Our 2nd Lovejoy Run

The Lovejoy run, which benefits all sports at Lovejoy High School is one of our favorites simply because it is so well run. This year was made all the more special because my parents, son, daughter, and grandkids were all there cheering for us!

We got there early (as always) and walked the kids around so they could see the booths that were set up. The Chick-fil-A cow was there and Peyton finally decided he was "OK". After we had a few pictures made with him we took the kids to get their faces painted. They were still getting that taken care of when the call was made to line up for the 5K, so Rick and I left the family at the face painting area and headed for the start line.

Madison and Peyton with the Chick-Fil-A Cow!

The run itself was pretty uneventful. The gun went off, we started the race; I hit the start timer button on the Garmin and it totally shut down. DEAD BATTERY, WHAT? HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? OK...guess I'm on my own as far as pacing goes for this race. I always forget about the hill at the begining when you are leaving the parking lot and going out onto the highway...man, that thing is tough. I AM glad it is at the beginning of the race and not at the end though. I made it to the first water stop and got a drink...I was tickled that I was fairly close to Rick. Made it to the turn-around and could still see him....made it back to the water stop - did NOT stop, and could still see him! I didn't lose him until he made his turn into the parking lot from the highway. That is the closest I've ever stayed to him in a 5K since we started running our own races....I was excited. Maybe this would be the time I'd breat that stupid 30 minute barrier!

Rick getting ready to cross the finish line in 28:36

I ran down the hill, through the parking lot, around the corner and I could see the finish. I heard my name and there was Madison. She had promised me she would wait close to the finish line and help me across and sure enough, there she was. I was a little surprised, and I stutter stepped to let her catch me and off we went. We crossed the finish line together! I was so proud to be with her!

Me getting ready to cross the finish, just before Madison joined me!

When they posted the results it turned out I had finished in 30:00:03! Just 4 100ths of a second from breaking that barrier. And WITHOUT the Garmin to pace me. I know it will happen soon.....I'll let you know! Oh, and by the way...I took 2nd in my age group too!

It's about time!

I know, I know - it has been OVER a week since the Cap 10K and I haven't written a thing yet...shame on ME!

I actually need to write about the entire weekend because it was all so amazing! We left home on Friday night and drove to Copperas Cove and stayed in a hotel there because we wanted to go hiking at Colorado Bend State Park then next day - AND we wanted to get there early. Good thinking on our part!

We were up at 5:00 am on Sat. morning, stopped for our coffee and then on to the park. Our main goal was to get there around sunrise and get to Gorman Falls. As you can see by the

pictures we made it!

Sunrise from the trail to Gorman Falls

Our first view of the falls from the top of the trail

The view from the bottom of the trail. Love the rippling pools and small falls.

After hiking to the falls and back we drove down to the park office and paid our day use fees and checked out the park a little - we are already scheduling our next trip - there is so much to see there!

Once we got that done we were off to Austin. We found our hotel with no problem at all and got checked in. It is the same one we stayed in last year for the race, so it was all good...this year we were much more familiar with what was going on!

Then it was off to my sister's house. We always try to visit with them when we come to town - it is amazing how hard it is to get together...it isn't like we live in different states or anything, we just don't ever seem like we have the time. Anyway, she knew we were coming and prepared a WONDERFUL pasta dinner for us, and as luck would have it my niece and her husband were in town from San Angelo so we got to visit with them a bit (and play Wii with my 2 year old Great Nephew). Then my other niece came over and we got to visit with her and my 9 year old Great Niece too! It was a great evening just filled with family and lots of laughter - very relaxing...Thanks Mary!!!

After we got back to the hotel we went down to the hot tub and soaked for a (very) little bit - met some other runners doing the same and talked about this race, past races, and races that we all want to do - that was fun too! All in all - a great day!

Sunday morning was supposed to be bright and sunny - but NOOOOOOOO...we woke up to overcast and almost cold! By the time we walked down to the start line it was misting heavily - not raining, but not just cloudy either...oh well - I was going to run the thing no matter what!

