The Howard County Striders run some wondeful low key racing series around Columbia throughout the year. For a buck or less, you can get in a quality race nearly every Sunday. Most of the courses are challenging as Columbia is suprisingly hilly. Also, they usually give runners an option of racing different distances. There is usually a shorter race of 1 to 2 miles as well as a longer race of 5k, 10K, or even 15K.
On Sunday March 8 my options were a 10K or a 2 Miler. With my still gimpy (though much improved) left knee I opted for the 2 Miler. The race started and ended at Thunder Hill School and the name is well deserved. Over the 2 mile course their is a total elevation change of about 900 feet.
It was an absolutely beautiful day which brought out a lot of runners. 47 runners finished the 10K, with Frank Hemmingway leading the way with a time of 38:16. Ashlyn Sinclair led the women in with a time off 44:10. The last finisher came in with a time of 1:18:52. I probably would have been slower than that so I'm glad I opted for the 2 mile...I hate to force people to wait for me to finish.
63 runners competed in the 2 mile race....by far the largest Sunday Strider race that I remember running in. I fell back to about 3/4 of the way back in the field right away but I passed a few runners on the early steep downhill. I felt comfortable but that feeling quickly went away with the 2nd hill which stretches for about .4 miles. I took 2 walk breaks here. On the 2nd I was passed by Christina Caravoulias. Christina is a very consistent runner and is a pretty good measuring stick for me. When I'm running well I should beat her pretty easily at any distance. But if I haven't prepared myself properly she'll pass me by as she did this day. I kept her in sight the entire race but I just couldn't close the gap. I finished 52nd with a time of 22:57 and Christina finished in 51st with a time of 21:51.
Reviewing the Garmin data after the race I would say I walked a little too long on that hill where Christina passed me as my heart rate dropped to 129 before I began to run again. I think I should be able to start running again at about 135 so I took too long of a break there. Otherwise, I think I did as well as to be expected at this point. My average heart rate was 143 and my max heart rate was 161, which I think is close to a race high for me.
On March 15, I trekked up to Columbia for the Swansfield 1 Mile. Unlike the previous week, this was a pretty miserable day with temperatures around 41 degreees and a light, cold rain falling. I had been considering running the 5K but the conditions pushed me to the 1 mile as I really didnt want to spend an extra 25 minutes out in the rain. Plus, as I talked to Kirk Gordon before the race he helped me recall the devilish hill you have to run up about half way into the race. So I decided to give myself a little speed work to counter the last 2 days of slow runs on the treadmill.
There were 38 runners in the 1 mile race - a good turn out, particularly considering the conditions. There were quite a few parent/child combinations which I always like to see as long as they don't get right in front of me. Dee Nelson was running in this race. One of my goals for the year is to actually beat Dee in a race. I didn't think today would be the day but I did want to keep her in sight at the very least.
The race starts with a steep downhill. Why do all of these races start with a downhill? Why can't they end with a downhill which is when I really need it? Anyway, the course droped 75 feet in the first 1/10th of a mile. I ran that section of the course in 50 seconds and my heart rate was only 122. I was feeling good. However, I was begining to feel the effects of a wardrobe malfunction. I had forgotten to tie the drawstring to my shorts. I felt them slipping down my hips as I ran. I kept trying to pull them up and adjust them as I ran but they just kept slipping. I finally had to pull over to the side of the road after about 5 1/2 minutes to tie up the string. I lost about 30 seconds doing this. I may have had to take a break anyway as my heart rate was creeping up to 148 at this point but the problem was I had to come to a complete stop to fix my shorts. A normal break would have me walking a 1/10 of mile or so so this was just lost time. Anyway, once my shorts were tied I took again.
