Race Report: U Can Finish 5 Miler

I had some lofty goals for this race, and I didn't even come close to reaching them :( I was hoping to average an 11 min/mile pace and finish in 55 minutes; if not, at least I wanted a PR and beat last year's time of 57:24; towards the end of the race, I was just hoping for a sub-1 hour and that I wasn't seriously injured.

I was hoping the cold weather (50s!) would help me reach my first goal, but I think it may have actually hindered me because I have not run in cold weather in months. I started slow, around 11:30, and tried to pick it up after mile 2. I succeeded for a bit and mile 3 was my fastest at 11:09, but I just could not push my legs to go any faster after that. During the last mile, my left knee and lower leg (shin?) started hurting and I got a wicked side stich, causing me to slow down considerably and take additional walk breaks. I couldn't even sprint to the finish because anything more than a jog hurt. Since I knew my goals were already out of reach, there was no sense in pushing myself and risking a major injury.

Oh well, at least I'm still standing and the knee probably just needs rest. I don't think I will race again until the OUC Half Marathon so I can focus on marathon training and avoid injury. I must keep my eye on the prize and not jeopardize my chance of making it to the start of my first marathon.

Splits:

• 11:44 
• 12:00 
• 11:09 
• 12:17 
• 13:08

Stats:

• Garmin =  5.13 mi in 01:02 @ 12:04 pace
• Clock Time = 1:02:17
• Chip Time = 1:01:33
• Overall place = 852 / 918
• Female place = 395 / 438
• AG place = 52 / 60

Race Report: Miracle Miles 15K

I've been such a slacker about posting race reports lately, but I guess is better late than never :) I think I lack the motivation to blog about races because running has become such a routine that it feels like every race report is the same thing and I nothing special. But I'm still making progress by leaps and bounds, so I don't want to quit documenting it. So onto the race report! There are no photos of this race because Jason ran it too and there were no official photographers :(

Last Saturday, 9/26, I ran my first 15K race, and had a great time despite the heat and humidity that accosted us towards the end of the race. I had a couple of goals for this race, the main one being a sub-12 min/mile pace, because I wasn't sure I had being training for long distances enough to push it more. Secretly, I wanted to finish in 1:45 - 1:50 with a sub-11:45 min/mile avg pace. I pretty much met all my goals. If I pushed a tad more at the end, I probably would have come in under 1:45, but I am very pleased with my effort.

The race start was a little over 2 miles from our apartment, so we biked there. This is always a great way to warm up, and it helped us beat the traffic. I found a few people from the Galloway group at the start line and ran with them for a bit using 2:1. We were averaging 12 min/mi from the beginning, which had me worried I had started out too fast, but I was able to keep improving the pace for most of the race. One of the girls, Carlie, and I eventually ran ahead of the group and finished together. We took an extra walk break just before mile 8 then pushed it to the end. I was glad to have enough left for a nice sprint at the finish, and grateful for a running buddy to help me push through the rough patches. I wore my fuel belt with two bottles so I could drink whenever I wanted. There was plenty of water on the course, but I'm glad I had it so I could eat and drink on my schedule. I also brought some gels and shot blocks, and I can sure tell the difference when I take those. I think that's what got me through the last 5K.

According to the Garmin, I ran 9.42 miles in 1:49:50 @ 11:39 min/mi avg pace. This increases my confidence that with a little more training and speed work, I'll be able to run a sub-2:30 half marathon in December. I can't wait!

Mile Splits (pace) according to Garmin

12:02
11:59
11:42
11:14
11:23
11:34
11:52
11:33
12:04
10:21 (.42 in 4:19)

Official Stats

• overall place = 1000 / 1260
• age group place = 77 / 107
• gender place = 488 / 676
• clock time = 1:50:48
• chip time = 1:49:50