The race started on time - we were in the "red" corral, so we didn't make it to the start line for about 15 minutes or so, but it is OK with the chip timing. Once we hit the start line I started up Garmin and iPod and we were off. The first mile isn't too bad as you run across the bridge and straight to the capitol, and I was pretty pleased with my 9:34 pace. The second mile is pretty close to the same, although there is a small incline as you go around the corner to the back side of the capitol building. I was still clipping along (for me) at a 10:02 pace and feeling fairly comfortable, although I was feeling the residue of the cold I had fought earlier this month... Mile 3, however, is my personal "killer" mile. Not just in this race, but in many of the races I run I seem to hit a small wall at about 2.5 miles - well this race just makes it that much harder by putting the biggest hill of the race right in the middle of this mile!!! Last year I got stuck in a group that stopped dead in front of me to walk and I couldn't get past them so I walked the entire hill - and my legs were still fried at mile 5! This year I made it 1/2 way up the hill and had to stop and walk about 1/4 of the way, then ran the last 1/4 - so it was better....but it cost me a little. My time in this mile was 10:54 (Still under 11:00!) Mile 4 was pretty uneventful - I just ran along enjoying the bands and people lining the streets cheering on the runners and stretched it out in 10:16. Now I'm in the 5th mile and I have convinced myself that I feel so much stronger this year, as I passed milestone after milestone where I had to slow down the year before - and I wasn't anywhere near feeling that bad this year. I pushed on, and this mile went by in 10:13...see - I even got FASTER! I was ready for the last full mile of the race. Last year this is where I pretty much died. There is a smaller hill right about the 1/4 mile mark and I had to walk the entire thing last year. This year I ran it with very little problem. I felt good and fairly strong. I knew I was tiring - but NOTHING like the previous year. I completed the mile at a 10:33 pace - not the best, but so much better than before! Now I was to the point where I could hear the bands at the finish line. I was determined to finish strong, so I tried to pick it up a bit. Now when you run a race like this, your Garmin distance is always a little more than race distance so on Garmin I ran the last .31 miles in 2:51 - that is a 9:20 pace for you non - runner types out there - can you say "sprint to the finish"!!!! I was ecstatic that I took almost exactly 3 minutes off my time from last year. My new time to beat for this race is 1:04:45!

Of course Rick was there waiting for me at the finish - his time was 59:33 - beating his time for last year as well and breaking the 1 hour mark for the second time!

All in all a GREAT experience again. We'll be watching for them to post the sign up for next year's race. This is a well organized race with LOTS of water available - and I am DETERMINED that I WILL make it over the hill without walking next year!!!

Dallas Rock And Roll Half Marathon - AWESOMENESS!

We were excited to be able to compete in the Dallas Rock And Roll (RNR) 1/2 Marathon on March 14th. It was vindication for being denied the opportunity to compete in San Antonio 2 years ago due to Rick's job. We had entered there and a couple of weeks before the race - after training hard for months - the move Rick's company was planning was moved to THAT weekend. This more than made up for it!

We were really ready, I think. I just felt all week leading up to the race that it was going to be a good one...despite the following facts:

1. We ran the Cowtown on 2-27 and my time was the worst I'd ever run...I believe due to the fact that I ran a PR on the treadmill for a 5K the week before and my legs were fried - but that's just me. I also think Rick's surgery had a little to do with it...he was only 10 days into recovery!

2. We ran the Allen Eagle run on 3-6 and both posted decent times - no PR for me, but I wasn't expecting one that race.

3. We worked out on Monday, then couldn't work out on Tuesday because we were so sore from working out on Monday! THAT hasn't happened in quite a while!

4. I had to work late both Wednesday and Thursday evenings for school activities - which meant NO workouts of any kind for me...again, hasn't happened in a while.

5. We took Friday off (planned) to rest our legs for the race - although I hadn't run since the Saturday before!

I still I felt this would be a good race...I just FELT good!

We got up Saturday morning and picked up Cotton to go to the EXPO. You are required to go there to pick up your bib, t-shirt, and goodie bag - no race day pick-ups...soooooo off we went. It was a really good EXPO. Well laid out and well organized. We found our "corral" and picked up our bibs quickly. Cotton was in Corral #1, we were in Corral #8. You are placed there according to your estimated finish time. I was just hoping that the 2:20 time I had put for Rick and I wasn't overly ambitious after my 2:32 time just 2 weeks before! Oh well, time would tell, right?

After getting our bibs we were directed over to the t-shirt table where we picked up our race shirts. They were REALLY nice! Black dry weave technical shirts...NIIIICE. Then off to another table to pick up the "goodie bags". These were also the official "gear bags" that would be used on race day to check in our gear. Once we got these we were at the entrance to the EXPO area, so we walked on in.