Now remeber that steep downhill at the start of the race? Well, as usual that became an uphill for the end of the race. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to power my way up the entire hill and I was even able to keep my 10 minute pace going. I passed a few struggling runners on the hill as well. I did take a very quick (10 second) walk break at the top of the hill as I thought I might be over doing it but the data shows my heart rate ws only 153 at this point. Anyway, a woman I had just passed encouraged me on and I raced the final 100 yards to the finish. I crossed the tape in 9:45, which I'm OK with given the problem with my shorts and the tough hill. I finished 24th out of 38 finishers. Dee Nelson finished in 7:28...I obviously have to improve a lot if I'm ever going to catch her.
For those keeping count, this was my 7th race of the year. That puts me on pace for about 60 races for the year, which I think is a good number.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Hail...another Tidal Basin 3K
February 18 confirmed that I truly am one of those insane runners who will run in anything. It was time once again for the monthly edition of the Tidal Basin 3K. This one was a little different than usual though. Instead of having to dodge tour buses we had to try to evade the sleet and freezing rain that was falling. It's one thing to run in the cold but its another thing entirely to have to also deal with stinging sleet bouncing off of your face.
There were only 23 competitors for thsi race and even that seemed high given the conditions. I spoke to Charlie Mercer before the race and he told me that conditions at last months race were bad as it was below 20 degrees but that this was certainly worse. I asked him how he was doing and he commented on Ted being there. I told him that Ted has been injured and is not running as fast as usual and he seemed to cheer up. I saw later that he won the race with a time of 10:55, beating Michael Collins by 4 seconds. I'm not certain but I think that may be Charlie's first Tidal Basin win...good for him!
All of the slower folks had the good sense to skip this race except for me. The only person there that I could stay even remotely close to was Tami Graf (who is 72 BTW). I stayed on her heels through about .9 miles but then I had to take a walk break when my heart rate hit 149. I started running again when it dropped to 125BPM, which was probably a bit too low. By that time, Tami was well out of reach and I was merlely running for my dignity and to allow Jay to pack up and get out of the sleet.
I didn't mention crossing the first Tidal Basin bridge. That was absolutely the worst part of the course. The sleet was coming in from across the Tidal Basin so we had no shelter at all. It was coming in nearly vertical and hitting us on our right side as we ran across the bridge. There was no where to hide. I probably ran across the bridge faster than I ever have before as I just wanted to stop being hit by that sleet!
Returning to the race, I took 2 more walk breaks...both times when my heart rate exceeded 150BPM. I should note that I don't stop based on my heart monitor as I actually can't read it when I'm runnning. I simply stop when I feel like I'm overdoing it. It's only after the race that I see that I typically feel that way when my heart rate gets to about 150.
I finished my last walk break at 1.5 miles and pushed myself as hard as I could towards the finish. My dog Riley cheered/barked me on as I passed him in my car as I neared the finish. I pushed myself hard to the finish and actually had a heart rate of 158 as I crossed the finish line in a time of 20:24. While that is obviously slows, that is the first time I have averaged under an 11 minute per mile pace for any distance since mid September of last year so I'm pretty happy about that. I guess we could say I perfom my best when conditions are the worst. Now we just have to test out that theory.
There were only 23 competitors for thsi race and even that seemed high given the conditions. I spoke to Charlie Mercer before the race and he told me that conditions at last months race were bad as it was below 20 degrees but that this was certainly worse. I asked him how he was doing and he commented on Ted being there. I told him that Ted has been injured and is not running as fast as usual and he seemed to cheer up. I saw later that he won the race with a time of 10:55, beating Michael Collins by 4 seconds. I'm not certain but I think that may be Charlie's first Tidal Basin win...good for him!
All of the slower folks had the good sense to skip this race except for me. The only person there that I could stay even remotely close to was Tami Graf (who is 72 BTW). I stayed on her heels through about .9 miles but then I had to take a walk break when my heart rate hit 149. I started running again when it dropped to 125BPM, which was probably a bit too low. By that time, Tami was well out of reach and I was merlely running for my dignity and to allow Jay to pack up and get out of the sleet.
