Race Report: Winter Park 10K 2012

Sole Mates

This was way too much fun, but also a lot of work. Let's get the stats out of the way:

• 7th 10K
• Chip Time: 1:03:28 @ 10:14
• Clock Time: 1:05:04 
• AG: 121 / 296 (41%)
• Gender: 662 / 1730 (38%)
• Overall: 1434 / 2877 (50%)
• Intervals: 2:30/1
• Garmin: 
• Time: 6.29 in 1:03:31 @ 10:05
• Mile Splits: 10:58 - 10:04 - 09:41 - 10:11 - 09:42 - 10:13 - 9:15 (.3 in 2:42)
• Half Splits: 10:15 - 9:55

I didn't break an hour, or even a 10 minute mile, but I did PR by almost 3 minutes and worked my ass off for it. It was a lot hotter and more humid than in years past, and that really took it's toll. I'm really glad I opted not to wear knee high socks. The course was also very crowded, probably because of all the extra bling they were giving out for their 35th anniversary, which is why our first mile was so much slower than the rest. It didn't really get better until at least mile 3. Oh, and I guess I never noticed before but this race is kind of hilly by Florida standards, which explains my inconsistent splits as I was taking advantage of those downhills and stopped at every water stop -- walk break or not -- to drink and pour water all over my head, neck and face. Considering all these things, I'm thrilled with my time because I gave it all I had and still managed to enjoy it. 

We biked 5 miles there, and I also ran a slow mile with a few strides to warm up; I think both of these really helped my performance. I started the race with Stephanie and Todd, who ditched us as soon as he saw Chris--he was only using us for our beeps! Stephanie and I stuck together and pushed each other the entire race, until she pulled ahead during the last 1/2 mile when I couldn't push any more. t tried to catch up to her, but I was spent. I barely had anything left for a finishing kick, though I dug deep enough to at least chick some guy. I'm glad we stuck with 2:30/1 intervals instead of 3/1, because that would have been too much. Considering how hot it was, 2/1 intervals may have been even better, but we survived. Jason didn't run this race, so he was our photographer and got lots of awesome photos. Of course, we were always on a walk break whenever we saw him so had to fake it, which made it even more fun! Check out all the photos on Flickr. 

We hung out at the finish line for a while cheering on our other runners, then caught up with Laura and more Galloway runners on our way out. I was there for so long that I missed out on all the food :( But we biked over to La Empanada Truck and it was so yummy: Curry Cauliflower, Southwestern Scramble, Banana/Nutella, and Salted Dark Chocolate. Oh man, it's a good thing this food truck is not near me often! =P

Race Report: Puzzle Run 10K

I ran my 6th 10K race last Saturday, on my birthday, and had a blast. It was my first race since May, and I was really itching to see what I could do. My goal was 1:05, or at least PR. I didn't make goal #1, but I did PR by 30 seconds, so I'll take it. Considering how much warmer, humid, and hilly this race was than my previous PR in Winter Park last March, I'm surprised I managed to PR at all (though I would have been a little disappointed if I hadn't). Part of me still wonders if I could have push harder to get under 1:05, but I feel like I ran a great race; I'm keeping my eye on the prize for my November marathon, so I probably held back a little.

Official Results:

• Chip time: 1:06:20
• Pace: 10:40
• AG: 6 / 11
• Gender: 55 / 91
• Overall: 118 / 170

Pre-Race:  We arrived at the race site pretty early, and there was a chill in the air, so we sat in the car for a few minutes then went for a warm up run. I ended up running 1.5 miles and finishing about 15 minutes before the race. I was already drenched in sweat. It was cool, but still humid. I found my Galloway group, and we headed to the start line. 

Course: The race was in Oakland, next to Clermont -- yup, that means hills, but my training more than prepared me for it because they didn't seem that daunting. The course was very scenic, mostly shaded, and well supported with water, gatorade, and gels. For such a small race, less than 400 people, this was impressive. They also had a 5K, so the 10K course was 2 loops. I really did not mind this too much because I could take in the gorgeous scenery during the first loop, then turn it into high gear during the second loop. Of course this meant we had to suffer the hills twice, but at least we knew what to expect the 2nd time around and could plan for them. 

