Race Recaps: May 2016… 3 Races, Which Almost Became 4

It has been a busy, busy month for The Running Blonde! It’s hard to believe that 2 years ago, I was searching & searching for a race that fit in my May schedule, so that I didn’t mess up my “at-least-one-race-per-month-streak”. Fast forward to 2016… there were numerous opportunities to run races!! More expansion in the local running community?! Or is it that I’ve gained a little flexibly in my schedule? Who cares, it was a good month!

Aside from racing, I have continued to settle into my new normal of mostly full-time mom life, plus full-time Nurse Practitioner. It isn’t always easy, & there have been many sleep-deprived days (I worked about a third of the nights during the month, with often times only 2 hours of sleep after my extended shifts), but I am lovin’ all of the time that I have been given with my twin duo!

Many anniversaries were celebrated too this month—10 years together with my awesome hubby, seven of which we have been in wedded bliss! Love that man!

As for running this month, as the title alluded to, I ran 3 races. I had toyed with the idea of running a 4^th, but my body & mind chose to play it safe.

First up, was the inaugural Corporate 5K, put on by the big local running company, J&A Racing. They truly know how to put on a good race!! When I originally signed up for this race, I envisioned a much different night {did I mention it was an evening race??}, compared to what actually happened. Being at the local baseball stadium, I had hoped the family could join in for the festivities, especially since it was on Cinco de Mayo! But between the pouring rain & one of the boys having walking pneumonia, it ended up being just a quick, solo adventure. Having worked the night before, with just those 2 hours of sleep, I had ZERO expectations for this race.

I arrived to Harbor Park, home of the Tides, with enough time to pick up my packet & do a quick jog. I warmed up beneath the underpasses/train tracks, to stay dry until race time. I then toed the line, a few rows behind the fasties. Once we got started, I was super impressed with how many people ended up running this rainy race! As is typical with J&A races, there was plenty of police to help keep the Downtown Norfolk streets safe & a water stop greeted us near the halfway point. I ran the first half mile chatting a bit with my friend Heather. Shame I didn’t push harder & keep up with her, it would have been a PR for me! Good job, girl!

This race was all about dodging the puddles & running the tangents! Despite that, my Garmin registered a total distance of 3.2 miles—a common theme with a few people I chatted with after the race. Miles ended up being 7:20, 7:40, 7:43; with the final 0.2 miles at 7:10 average pace. Soooo, clearly pacing was an issue for me on this tired-bod-day. Newsflash, sleeping is important. HA!

Even though I faded, I REALLY enjoyed this race! There was a ton of focus on the corporate teams, which I thought was a really cool concept. There was a wide variety of participants—runners, run/walkers, & walkers. The after party looked great too, even though I couldn’t stay since I wanted to hurry home & tuck the munchkins in bed. Favorite Pro: Running into the stadium to finish. Least Favorite Con: Running on gravel in the 3^rd mile. I’ll definitely be back to this race next year!

Official Results: 24:08 (7:46/mile), 21^st female out of 885 chicks {no real breakdown of AG placements, due to the focus on corporate teams, I presume}

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Up next was the CHKD Run/Walk for the Kids 8K. This is arguably my favorite local race of the year! It will always hold a special place in my heart—since it was my first race & I have been employed by the wonderful hospital for almost 11 years now. I have been uber excited to race this one again, ever since they moved it from “hot as hell June”, to “slightly milder May”! Like the first race of the month, I didn’t have any real expectations since my work & sleep schedule had been so haywire. My only goal…PR! This was a fairly easy to achieve goal I thought, since my 8K PR was from almost 18 months earlier.

Long story short, I PR’d by just under 90 seconds! Miles according to my Garmin clicked away at: 7:18, 7:29, 7:34, 7:31, 7:38. I was extremely proud of this effort & I have the girls from my One City Marathon Relay to thank as well! We all unintentionally spaced out by 10-20 seconds between each of us, so I had visible friends to “chase down” on the long stretches. One of the perks of being the “slowest” (relative term, I know I am not “slow” in the grand scheme of things), I could watch them all from behind & use them as my motivation to keep pushing forward!