I didn't mention crossing the first Tidal Basin bridge. That was absolutely the worst part of the course. The sleet was coming in from across the Tidal Basin so we had no shelter at all. It was coming in nearly vertical and hitting us on our right side as we ran across the bridge. There was no where to hide. I probably ran across the bridge faster than I ever have before as I just wanted to stop being hit by that sleet!
Returning to the race, I took 2 more walk breaks...both times when my heart rate exceeded 150BPM. I should note that I don't stop based on my heart monitor as I actually can't read it when I'm runnning. I simply stop when I feel like I'm overdoing it. It's only after the race that I see that I typically feel that way when my heart rate gets to about 150.
I finished my last walk break at 1.5 miles and pushed myself as hard as I could towards the finish. My dog Riley cheered/barked me on as I passed him in my car as I neared the finish. I pushed myself hard to the finish and actually had a heart rate of 158 as I crossed the finish line in a time of 20:24. While that is obviously slows, that is the first time I have averaged under an 11 minute per mile pace for any distance since mid September of last year so I'm pretty happy about that. I guess we could say I perfom my best when conditions are the worst. Now we just have to test out that theory.
By George, I'm slow
On February 14 I made my return to the annual By George 5K on Haines Point, sponsored by the Potomac Valley Track Club. Dori and I celebrated Valentine's Day the previous evening in Old Town so I had a hall pass this morning.
It was a cold morning and anyone that has run at Haines Point knows that the wind coming in off of the rivers makes a cold day feel pretty darn frigid. As always, the standing around at the beginning was the worse. But I was able to forget about the cold for a few moments while exchanging small talk with Jon Palks and Peter Blank.
This race is actually 2 races in one. A 10K is run simultaneously with the 5K. Haines Point is just a just a tiny bit longer than 5K around the point so the 10K runners start a little bit in front of the 5K runners and we all finish at the same place. My goal in these races is to not get passed by the 10K leaders as we all near the finish line. I've been able to do it before... I remember seeing Ted Poulos closing fast 1 year as I crossed the tape...but I'm older, fatter, and slower now.
Perhaps the best aspect of Haines Point is its flatness. You really can't ask for a flatter course. Given that I like flat courses and I actually prefer cold days (once I'm running) I hoped for a good day. My GPS wasn't charged though so I was going to have do this one without any help from technology.
I felt good at the start. I was probably running about an 11 minutes pace for the first mile or so. I had quite a few people around me and I was listening to their conversations to pass away the time. I never have understood people that talked during a race...I can barely squeeze out a "Go Shirley" when I'm in a race...but whatever it takes. As we passed the golf course entrance I had to take my first walk break. My lower legs were hurting pretty good and I know from experience that they actually feel better when I run so I started up again. Unfortunately, they still hurt. I ran on the grass where I could to ease the stress but it didnt help too much. But I perservered.
Being a back of the pack runner I have simple goals. One of my golden rules is to be a net passer over the last half of any race. This tells me that my pace is good and that I'm stronger at the finisg than those near my time. I accomplished that goal today. I had a few runners in front of me over the last 1.5 miles but I kept them close and I passed them over the last 200 yards. They probably wondered "What's up with that guy" but that's OK...I need that challenge.
However, I did fail at keeping the 10K leaders from passing me. I finished the 5K in 36:49, good for 163rd out of 182 finishers, while 3 10K's finished before me. The 10K winner, Matt Lowe, finished in an impressive 34:45. BTW, I estimate that my "chip" time would have been about 10 seconds faster than my official time so that means a 2009 5K PR for me at 36:39. Waa-hoo for me.
Other finishers in the 5K included Peter Blank, who won the race walk with a time of 30:35; Jon Palks with a time of 24:41, and Shirley Sameshima with a time of 28:42. Jay Wind had a nice 10K with a time of 43:56 which was good enough to win his age bracket.