The EXPO was a lot of fun. We picked up some cool luggage tags right away. They have the Dallas RNR logo and we felt like there wouldn't be so many of those floating around when we had luggage to go anywhere - at least we hoped not! We saw some amazing new racing gear, training gear, etc. We walked from booth to booth, enjoying the comaradare. I picked up some samples of olive oil and basalmic vinegar at one booth, and some of a new sports drink called CYTOMAX at another. This was the drink that they would be giving out during the race. Cotton found some recovery tights he had been looking for, and they actually had his size there, so he got them as well. We found the GU booth and I bought a box of my favorite - chocolate. Since I bought an entire box, they threw in 2 free packs and a pair of cold weather GU gloves! As we were walking from booth to booth we turned a corner and I saw --- MY SHIRT! During the Cowtown race I had seen a couple of people wearing a shirt that said "TEAM 413" on the front and a copy of Philippians 4:13 on the back. That is my personal Bible verse...I've had it with me at work for years, I tied a keychain with the verse to the laces of my shoes to help me through my first marathon, and Cotton and Angel gave me a plaque with the saying for Christmas last year. It 'fits' me and I refer to it daily. Here they were - selling the shirts at the EXPO. I picked a white shirt with purple lettering for me, and Rick got a blue sleeveless with yellow lettering for himself. Now I was SURE it was going to be a great race! After looking at all the booths - and picking up more free stuff - we were ready to head home.

Race morning was beautiful. A little cool, but no clouds and not much wind at all. We picked up Cotton about 5:45 and we were off. Travel went quickly until the turnoff to get to Fair Park...the finish line of the race - and the place to park and catch the buses to the start line. Traffic was backed up like you wouldn't believe. It took us over 20 minutes to get to the parking area! This was honestly the only snag in the entire weekend. I hope they look into fixing this before next year's race - some kind of traffic direction or even Dart buses or Trains for transportation would be better.

We got to the start area and walked around a bit trying to find the gear drop off. We passed tables that had bananas, water, and bagels - so we picked up a quick and healthy breakfast. Just enough to stave off hunger and give us a few carbs to get us going. We found the corrals we would be starting from and headed back to "race village". On the way back we saw some buses with numbers in the windows. Sure enough, these were the gear drop off zones. There was an entire line of buses! They were set up so you dropped your gear off at the bus that had the sign for the first letter of your last name. We found ours - but decided to wait a bit before we dropped off our nice, warm, wind suits! We found a sheltered area and sat to wait. At about 7:30 we went ahead and packed up the gear, dropped it off at the buses, and headed back to the start line again. Now all we could do was wait for the start!

The corrals were totally organized. There were folks at the gates explaining that the first number on your bib was also your corrall number and helping people find the right place. For the most part people totally cooperated. This lead to one of the best starts of a race I've seen! They got started on time, corrals were released about every 2 minutes and there was plenty of music and encouragement to entertain while you waited for your corral to be released. They even had the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders on stage right at the start line. Finally it was our turn and we took off!

The course was a good one. To me it felt like I spent most of the first half of the race running up hill - although I know there were some flat areas in there too! I stayed up with Rick for the first 3 miles really well despite the fact that at mile 2 we had the greatest increase in elevation of the entire race! Then we hit the first part of the longest elevation change. It was a pretty sharp increase and I struggled a bit. He waited for me there, but immidiately began pulling away again. I ran like the wind and caught him on the flat to let him know I was OK....then he went ahead again. I saw him at the 5 mile water stop, and that was the last time. I love running with him whenever we can - but I'm always so proud when he takes off and runs "his" race. I don't worry about him looking for me and turning an ankle or getting hurt that way - and I know he can run his best time. I'm slowly able to keep up with him for more and more of the race time, but it is harder with my short little legs to keep up with his long ones! Anyway - he was off doing his race, and I was left to run mine. I was determined to do it right!

I chugged along feeling like this race was nothing but one big uphill. Well - for 4 miles it is! Rick left to run his race after the first mile of the longest elevation increase - little did I know I still had 3 miles of an uphill battle to go. At the end of this section there was a small crowd of people shouting encouragement. A man yelled out that we were almost at the top of the hill and it would be downhill from there - I yelled back it better be because it had been all uphill to that point...everyone around laughed and I knew I wasn't alone feeling the struggle!

He was right, once we made the crest of that hill we did start a long elevation decrease - another 3 miles. I think that is what helped my time stay pretty consistent here. At mile 12 there was a very small increase again, and my time slowed to 11:00 minute miles and even though mile 13 was a decrease I hit the wall here and it was all I could do to convince myself that I could keep running. I was pushing as hard as I could, but I just couldn't get it going again. When we went through the gates of Fair park I was so excited...I knew the finish line was close. Then all of sudden the UT band struck up and the crowds thickened. I followed the course and saw ahead of me the yellow fences leading to the finish line - I was close. Someone from the crowd shouted, just around the corner! I picked it up a little....turned the corner...and there was another corner! NOOOOOOOO....oh well - push it, push it, push it....turned that corner and there it was...ANOTHER CORNER! ARRRGGGG! I wasn't going to stop now! I pushed it a little harder and FINALLY there was the finish line. I crossed it and hit my Garmin. I did a double take, my time: 2:20:36 (official time was 2:20:42)! NEW PR! I had met the goal time I set for this race so long ago! As I moved through the group I saw Rick at the back of the runner's area waiting for me. He was so surprised to see me! We walked slowly toward the family meeting area and saw Cotton waiting at the fence for us. We met up to walk to the gear bus together. Cotton told us he had turned his knee at mile 10 and had to run/walk the last 3 miles, but still finished in 1:42:43! Rick had a PR by over 7 minutes of 2:10:36. All in all a great race for all of us!