The Race: I started with my group, but since everyone had different strategies and goals, we spread out over the first mile but Heather and I stayed together the whole time. It was nice to push myself and still run with someone. I was on pace for a 1:05 finish through mile 4, but faded at the end, yet still a PR by 30s.  I ran with 3/1 intervals, instead of my intended 2/1, and as you can see from my splits below I started a bit too fast which is probably why I faded during the last 2 miles. I wonder if running 2/1 intervals would have made a difference, but I'll never know. 

Target / Actual
11:09 - 10:47
10:53 - 10:44
10:37 - 10:25
10:21 - 10:26
10:05 - 11:02
9:49 - 10:59

The best part of the race was when blog reader Clare recognized me during the run as she was doing the 5K. I felt like such a celebrity :)

Post-Race: I was spent and in a dizzy stupor grabbed a water bottle and race medal, which was a neat puzzle necklace (pictured above). It's my favorite because I can actually wear it everyday. Soon we had all crossed the finish line, regrouped for a photo, then  refueled while we waited for the awards since Jason placed 2nd in his age group in the 5K, then it was off to birthday festivities. First my parents for lunch and baby time, then dinner at Cafe 118 (delish! Highly recommend it), then a foldie bike ride for ice cream. It was a full day of fun and I was utterly exhausted when it was over. The true measure of success :) Until next year!

Race Report: Winter Park Road Race 10K

See more photos

I ran my 3rd race of 2011 on Saturday, which was my 5th 10K. I finished in 1:06:50 with a new PR by 1:45 from last year's attempt at this same race! Here are the rest of the stats:

• clock - 1:07:53 
• chip - 1:06:50 
• pace - 10:45.4
• overall - 1466 / 2053 
• ag - 128 / 210 
• gender - 711 / 1149
• splits - 11:32 - 11:10 - 10:56 - 10:53 - 10:05 - 10:25 - 9:05 (.2 in 01:49)
• intervals - 2/1 until mile 4, then 3/1

Pre-Race:
The best thing about this race is that the start is within biking distance of my apartment, which makes for a great warm up, and I don't have to deal with parking. Jason and I rode 6 miles to the start after a little detour because Mead Garden wasn't open yet and we had to double back. It was a little cool when we left the house, so I wore windbreaker pants and jacket over my race outfit and was nice and warm by the time we got to the start. I didn't have time for a warm up run, but I walked around a bit to make sure my legs were loose after the bike ride. I found my place at the start line, connected with a few friends, and before I knew it we were off!


Race:
The race itself is a bit of a blur to me right now, perhaps because I was digging deep and also because the route is familiar (I run these roads with my training group weekly, and I also did the race last year). The weather was perfect for a PR, and I gave it my all. I wore a short sleeved shirt, a running skirt and knee high socks, and was never too cold or too hot.

The first mile was really crowded and I ran it a bit slower than I planned for my initial goal of 1:05 but I knew that shaving almost 3 minutes was a tall order and that I'd be happy with any kind of PR. I picked up the pace a little after that and was cruising along at 2/1 intervals, walking through the water stops to eat -- I ate a few shot blocks before the start, then 1 more at mile 2 and a gu at mile 4. At some point I started only walking for 30s, jogging slowly for the next 30s and then pushing it for 2 minutes. After mile 4, I switched my intervals to 3/1 and pushed really hard for the last 2 miles.

I kept giving myself pet talks, telling myself to dig deep and push it, and that it would be over soon. It's amazing what a little positive affirmation can do :) When I rounded the corner just before mile 6 and saw the finish line clock under 1:08 (my previous PR was 1:08:35), I realized I could PR even by the clock so I dug deeper. I was so in the zone and pushing hard that I missed Jason entirely at the finish line.

Jason came along to be my paparazzi and followed my progress on facebook via Runmeter updates. It's great hearing his comments of encouragement throughout the race. I took manual splits with my watch, and I wonder if the mile 6 marker was in the wrong place because I was pushing hard at the end and don't understand how I could have run mile 6 slower than mile 5. This was a great race, and one of the few 10Ks in Orlando. I really like the 10K distance and wish there were more nearby instead of the plethora of 5Ks.