It was a cold morning and anyone that has run at Haines Point knows that the wind coming in off of the rivers makes a cold day feel pretty darn frigid. As always, the standing around at the beginning was the worse. But I was able to forget about the cold for a few moments while exchanging small talk with Jon Palks and Peter Blank.
This race is actually 2 races in one. A 10K is run simultaneously with the 5K. Haines Point is just a just a tiny bit longer than 5K around the point so the 10K runners start a little bit in front of the 5K runners and we all finish at the same place. My goal in these races is to not get passed by the 10K leaders as we all near the finish line. I've been able to do it before... I remember seeing Ted Poulos closing fast 1 year as I crossed the tape...but I'm older, fatter, and slower now.
Perhaps the best aspect of Haines Point is its flatness. You really can't ask for a flatter course. Given that I like flat courses and I actually prefer cold days (once I'm running) I hoped for a good day. My GPS wasn't charged though so I was going to have do this one without any help from technology.
I felt good at the start. I was probably running about an 11 minutes pace for the first mile or so. I had quite a few people around me and I was listening to their conversations to pass away the time. I never have understood people that talked during a race...I can barely squeeze out a "Go Shirley" when I'm in a race...but whatever it takes. As we passed the golf course entrance I had to take my first walk break. My lower legs were hurting pretty good and I know from experience that they actually feel better when I run so I started up again. Unfortunately, they still hurt. I ran on the grass where I could to ease the stress but it didnt help too much. But I perservered.
Being a back of the pack runner I have simple goals. One of my golden rules is to be a net passer over the last half of any race. This tells me that my pace is good and that I'm stronger at the finisg than those near my time. I accomplished that goal today. I had a few runners in front of me over the last 1.5 miles but I kept them close and I passed them over the last 200 yards. They probably wondered "What's up with that guy" but that's OK...I need that challenge.
However, I did fail at keeping the 10K leaders from passing me. I finished the 5K in 36:49, good for 163rd out of 182 finishers, while 3 10K's finished before me. The 10K winner, Matt Lowe, finished in an impressive 34:45. BTW, I estimate that my "chip" time would have been about 10 seconds faster than my official time so that means a 2009 5K PR for me at 36:39. Waa-hoo for me.
Other finishers in the 5K included Peter Blank, who won the race walk with a time of 30:35; Jon Palks with a time of 24:41, and Shirley Sameshima with a time of 28:42. Jay Wind had a nice 10K with a time of 43:56 which was good enough to win his age bracket.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Moreland's race
Also known as the Wanut Hill Ribbon Run 5K, this is the race to help James Moreland defray some of his costs for managing the 50+ race club. I really apprecaite everything James does for us so I'm happy to run in this race.
This race is aptly named as a)we run a nasty little hill 2x and b)from the air the course looks like a ribbon. In fact we cross through 1 intersection 6 times. To make that intersection interesting, Jim has volunteers handing out playing cards to the runners as they pass through the intersection. Whoever has the best poker hand wins a free entry into a Capital Running Club race.
There were only 24 runners for the race. A number of the usual suspects, like Peter Blank and Karsten Brown were not there as I believe that they had other races to run. But John Way, Ted Poulos, Bob Platt, Dee Nelson, John Winkert, and Ric Franke were there. I started off near the back but quickly passed Ric and a woman later identified as Jeanette Novak. I also passed a couple running together on the first hill. They stayed close behind me the entire race and pushed me to the finish line so I'm grateful to them for that.
I finished in 20th position with a time of 37:03 (37:00 according to my watch). I was more than 2 1/2 minutes behind my closest competitor so I had no one pulling me along from the front side. My average heart rate was 141 (mission accomplished). My max heart rate was 155. What I'm most encouraged by is that I spent over 6 minutes in zone 4, which is a heart rate greater than 148. This resulted in a lot of walk breaks (looks like 11) but they were short and then I pushed myself again. This was actually a really good training run. More runs like this should improve my strength and endurance.