As we walked to the car after picking up our gear we all agreed that this was one of the best organized races any of us had ever run in, and that we all wanted to run it again next year! The bands were nice, but you really only got to hear snippets as you went by - I feel they were more fot the spectators along the route than for the runners. I really enjoyed the cheer squads, and even more the folks just lined up along the route cheering for everyone.

Several times during the race people yelled out "Go TEAM 413", and others as they saw me (either me passing them or them passing me) would comment that they liked the shirt. It was always at a time when I needed encouragement - and helped me "stay strong". I can't wait to wear it to my next race!!!

Boring race stats follow!

Mile

Pace

Time

Elevation

1

9:53

9:53

-61 Ft

2

9:56

19:52

+194 Ft

3

9:54

29:50

-113 Ft

4

10:25

40:16

-1 Ft

5

10:40

50:56

+45 Ft

6

10:38

1:10:34

+25 Ft

7

11:04

1:12:39

+37 Ft

8

10:57

1:23:36

+30 Ft

9

10:28

1:34:04

-22 Ft

10

10:32

1:44:37

-54 Ft

11

10:51

1:55:29

-22 Ft

12

11:00

2:06:29

+5 Ft

13

11:22

2:17:52

-32 Ft

.27

10:03

2:20:36

-4 Ft

Cowtown +1

Last weekend we ran the Cowtown 1/2 marathon. It was pretty good. I felt a little fuzzy when we got there - that is what 4 hours of sleep will do to ya! I was really tired Friday night when I went to bed, but it was after midnight before I could actually get to sleep - hate it when that happens! Then we were up at 4:00 am to drive to Ft. Worth for the race. We stopped and picked up Cotton in Plano on our way so he could ride over. He wasn't running - he had just gotten off work and wanted to watch the race!

We got to the parking area and rode the bus to the start of the race. Went over to package pick-up and all they had there were our bibs...hmmmmmm. Walked into the Expo tent (very crowded) and there - at the very back - was a sign that said "T-shirts". We wove our way through the packed aisles and got to the t-shirt table only to find that they were totally out of Medium shirts, and had been since the day before. OK...call me crazy, but if you have people pay good money to sign up for a race months in advance, don't you think you would be able to pack up a bib and t-shirt so they would have what they ordered MONTHS IN ADVANCE! In my humble opinion - it should be the ones that sign up at the EXPO that should be stuck with the shirt in the wrong size.....well, I'll get off my soap box now and on to the race report.

We walked out of the expo tent and found a nice bench where we could stop and put on our bibs and D-tags (the tag they use for the chip timing). It was pretty dark right there (remember this is about 6:00 am!) but we muddled through and got it all set. We then made our way over to the start area. On our way over we happened to think that we hadn't looked at the bib to see what starting corral we were supposed to be in, so I glanced over at Rick's bib to see. To my utter shock he had on MY bib! Which of course meant he also had on my timing chip (D-tag), and I had on his! Well - maybe I would PR this race - HAHAHAHAHA! We decided since we were going to try to stay pretty much together for this one that we would just leave well enough alone and go with the flow.

We made our way to the starting corral and waited patiently for the start. They started the groups off in waves, which was nice, not so many people to dodge in front of us, but we were in one of the slower corrals and got off to a really slow start....not too much of a problem for me!

I was hoping that I would finally break 2:25 for this race - that was my time last year when I was running so well and my back started spasming at mile 11. I had to walk quite a bit of the last 2 miles. This year it wasn't as cold and not nearly as windy so I had high hopes...even though my legs were still really sore from my PR treadmill 5K earlier in the week. I figured they would loosen up as I made my way through the race.

The first two miles passed pretty uneventfully in 10:36 and 10:55. The second was a little slower than I wanted. I wanted to keep the pace between 10:30 and 10:45 as much as possible. Somewhere toward the end of mile 3 I started really feeling my thighs get super tight. Got through that one in a time of 10:44 for a 32:16 time. Pretty much my average during a half.