Official Results: 37:48 (7:37/mile), 13^th female out of 483 gals {3^rd in my age group}

Such a good race & a great cause, so very close to my heart. We are so, so lucky to have CHKD in the area, for all of our pediatric care needs! In fact, I had to leave the after party for this race early, in order to take the other twin to the CHKD pediatrician for his diagnosis of walking pneumonia. The boys are now both back in good health & have returned to their wild & rambunctious ways!

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The final race of the month was one that I did for the first time last year—Lee’s Friends Run on the Wild Side 5K. The purpose of this organization is to help those with cancer & the families of those who have cancer. When I did this race last year, the wounds were still very fresh from own my mother’s breast cancer diagnosis. Naturally I had run in honor of her. This year, she is happy & healthy—currently enjoying remission. So it only made sense for this race to be her 1^st ever 5K (walking of course, if you know my mother)! Only difference from last year to this year was the location. Prior years it was held at the Norfolk Zoo. This year the race became a trail race instead of on the pavement.

Our plan was for me to race the 5K, then jog back on the course & walk with her to the finish line. After that we would enjoy a lovely brunch. I had worked a 24-hour shift on Mother’s Day this year, so this would replace that day that we had lost together.

Sounds like a fantastic plan, right?? It is was, until someone decided to fall. Don’t worry, mother-dearest kept both feet planted! Sadly though, the same can’t be said for The Running Blonde. Fifty seconds into the race & I went down. And hard. One second I was running 7:30 pace, the next second I was flat on the ground. Despite that silly madness, the Garmin recorded trail miles of: 7:58, 8:17, & 7:53. Injuries included a scraped up elbow, knee, & shoulder (not all on the same side of the bod); plus a sprained hand. The next day, soreness was noted to a presumably pulled abdominal muscle & a stiff shoulder muscle. All has healed, mostly, just waiting for the knee scab to resolve & the hand to return to normal size & color. Brunch was postponed, which I hope that rain check is cashed in very soon!

Incident aside, it was a great day! My mother finished the 5K with a smile on her face, despite the down-pouring rain. I picked myself up quickly after the tumble, still finishing in the top 5 for females (3^rd vs. 4^th place… my counting of the chicks after the turnaround vs. the official results). True placement is an insignificant point. My mother is back to full health & that is what is important!

Official Results: 24:26 (7:52/mile), 4^th female out of 44 ladies {1^st in my age group}

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As I mentioned in the beginning, I had consider running a fourth May race—which would have been the Elizabeth River Run 10K. After dealing with a higher than normal HR on training runs during the week before (?acclimating to the incoming heat & humidity), along with just needing a break, I opted to not race this awesome local race. This year, the race honored local legend, Mel Williams, who recently passed away. It would have been so nice to pay tribute to such an influential person in the running community, but I decided it was best to not subject myself to another hard racing effort.

Instead, my 3 favorite local running friends & I set out that morning for an easy & fun, full-‘o-girl-conversation, 10K. I would not be the runner that I am today without these 3 women. I love them dearly & I truly treasure their friendships & our running time together. If you are a new runner, find these people for you(!!)—they will make you stronger, help you feel like a better mom when you swear you’re the crappiest one on the planet, give you tips on successful marriage, push you to race faster, & make you generally happy & want to be a better person. I am so lucky to have this camaraderie in my life. Thank you, Julie, Kerry, & Mary!

With the summer approaching, my running is wide open. Goals of miles + strength + yoga remain constant. I am happy for less regimented days with Andersen & Alexander, plus seeing new sights! Of course, pool/beach days will be numerous & al fresco eating will be a regular occurrence. I will begin training again on August 1^st, initially for the Harbor Lights ½ Marathon; but always with my ultimate goal in sight. In case you missed that goal, you can read about by BQ aspirations here.

Thanks for reading & continuing to support my blog! With so much available on the Internet to read, I am always honored when someone tells me they love my recaps/posts, & that I have motivated them to run!!

Happy Running!