This race is aptly named as a)we run a nasty little hill 2x and b)from the air the course looks like a ribbon. In fact we cross through 1 intersection 6 times. To make that intersection interesting, Jim has volunteers handing out playing cards to the runners as they pass through the intersection. Whoever has the best poker hand wins a free entry into a Capital Running Club race.
There were only 24 runners for the race. A number of the usual suspects, like Peter Blank and Karsten Brown were not there as I believe that they had other races to run. But John Way, Ted Poulos, Bob Platt, Dee Nelson, John Winkert, and Ric Franke were there. I started off near the back but quickly passed Ric and a woman later identified as Jeanette Novak. I also passed a couple running together on the first hill. They stayed close behind me the entire race and pushed me to the finish line so I'm grateful to them for that.
I finished in 20th position with a time of 37:03 (37:00 according to my watch). I was more than 2 1/2 minutes behind my closest competitor so I had no one pulling me along from the front side. My average heart rate was 141 (mission accomplished). My max heart rate was 155. What I'm most encouraged by is that I spent over 6 minutes in zone 4, which is a heart rate greater than 148. This resulted in a lot of walk breaks (looks like 11) but they were short and then I pushed myself again. This was actually a really good training run. More runs like this should improve my strength and endurance.
I've been away too long
Oh so many races to catch up on so let's not waste time!
After the New Year's Day race in Rosslyn, I decided (with help from my Dr.) to take the rest of the month off to rest my left knee. It had been very painful to flex and stairs were a bear. However, I'm happy to report that with rest and a lot of Alive the knee is much better and I even feel comfortable running without the knee brace.
I returned to the roads and trails on February 1st for the DCRRC Capital Hospice 3K. Yes, that's right...the wimpy 3K. I didn't feel up to a difficult 12K while still recovering from an injury. Plus, it was icy in places that day so I wanted to minimize the risk of slipping. I saw a lot of the regulars there for the 12K...Karsten Brown(finished 3rd), Charlie Mercer(finished 4th and is running really well), Bill Stahr, John Way, James Moreland, Jay Wind, Kirk Gordon, Karen Young, Bob Platt, Jon Palks, Sharyn Gordon, and of course Shirley Sameshima. There were 219 finishers for the big race.
There were only 26 races in the smaller 3K, the most notable being Ted Poulos, Jim Scarborough (the race director), and Bob Gurtler. Thanks to my Garmin GPS watch I can tell you that I took 5 walk breaks (yes, sad I know for a mere 3K). I ran until just after going through the tunnel, where we encountered about 20 yards of ice. My heart rate was 141 when I took this first break so I certainly could have pushed further if not for the ice. Another ice patch a 1/4 mile later resulted in another short walk with my heart rate at about 134. Knowing I had taken it easy to this point, I pushed myself harder the second half of the race. I was ahead of a 6 year old boy that I really needed to beat (Kelvin Roesing) and I was trying to catch a woman that was within 100 yards of me for the entire race (Liz Santos) . Bob Gurtler is always a target for me but he finished well in front of me this day by about 4 minutes. I tried to pace myself so that I could give a really hard push at the end so I could pass Liz but the finish line came up too soon. Literally. According to my watch the course was only 1.73 miles. Anyway, Liz ended up finishing in 21 minutes even with me 9 seconds back. Little Kelvin finished in 21:23. Ted won the race in a pedestrian 12:39, as he is coming off some type of surgery.
All in all, I was pleased with my return to racing. I averaged around a 12 minutes pace and my max heart rate was 148. My average heart rate was 135. I hope to get that up to about 140-145 as my training continues.
Until next time.
After the New Year's Day race in Rosslyn, I decided (with help from my Dr.) to take the rest of the month off to rest my left knee. It had been very painful to flex and stairs were a bear. However, I'm happy to report that with rest and a lot of Alive the knee is much better and I even feel comfortable running without the knee brace.
