy!)

5 km - 6:48

The route itself was terrific - all flat - and through nice neighbourhoods where some folks were brave and kind enough to stand out front, cheering runners on. If the day had been sunny, we would have had fantastic views of Lake Huron - it is worth doing this run again next year just for this. :) However, with the grey weather, the sky and lake essentially blended together, and provided us with an off-the-lake wind - wooo!

I passed 5K runners who were starting to walk, and I ran by a busy church (the lot was full) and then headed toward the square again. This is when I felt a slight urge to just stop running and call it a 5K for the day. Ha! Clearly the snipers I experienced earlier in the week during my training runs had left some buddies behind. :( Again, this was connected to a sense of dread around the loop again all by myself.

I ran into the square, went to the left, smiled and said thank you to the volunteers at this juncture who cheered me on, and continued my race.

Probably the best thing that happened to me was rounding the corner and seeing that I wasn't too far behind other 10K runners. I was no longer in a group, but I could see runners ahead, and this was good enough for me. And check out these splits! :)

6 km - 6:44

7 km - 6:44

8 km - 6:44

I could feel myself feeling more energetic and run stronger, but this is when I had to think about what to do. Do I run with this energetic wave that I hitting me, and risk running out of fuel at the end? Or do I bank on it being my pace for the rest of the run? I decided to hold myself at this even keel and not risk it.

And this is when the coolest part of the race occurred for me. The runners I could see in the distance? I caught up to them. :) Because I ran this very even pace and stayed the course, I gained on some runners and then I was part of a mini-pack again. I even passed a couple of runners, which simultaneously made me feel very good and a little guilty. LOL!

9 km - 6:56

Learning #4 - See this drop in pace? This is when I made the error of following the pace of a threesome in front of me. Rather than concentrating on my own feeling of pace (what I had been doing), I fell in behind them with their pace and stayed with it. Hindsight is 20/20 - maybe I should have double-checked my Garmin at this point as a motivator to run faster, but I think I was so happy just to have caught up from so far behind that I feel into a stay-with-the-group mentality! In the last km, I witnessed the one man's family cheering and jumping up and down with glee cheering him on - it was similar to hearing my nieces and nephew getting so excited. It was a heart-warming moment on such a dreary day. :)

10 km - 6:48

So I followed this group across the finish line. They were clearly excited with their time and success. I watched as the clock changed over to :08 as I ran by it, and felt very good about being less than a minute off from my PR. I honestly had not expected to do this "well" after a week of doing everything wrong in preparation for a race. :) And as you can see from this post, I actually learned a lot from this race as well, which is even more important.

So while wet, cold and tired, I headed to the square gazebo to collect my catered breakfast of pancakes with real maple syrup, sausages, fruit, muffins and croissants. How sweet to have this race catered with a real breakfast! I also stayed put with several other wet runners in the hope that I would win one of the draws, but no such luck today. I met Ben at our appointed time, changed into my dry clothes, and we were off toward home, enjoying our time together and going out for lunch for him. :)

I am taking tomorrow off as a rest day and then I will be back at the hill for my third and final hill workout on Tuesday. Happy weekend!