Post-Race:

After I crossed the finish line, I found Jason and rehydrated while we watched the rest of the finishers and waited for Shannon to finish her first 10K. She did amazing! By the time I made it over to the post-race food, the smoothies were gone so I grabbed a banana before we got on our bikes for the ride home. The weather was still amazing and we had a nice 5 mile bike ride home. My legs were not as tired on the ride back as I expected; maybe I didn't push hard enough on the run =P After showering and refueling, I took a nap before heading over to meet my new nephew and a going away party. I was a bit sore the next day, but wearing the calf sleeves on Saturday helped a ton. I can't wait to do this race again next year :)

Race Report: Founder's Day Distance Dare (10K + 5K)

I ran the Founder's Day Distance Dare at Celebration this morning. The distance dare consisted of running a 10K race at 7:30 am, followed by a 5k race at 9:15 am. It was tough. I'm really not in racing shape for either of these distances, but I ran my heart out and I'm very pleased with the outcome. I didn't PR at either distance, but considering most of my recent runs have been in the 12 min/mile pace, I'm pleased that I ran each race only a few minutes slower than my current PRs and closer to an 11 min/mile pace. My total time for the distance dare of 1:44:49 did earn me a 5-minute 15k PR and I finished 93 / 124 in the distance dare.

Pre-Race
When I woke up, my running skirt was still damp, but I draped it over a box fan and it was dry by the time we left.  It was a bit cold, so I wore my arm warmers, headband, and buff, but not long pants since I knew I'd regret it after a few miles of hard running. We got to Celebration around 7 am, parked and walked to the start about 1/2 mile away.  I ran an easy mile to warm up, then ate a gu as I walked to the start. Jason wasn't racing, so he brought his nifty new video camera to capture the moment. 

Race #1 - 10K
The 10K course was gorgeous. We ran along a golf course and then through residential streets. The last mile and a half was along a narrow sidewalk and I think that slowed me down a bit, along with the side stitch I was nursing for at least half the race. I no longer have a Garmin, so I used a stop watch and took manual splits every time I passed a mile marker. I pushed pretty hard throughout, took a Gu Roctane at mile 4, and finished strong with a really fast sprint to the finish. All things considered, I'm thrilled I missed a PR by only 1:12.

• overall = 865 / 1092
• ag = 67 / 101
• gender = 430 / 611
• clock = 1:10:49
• chip = 1:09:47 (11:13)
• splits = 11:47 - 11:49 - 11:05 - 11:26 - 10:53 - 10:41 - 2:08 (these are splits from my stop watch. I logged this run on the iPhone as well, but I'm not sure of it's accuracy since it says I ran 6.4 miles. If that's true, it's definitely a PR, but I'm going with the official results.)

Race #2 - 5K
By the time I finished the 10K, caught my breath, and drank some water, I still had 30 minutes to go before the 5K start. That's plenty of time for your muscles to cool down, so I kept walking around the parking lot to keep the blood flowing and took another Gu Roctane 10 minutes before the start. I knew there was no way I'd PR at the 5K because my legs were already pretty tired, but I was going to give it all I had. The time flew by, but I was tired and had a side stitch for most of the race, so I had positive splits (rare for me). I just couldn't find the energy or strength to push any harder and my finish wasn't as strong as the first time, but I'm still pretty pleased with my performance.

• overall = 403 / 302
• ag = 31 / 58
• gender = 205 / 427
• clock = 35:02 (11:16)
• watch = 34:50 (there was no mat at start so official results list the same time for clock and chip)
• splits = 11:12 - 11:15 - 11:28 - 0:55

Post-Race
I grabbed some water and a banana then kept walking around the parking lot while Jason gathered his things. My legs were pretty sore at this point, so I wanted to keep moving so they wouldn't give up on me. We were both starving, so we quickly walk to the car and drove to the nearest Perkins and made massage appointments for the afternoon. We just got back and I feel wonderful :) 

Closing Remarks
I enjoyed this race and will probably do the 10K again. The announcer called out your name as you crossed the finish line, for both races--that was a really nice touch. The 5K was ok, but included the worse parts of the 10K so not sure I'd do the distance dare again. Plus I've kinda come to hate the 5k distance. I just have no interest in running that fast. 