I returned to the roads and trails on February 1st for the DCRRC Capital Hospice 3K. Yes, that's right...the wimpy 3K. I didn't feel up to a difficult 12K while still recovering from an injury. Plus, it was icy in places that day so I wanted to minimize the risk of slipping. I saw a lot of the regulars there for the 12K...Karsten Brown(finished 3rd), Charlie Mercer(finished 4th and is running really well), Bill Stahr, John Way, James Moreland, Jay Wind, Kirk Gordon, Karen Young, Bob Platt, Jon Palks, Sharyn Gordon, and of course Shirley Sameshima. There were 219 finishers for the big race.
There were only 26 races in the smaller 3K, the most notable being Ted Poulos, Jim Scarborough (the race director), and Bob Gurtler. Thanks to my Garmin GPS watch I can tell you that I took 5 walk breaks (yes, sad I know for a mere 3K). I ran until just after going through the tunnel, where we encountered about 20 yards of ice. My heart rate was 141 when I took this first break so I certainly could have pushed further if not for the ice. Another ice patch a 1/4 mile later resulted in another short walk with my heart rate at about 134. Knowing I had taken it easy to this point, I pushed myself harder the second half of the race. I was ahead of a 6 year old boy that I really needed to beat (Kelvin Roesing) and I was trying to catch a woman that was within 100 yards of me for the entire race (Liz Santos) . Bob Gurtler is always a target for me but he finished well in front of me this day by about 4 minutes. I tried to pace myself so that I could give a really hard push at the end so I could pass Liz but the finish line came up too soon. Literally. According to my watch the course was only 1.73 miles. Anyway, Liz ended up finishing in 21 minutes even with me 9 seconds back. Little Kelvin finished in 21:23. Ted won the race in a pedestrian 12:39, as he is coming off some type of surgery.
All in all, I was pleased with my return to racing. I averaged around a 12 minutes pace and my max heart rate was 148. My average heart rate was 135. I hope to get that up to about 140-145 as my training continues.
Until next time.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Happy New Year!
As I do most years, I got myself together in time on New Year's Day to get over to Rossyln and run in the DC Road Runners Predictions and Resolutions 5K. My best time in this race was 30:51 back in 2005. I couldn't break 34 minutes in any 5K last year so I knew that time wasn't in any danger.
Quite a few runners made it out for the race and the race was even covered by a Washington Post reporter and photographer. The start was crowded as it always is on a Mt. Vernon Trail race but it quickly thinned out as we ran by Roosevelt Island. I was running at just over a 10 minute pace for the first mile but had to stop to walk at about 1.1 miles. According to my Garmin, my heart rate was at 142 at this point. I really should be able to run at that rate but it seems like that is when I start to feel pretty bad and I always try to err on the side of discretion.
My heart rate got above 142 8 times during the race and I took walk breaks every time. My highest heart rate was 149 just before the finish.
I finished the race is 36:45, 10 seconds slower than the day before on a flat course. This course has a very challenging hill at the end of the race (a bridge over the GW parkway) so relative to that race I'm somewhat satisfied. But I obviously have a LONG way to go to catch up with my times from just a few years ago. My hope is with consistent training, which is now possible being between work assignments, I'll be able to not only get stronger but also lose the 8 pounds or so that keep me from being in the proper BMI level. I do all of that I think I should certainly expect myself to be able to sustain a 10 minute per mile pace for up to a 10K distance. Let's see how the year goes.
Quite a few runners made it out for the race and the race was even covered by a Washington Post reporter and photographer. The start was crowded as it always is on a Mt. Vernon Trail race but it quickly thinned out as we ran by Roosevelt Island. I was running at just over a 10 minute pace for the first mile but had to stop to walk at about 1.1 miles. According to my Garmin, my heart rate was at 142 at this point. I really should be able to run at that rate but it seems like that is when I start to feel pretty bad and I always try to err on the side of discretion.
