Who signs up for a 5K & a 10K just over 12 hours apart?! Ummm yep, this chick. How could I resist?! Two local, hometown races within 5 miles of my house, both with routes containing roads I regularly run. And come on, I am a Norfolk girl, through & through! Definitely sounded like a plan!
Surprisingly enough, I wasn’t the least bit stressed leading up to race weekend. Both races are fun, family-friendly events with great post-race parties. After my last few races being longer distances, mostly half marathons, I was excited to race shorter distances. And, on top of that, they would be a much welcomed break from my double digit long training runs that I have been enjoying for my marathon preparation.
Friday started out pretty typical, but quickly went to “hell in a hand-basket”. My sweet little twins decided to be hellions for the day & our morning was quickly wrecked. Tears were shed by both mother & boys. Luckily, I received kind words & support from two dear friends that helped remind me that I am a good mother (most of the time!) & I am doing the best I can. It is always nice to remember that it truly, takes a village! By the afternoon, following a nap for everyone, things were much better & we happily headed over to Larchmont for the RAT (Run At Twilight) Race 5K.
Prior to the start, we chatted & hung out with many of our local running friends, particularly, my fellow stroller-pushing mommas. Can I just say how honored I am to know & be friends with so many STRONG & AMAZING women?! I am truly in awe of how motivated women can be when they lose the “but I’m a busy mom” excuse. Only a couple of us from our group ran stroller-less, the others put up some fantastic times {including my dear hubby!}, especially considering they were all pushing lots of pounds of kiddos in front of them!
At the “gun”, I started near the mat & off we went. The first half mile was spent dodging younger kids, like 10 year old boys with turbo boosters that all of a sudden stop to walk. Fun times. Ha! After that I thought I had fallen into a rhythm. The rest of that mile ticked right past, then came mile #2….. lead legs. My turnover was awful & I was mentally beating myself up for not having more oomph. It was after all an evening race, after an eventful & challenging morning. I am the worse though at beating myself up when the going gets tough. I just need to get over that! I mentally & physically wanted to PR, but the continued summer humidity was simply not going to allow that to happen. That’s my story & I’m sticking to it! Mile 3 was better, although still not great for what I know my body is capable of. The finish line loomed & I kicked it across the mat.
Mile 1 – 7:27
Mile 2 – 7:56
Mile 3 – 7:57
Final 0.07 to the Finish – 7:17
Garmin time: 23:50 (7:46/mile)
Official time: 23:49 (7:41/mile)
Overall: 40th out of 243
Gender: 9th out of 107
Age Group: 4th out of 35
After hanging with friends for a bit, hubby, the boys, & I headed home. I enjoyed a bowl of cereal & a Greek yogurt bar (lovely dinner I tell you, which paired nicely with the yummy YNot pizza at the race!). Then it was off to bed I went.
Saturday morning, Heart of Ghent 10K time, began with a 6:30am alarm clock. I lollygagged around the house & left my house at 7:30am…. for an 8am race. See, I told you I was totally laid back about this weekend’s races! I headed to Ghent to meet up with my Running Etc. buddies, specifically my running partner, & then we headed to the start line. Julie & I toyed with the thought of a warm-up, & then decided against. In hindsight, it might have been a good idea to get a warm-up in to wake up my sleepy, sore legs. The race was delayed a few minutes, but that was okay, we just chit chatted at the start & waited for the horn. Off we went!
Mile 1 was pretty good, right on goal pace (~8:00/mile). From there, it went downhill quick. Miles 2-3.5 were tough. My legs were heavy & constantly reminding me that I had just made them work less than 14 hours earlier. They were heavy & missing the longer, but slower miles they usually enjoy on Saturday mornings! Something at mile 3.5 clicked though & I got my mojo back. Maybe it was the reminiscing I was doing as during this course I “passed” many monumental memories in my recent life—the apartment Scott & I once called home, the children’s hospital where I have been blessed to be employed at for nearly a decade, the museum where I married my best friend, the medical facility that is responsible for helping us conceive, & the hospital where I delivered my sweet miracles. Yep, I covered all that in just under 6 miles!! Talk about nostalgic.
After mile 4, I was able to keep my pace pretty consistent at 8:05-8:15/mile; no not the flat 8s I was wanting, but after how tired I felt in mile 2/3, I was taking it happily! Coming down Colley Ave, I just knew the finish had an extra loop. After all, my watch hadn’t even hit the 6 mile mark yet. Well, that mile marker never arrived. Some way or another, we were miss-directed by the course marshals & part of the course was cut off—practically a whole two tenths! Talk about a bummer. I would have pushed it a lot harder near the end if I knew I just had to turn the corner & cross the mat. Ha! Oh well & I certainly don’t fault the race officials. It is hard to plan & direct a race. Like they said in a statement released, it is difficult to control traffic & directing on open city streets. And hey, this running stuff is all for fun, right?! Regardless, I’ll be back next year, Heart of Ghent!
Mile 1 – 7:56
Mile 2 – 8:10
Mile 3 – 8:25
Mile 4 – 8:24
Mile 5 – 8:20
Final 0.94 to the Finish – 8:00
Garmin time: 48:45 (8:13/mile)
Official time: 48:44 (7:52/mile)
Overall: 123rd out of 703
Gender: 29th out of 382
Age Group: 9th out of 79
Of course like any race, I am super thankful for all of the volunteers, spectators, medics, bands, & city workers. Their support is amazing! I am also super proud of all my friends that ran this weekend. Many of you fabulous runner friends placed in your age groups & put up fantastic times. I continue to be amazed at what the human body can do! I know one lady in particular was amazing & super stoked to cross that finish line in under her goal Heart of Ghent 10K time—someone who has recently returned to running after some tough life experiences. I am super proud of you & happy you call me your running coach—you know who you are!! Also super proud props goes to my running partner for placing FIRST in her age group at the Heart of Ghent 10K; Julie you ROCK!
Up Next for The Running Blonde: The Wicked 10K in late-October; until then, I’ll continue to trudge through these Richmond Marathon miles. Less than 8 weeks to go!! Eeeeekkk!
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