Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Peak2Peak 10 mile RACE REPORT

PEAK TO PEAK 10 mile race
 
1:34:25 (9:27 avg) 113/208 overall....45/114 Females...23/52 F30-39
^Awesome swag for this race! Technical shirt, technical hat and a finishers medal for everyone!

This was my first time running this unique 10 mile race. It starts down in Bellevue, near the Peak Performance store and runs along a beautiful trail up to the Peak Performance store in Omaha.
Race started at 8:30 with near 55* temps. Perfect. They were shuttling people from the Omaha store down to the start line on buses but being that I get terribly motion sick if you even MENTION the phrase 'you wanna ride with me?' I thought it wouldnt be a wise idea to make use of this service.
So, my awesome hubby drove me down to the start line and then picked me up after the race was done. What a guy.

So I got there around 8 and met up with some of my Thursday morning running buddies.
^Anna can NOT take a normal picture facing the sun. Proven fact.

Met a couple new friends from Daily Mile so that was fun (*Hi Michael! Hi Lindsy!*).

Race started pretty much on time. We started about mid-pack and at around a 9:40 pace. I ran with Megan and Jennifer (^the two on the left) for the first couple miles to see how I would feel (I wasnt sure what kind of effort I could give today).

^Around mile 2. According to Jennifer. I was too busy people/bird watching and looking for cameras to smile at, to notice any mile markers.
=)
A bit after this I pulled away as I was feeling pretty good.

^Around mile 7ish. Speaking of motion sickness, I actually got slightly queasy running across the wooden bridges in this race! All the people running on the bridge with me, and shaking it up were not doing my tummy any favors. How rude.

I was pretty pooped the last couple miles and didnt have much left for a final kick. The effort on this run felt like a solid tempo run, which is about the effort I wanted to give today. Didnt feel QUITE up to race pace, but I'm cool wi 'dat.  Still a solid effort.

^Coolest chicks around (minus the dork in the pink).

^Sweet finishers medal


Hubs and kiddos came to pick me up and I totally forgot to get a picture of them and I post-race AT the race, so we did it in the driveway. Please excuse their hair as they were running around like crazy people before the picture. Looking NOTHING like their momma when she runs. Nope. No way.

Recovery has been great. Took Sunday as a total cardio rest day-no post race soreness (probably due to my less-than-race-pace effort). Then did some 'llipty warm up, light weights and planks Monday morning.

Got back into the grove this morning with a 5.1 mi run. Kept it easy the first couple miles (10:31, 10:23 pace) and then upped the effort the last few (9:48, 9:03, 8:46, 8:19). 
Topped it all off with with some push ups when I got home (15 x 5 sets).

Today is my oldest daughters 12th birthday. TWELVE!  She was adopted, I'm sure. NO WAY am I old enough to have a 12 year old....

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Ted E Bear Hollow 5K! Lots of pics followed by race report

TED E BEAR Hollow 5K August 25, 2012
Time-24:31, 4/18 in my age group, 40/194 overall
^Above picture before the race started. Love to see people milling about pre-race, gets me all sorts of excited to fly past at least 3% of them once the gun goes off.

^Above picture is my buddy Kathleen and I pre-race. We've been friends for over 10 years but anymore, the only time we get to see each other is at the occasional race!

^Above picture is the start line. I am at this time, mentally picking out the 2-5 people that I am sure I can pass in the next 20 minutes...that girl in the green shorts is goin' DOWN, people.

^Finishline pictures courtesy of the awesome Joseph Drugmand! He is at most of the races I do snapping awesome pictures and capturing memories for all of us. 



^Receiving my medal! Placed 3rd in my age group (I was actually 4th but one of the girls who placed in the top 3 overall females was in my age group so I got lucky)  =)


^Photo courtesy of Joseph Drugmand.  The gal on the left got 2nd in our age group. Her and I actually went to highschool together-AND she's pregnant with baby #5!  Kickin' job, Becky!



^ Bunch of awesome ladies. The middle 2 also live in the town I grew up in, which is pretty small, which automatically makes them my best friends now.  We ALL medaled. Representin' P-town like the bosses we are!


^Random dog at our race but SERIOUSLY. How CUTE is that face?  I would have tried to sneak him home in my back pocket if he was bout 80#'s smaller....

Proud of my time at this race!  My watch said 24:31 at the finishline BUT it also said 2.98 miles. They SAID it was a certified course, so maybe my watch was just being a clown, who knows. But my avg pace was 8:14 which is pretty rockin' for this slow poke!

Incase you havent been a follower of this blog from the get-go (and if you haven't, what's wrong with you?! Actually I dont even know if I've HAD this blog that long, so you're forgiven), Ted E Bear Hollow was the first 5K I ever ran back in August 2010 after I had been running for an ENTIRE 7 weeks. Yep. I was ready to kill it.  Ran that one in 32:19, then ran it again the following year in 27:xx (coming off an injured knee) and then this year at 24:31 (OFFICIAL results were 24:54 which baffles me as my watch said 24:31 and I started and stopped RIGHT on the mat-but whatev).  It is a favorite 5K of mine and I'll continue to run it as long at they let me! =)

It was supposed to be slightly chilly and drizzly this morning. We got the EVER so slightly chilly but the drizzly came in at about 20 minutes into the race for about 24.8 seconds and that was it-but it was a welcome relief!  The last 10 minutes of the race, I felt like my face was ON FIRE and would melt off my head at any moment! I have never experienced that in a race. I remember trying to fan it off with my hand. Yeah. Not too successful.

The last 4 minutes were TERRIBLY tough. But I got thru them. Finishline was about 20 feet after a SHARP turn which was kind of awkward as you couldnt put your boosters on the last .10 of the race (or for me, the last .03 of the race)  =)

Next race for me is a unique point-to-point race here in Omaha this Saturday called 'Peak to Peak'. It is a 10 miler along a really flat paved trail here that runs from a store in Belleuve to a store in Omaha.  This is the first year I've done it so I'm excited about it AND it looks like the weather will be PERFECT for racing Saturday morning (around 55* at start time)!  I MUCH prefer cold weather for races, than blazin' temps, dont you?  =)