My heart rate got above 142 8 times during the race and I took walk breaks every time. My highest heart rate was 149 just before the finish.
I finished the race is 36:45, 10 seconds slower than the day before on a flat course. This course has a very challenging hill at the end of the race (a bridge over the GW parkway) so relative to that race I'm somewhat satisfied. But I obviously have a LONG way to go to catch up with my times from just a few years ago. My hope is with consistent training, which is now possible being between work assignments, I'll be able to not only get stronger but also lose the 8 pounds or so that keep me from being in the proper BMI level. I do all of that I think I should certainly expect myself to be able to sustain a 10 minute per mile pace for up to a 10K distance. Let's see how the year goes.
Festival of Lights 5K
I dropped out of the King Street Mile due to its time restriction of 9 minutes or less and instead ran the Festival of Lights 5K on Christmas Eve. Man, was it ever cold and windy. Temperatures were in the mid to low 30's and winds were gusting to about 50MPH. Several trees were knocked down and in the road on the way to the race and a priest was killed in the area about the same time as the start of the race when a tree fell on him.
The race was run at Bull Run Park. I had always wanted to run there so this was my chance. Plus, with a 3PM start I could run and get back home in time to celebrate the New Year properly.
I wore my new Garmin Forerunner 305 that Dori gave me for Christmas for the first time in a race. I struggled with reading it while I ran but I think it will be a big help to my running once I figure out how to use it properly.
I ran the first 1.1 miles at a 10 minute/mile pace. That kept me in a pretty good sized pack of runners until I took a walk break at 1.1 miles. Though the course was pretty flat, the wind and cold took their toll on me. Plus, I was bundled up like the character from the Michelin tire commercials so it was a little tough moving around. Anyway, the most interesting aspect of the course was the shooting range just short of the turnaround. There were quite a few people out shooting. I guess that shouldn't surprise me. Nothing brings in a New Year like firing off a few rounds. :) Anyway, I flinched everytime they fired. It was loud! I wanted to get away from there as fast as I could but we actually spent a lot of time by them since that is where the turnaround was.
I took a number of walk breaks on the back half of the course, though I was only passed by one runner and I passed another runner during this half. I finished the 5K in 36:35. That's not very good but I'll take it given the conditions.
I hung around for the prizes afterwards, which I usually don't do, but I had a good feeling. So much for that feeling. I froze my tail off and I didn't win a darn thing. What a fitting end to a tough year. I finished with 51 races for the year, none of them particularly good. Bring on 2009.
The race was run at Bull Run Park. I had always wanted to run there so this was my chance. Plus, with a 3PM start I could run and get back home in time to celebrate the New Year properly.
I wore my new Garmin Forerunner 305 that Dori gave me for Christmas for the first time in a race. I struggled with reading it while I ran but I think it will be a big help to my running once I figure out how to use it properly.
I ran the first 1.1 miles at a 10 minute/mile pace. That kept me in a pretty good sized pack of runners until I took a walk break at 1.1 miles. Though the course was pretty flat, the wind and cold took their toll on me. Plus, I was bundled up like the character from the Michelin tire commercials so it was a little tough moving around. Anyway, the most interesting aspect of the course was the shooting range just short of the turnaround. There were quite a few people out shooting. I guess that shouldn't surprise me. Nothing brings in a New Year like firing off a few rounds. :) Anyway, I flinched everytime they fired. It was loud! I wanted to get away from there as fast as I could but we actually spent a lot of time by them since that is where the turnaround was.
I took a number of walk breaks on the back half of the course, though I was only passed by one runner and I passed another runner during this half. I finished the 5K in 36:35. That's not very good but I'll take it given the conditions.
I hung around for the prizes afterwards, which I usually don't do, but I had a good feeling. So much for that feeling. I froze my tail off and I didn't win a darn thing. What a fitting end to a tough year. I finished with 51 races for the year, none of them particularly good. Bring on 2009.
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