I tried something new on race day today, and it went better than expected. I raced in my new SkirtSports Gym Girl Ultra running skirt, and I'm really impressed. I had tried it on at the store, and ran around the parking lot of my apartment yesterday to test it, but this was it's first real test. It has real compression shorts underneath and they stay put! There is a pocket on each side of the shorts that is perfect for gels and my iPhone. I could run a marathon in this skirt and not worry about chafing or being uncomfortable. Now I just need one in a fun color that's not black or pink =P

Jason did not run the race, but he came to support me and put together this fun video.

Race Report: Winter Park Road Race Distance Dare (8.2)

This morning I ran the Winter Park Road Race Distance Dare: 2 miles +10K. It was a fantastic race! The weather was perfect, I had my friends and family there, I ran perfect negative splits at both races, and I got 2 PRs! :)

Before the start of the 2 miler with Mom, Dad, Jen and Kerlene

Pre-Race
The race took place on Park Ave, less than 5 miles away, so we rode our bikes there. We got to try out Google maps biking directions, and they worked great. It took us along a nice route of side streets and managed to avoid Mills and Orange Ave entirely. The ride there was a little cold, but it was a great warm up for the race. The ride home was a bit more challenging because my legs were tired and sore from the race, and we had a headwind the entire time.

2 Miler
I first completed this race, my first race ever, 2 years ago. It was the reason I began running in April of 2008, so I've been looking forward to running it again ever since, but missed it last year because I was cheering on Jason at his first triathlon. 2 years ago, I walked most of the 2 miles with a few minutes of jogging sprinkled in and a sprint at the end. Today, I ran the entire 2 miles without walking, and pushed it pretty hard. I almost managed to run it in 20 minutes, but 2.04 miles in 20:47 @ 10:11 min/mile pace (per the Garmin) is pretty damn close! My clock time 2 years ago was 28:54; today's clock time was 20:59. That's almost 8 minutes faster! :)

More Stats:

• garmin mile splits = 2.04 miles in 20:47 @ 10:11 min/mile pace (no walking)
• mile 1 = 10:20
• mile 2 = 10:08
• clock = 20:59 (we had a chip, but there was no mat at the start)
• age group = 16 / 58
• gender = 111 / 381
• overall = 217 / 584

10K
I had a few minutes to spare after I finished the 2 miler, so I found Jason, gave him my arm warmers and buff, got a drink of water, then walked a bit towards the start line. Since I'm supposed to be recovering from the marathon I ran 2 week ago, I did not plan to race this too hard; instead I just wanted to use it as a training run to add millage. However, I really wanted to PR and run it in under 1:10 if the opportunity presented itself.

I told myself that I would not push it too much to make that happen, specially since I had pushed hard during the 2 miler, but I figured that I'm in such great shape from marathon training that I might be able to pull it off without exerting myself too much. To ensure I didn't totally screw myself if I tried to PR, I ran the entire race with 2:1 intervals. This helped me run much faster over all, but still allow for plenty of recovery and prevent injury. The weather was perfect, and I felt great, so I gave it my best shot and it worked! I felt strong the entire race, and I was still able to sprint to the finish in under 1:10!

The Garmin says I ran 6.3 miles in 1:08:36 @ 10:53 min/mile pace! It amazes me that I ran 6.2 miles at a slightly faster pace with walk breaks than I ran the 5 miles without walking at the BCM relay. This is a HUGE 10K PR. My previous official 10K PR was at Disney's Race for the Taste 10K in October 2008, where I finished with a chip time of 1:15:52 (6.34 in 1:15:16 per the Garmin). However, I did run the first 10K of the OUC Half on Dec 2009 in 1:10:31, so I'm happy that I even beat that time and that I finished in under 1:10 even by the clock! :)

More Stats:

• garmin spits = 6.3 miles in 1:08:36 @ 10:53 min/mile pace (2:1 intervals)
• mile 1 = 11:25
• mile 2 = 11:13
• mile 3 = 11:00
• mile 4 = 10:53
• mile 5 = 10:47
• mile 6 = 10:39
• finish (.3) = 8:37 (2:32)
• chip = 1:08:35
• clock = 1:09:50
• overall = 1344 / 1779
• gender = 649 / 981
• age group = 91 / 133

Distance Dare Stats: 

• garmin = 8.34 miles in 1:29:24 @ 10:43 min/mile pace
• chip/clock = 1:29:33 (2 miler clock time + 10K net time)
• gender = 38 / 54

Nutrition
I ate a banana before leaving the apartment, a pineapple gu roctane (no caffeine) before the 2 mile race, and a vanilla orange gu roctane (2x caffeine) about 1.5 miles into the 10K. This most have given me the energy I needed to push through the end.

Post-Race
After the race, I met up with Jason, Jen, Kerlene, and Shannon (whom I have not seen since High School) and we walked over to the Farmer's Market after getting a smoothie sample and eating a banana. We were going to get some omelets, but we all decided to head home instead. After we got home, I had a homemade egg beaters omelet with toast and a homemade smoothie. I was pretty tired and sore, so I took a 2 hour nap, then went for a swim. Now I'm plotting to go get some frozen yogurt, then relax the rest of the evening. I'm going to sleep great tonight! :)

Race Report: Disney's Race for the Taste 10K

I ran Disney's Race for the Taste 10K today in 1:15:52 (12:12 pace). This is my first official 10K race, but a PR by over 6 minutes from my previous 10k, the unofficial Human Race 10K fun run I ran in 1:22:16 on 8/31.

The race was awesome, and the course was very enjoyable--much better than the 5K we ran there back in May. I think this is my favorite race so far, but perhaps that has a lot to do with having my family there with me running and watching. My dad, Jason and his dad, and 2 of our friends ran with us; my mom and his step mom came to watch us race.

The fun began Saturday afternoon when we drove to Wide World of Sports to pick up our packets. This race did not have a shirt, but instead we got a nice pint glass with the race logo on it. The goodie bag included other unexpected things, such as a Glade® PlugIns® Scented Oil Light Show and refill: It's an air freshner and a night light--so very cool and unexpected. Click on the picture for more goodie bag details. After the packet pick-up, we checked into the All Star Sports resort and chilled for a bit while we waited for the heat to pass and my parents to go have dinner. We went to Epcot for a little while, then met our parents for dinner at Giordano's.

We woke up this morning at 4:30 a.m. (I should say got up because I don't think I slept through the night. I could not see the alarm clock and kept freaking out that I would oversleep), got ready and drove to Epcot to take the bus to the start line. This meant we had about an hour to kill and get nervous before the start of the race. With about 5 minutes to go, we finally lined up at our respective pace groups--I started at the back of the 11-13 pace marker. After the singing of the National Anthem, they set off some fireworks and off we went. There were so many people there that it took me almost 3 minutes to cross the start line.

The weather was ok: overcast, but very humid. I ran intervals of 1/4 mile and 1 minute walk most the way (about 3:1). I started out slow, about 12:30 pace, and picked it up towards the end. I felt good and strong the whole way, and I had plenty of kick left at the end--and boy did I need it (more on that in a minute). The only downer was that I had a side stitch during most of the race but I ran/walked through it. I also walked through all 3 water stops and ate a few sports beans. At the 2nd water stop, I saw one of my employees. It threw me off and I accidently paused my watch instead of hitting the lap button, but I didn't let it bother me too much.

The course was great and it flew by. We started at Wide World of Sports and ran on the highway towards Hollywood Studios. At the Studios, we ran through the set of the Stunt Show where they had a huge screen with a live feed so we could see ourselves on the screen as we ran by it. You could hear everyone cheering as you approached it before you saw the screen and could not help but do the same once you realized you were about to see yourself on screen. It was really neat. We then ran down the Boardwalk, which is beautiful but hard to appreciate that late in the race, especially when there are slight hills on the bridges and volunteers telling us we are almost there when we had yet to even cross the 5-mile marker.

Before we knew it, we were in Epcot with just over a mile to go. I really tried to pick up the pace here and run with less walking, but the side stich was getting worse. I tried to ignore it and give it all I had but had to talk a short walk break instead of running for a 1/2 mile because I wanted to be able to sprint to the finish.

As I was rounding the corner to the finish, I see Jason's dad looking for me. When he spots me, he started to run with me. Then I hear my dad screaming at me (words of encouragement of course) from somewhere and then he materialized on the other side of me. So here I am, being flanked on both sides and giving it all I got to keep up with them (they had already finished--dad in 1:01:41 and Jason's dad in 53:10--and waited there to help push me to the finish). At first I was thinking, "go away, I can't run any faster" LOL, but once I found myself speeding up and hearing them shouting for me to keep it up the awesomeness of it all sunk in.

Here are my splits from my watch. As always, it clocks the course a little long, but it gives me an idea of my pace. Check out these consistently negative splits and that huge sprint at the end!




The official stats:

chip time - 1:15:52 (12:12 pace)
clock time - 1:18:33
overall place - 1684 / 2616
gender place - 890 / 1576
age group place - 144 / 252

And here are the chip times from the rest of my group in order of arrival, with pace times in parenthesis:

Bob (Jason's dad) - 53:10 (8:33)
Dad - 1:01:41 (9:55)
Jason - 1:06:52 (10:45)
Tim - 1:10:14 (11:18)
Me - 1:15:52 (12:12)
Chas - 1:18:50 (12:41)

I will definitely do this race again and I can't wait for my first 1/2 marathon in Dec. My dad and I may also run the Inaugural Melbourne & Beaches Music 1/2 Marathon together in February :)

Congrats to everyone else who ran this race or one of the marathons this weekend!

This is also for the The Zen Run 10K, part of The Worldwide Festival of Races.

Race Report: Nike Human Race 10K

6.3 miles in 1:22:16 (avg pace 13:04)! This is a distance PR for me and I did much better than I expected. But let's start at the beginning.

While my city was not one of the official Nike+ Human Race 10K locations, the Finish Line store at the Mall at Millenia organized a free group fun run for us to participate in this historic event. My official 10K that I've been training for will be in October, so I treated this as a training run. After last weekend's painful 5 mile run, I did not know what to expect.

I will be turning 30 and entering a new age bracket on Wednesday (9/3), so last night we celebrated my birthday with my family. We started the evening at Giordano's and loaded up on carbs with some yummy pizza, ravioli, salad, and lots of bread. Then we played 18 holes of glow in the dark mini golf, and we were in bed and asleep shortly after 10 p.m. We spent the night at my parents since they live closer to the Mall.

We woke up at 5:30 a.m., got ready, ate a banana and were on the road by 6 a.m. As I hoped, the free race shirt was the official Nike Human Race tech shirt (pictured above), and I am absolutely in love with it. We had to wear it for the event, and I was a bit concerned because I prefer to run in a singlet rather than a shirt with sleeves, but it was great.

Due to the store opening late and the amount of people attending needing to sign in and get shirts, the race actually started closer to 8 a.m. The route consisted of running 1/2 a mile, then 5 loops around a lake, then back out to the start. I was a little worried that the late start would mean it would be too hot and humid, and that the route would be hell, but the route proved to be great and the lake provided a nice breeze. I was sure to keep hydrated with my water bottle and the water stop at the end of each loop.

I decided to run/walk this from the beginning since the goal here was to finish and just cover the distance. I walked 30-60 seconds after each 1/4 mile or so (that works out to 3/1 or 4/1 ratio). This worked out great. My pace was fantastic and I finished the run feeling good and strong. I am thrilled with my time, since I was expecting it taking me closer to 1.5 hours, and Jason only beat me by 10 mins. Most importantly, I was not last! I even had mostly negative splits:

Since this was a little long and my first attempt at the distance, I'm hoping I can finish Disney's Race for the Taste in 1:15 or less. I'll have a bit more practice and miles under my belt by then, and I know I didn't really push myself that much today. However, I have to remember that the conditions are always different, but I can't imagine it will be more hot/humid than today.

I'll probably follow a similar run/walk plan for that race, though I may run every 1/2 mile instead of every 1/4 mile. I am not sure though, because taking the more frequent walk breaks does allow me to run that much faster. My running segments were almost all under 13 and I even got down to 8-10 paces. And the best part is that it almost felt effortless.

I can't wait until my next 5K on 9/13. I'm going to push myself to try to break my PR and run a sub-38 5K.

Did anyone else run the Human Race? How did you do?