Off to get to the 10K mark. My legs were really getting worse as I continued to run, and my pace was showing it. Bless his heart, Rick was doing his best to stay with me - even when that meant running ahead and slowing down to wait on me to catch up! (He told me later that he really did this because he didn't want me to beat him in the race - remember, I was getting credit for his time since he was wearing my bib and chip! Too funny!) We finished the next 3 miles in 11:11, 11:18, and 11:03 - for a 6 mile time of 1:05:50. Again, pretty close to average for me. Slow for a 10K, but not for 1/2 way through a half marathon.

We continued on our way, Rick running ahead and looking back, me chugging along the best I could with my muscles feeling like they were tied in pretty bows! The next 3 miles had some pretty good hills in them and my time showed it. 11:45, 11:56, and 11:12. BUT, I was still chugging along - only walking the water stops, nowhere else!

I think here we hit a bit of the flat course, with the nice brickwork - you know the part where you worry that you are going to twist your foot or break an ankle....but it was smooth going for us. I think this was where I felt really good the year before and honestly thought I was going to break 2:20 - again this year I was feeling good, my thighs had finally untied themselves and I was running pretty smoothly again, if not setting the world on fire....I was at least moving better! At least for the first couple miles.... 11:03 and 11:06. Then we came to the hill that took me out the year before.

I don't know if it was me remembering last year, or honest fatigue, but this was a really slow part of the race for me - a mental challenge I think I lost. Mile 12 took me 12:14 to run. My slowest mile in the race. Now it does have a bridge that has a decent grade to it, but nowhere near the grade of Hawkeye's Hill, one of the hills earlier in the race. I think I was just taking it too easy without realizing it....but hindsight is always 20/20, right?

Once we got over that part and Rick knew I was going to be OK he went ahead and took off. I was so proud of him! I kept chuggin' along and finished mile 13 in 11:50 despite another small hill, then did the last .21 in 2:14 for an overall time of 2:29:13. (My official time was 2:32:13...Garmin paused at the potty break we took, lol). Rick's official finish time was 2:29:43. He said that he felt really strong at the end. I think staying with me, at least at the start helps him a little pace himself...and me trying to keep up helps me too! Anyway...despite this being one of my slowest half marathon times, I was really excited because I didn't have to walk this year. Only through the water stops, which is our plan anyway. I'll take that time as something to improve on in the Dallas Rock and Roll March 14!

Now, on to the +1 portion of the post.

Today we ran the Allen ISD Eagle Run. This run is one I really enjoy. I worry about it being squeezed between 2 half marathons - so my goal this year was to beat last year's time of 32:23, and to not walk other than the water stops.

We got there early and got our bibs and D-tags...we went back to the car to put them on and put the bag with our shirts in it away. After we double checked to make sure we got the right bibs on this time (hahaha) we went back to watch the 1 mile Fun Run. One of my students was running in it and I wanted to cheer him on. We also saw Kendran and Lisa, our friends from Weight Watchers, so we stood with them. I cheered for Sean as he went by and chatted with my friends until the race started.

After the Fun Run finished up we made our way to the start line of the 5K - I found my students that participate in "Girls on the Run", gave them a hug and told them I was proud of them and to have a good race. The gun went off and we were on the run!

I knew that if I could stay pretty close to 9:30 per mile at the beginning, I might be able to break that crazy 30 minute mark...I've already been close in one race this year! BUT I also knew that my legs wouldn't be totally recovered from the Cowtown last week, so I was going to be happy if I could just run the whole thing. I told Rick to run his race and not worry about me on this one!

My first mile felt pretty good - other than the fact that I just couldn't catch my breath like I normally can after the first .25 miles...I struggled with this a lot longer this time. Mile one went by in 9:19...a good time for me! I made it to the first water stop and walked my way through - took back off, but as I watched Garmin I was surprised to find myself going much slower than I felt like I was running. I noticed that I wasn't really stretching out as I ran, so I tried really hard to focus on my stride - it helped a little I think, but mile 2 still took me 10:16 to complete.

Mile 3 of this race is really hard because the last .5 miles of it is uphill! As I came up to the water stop I looked up to the bridge ahead, and sure enough, there was Rick - just like last year - but this year he wasn't walking! I knew I could do as well...I got my water, walked through, and took off again. I kept passing places where last year I walked, and I kept telling myself how good I was doing because I wasn't walking this year! We were still going into a headwind by now, but I don't think it was nearly as strong as the year before! I finished up mile 3 in 10:30 and knew I only had .1 mile to go....I was on the straight-a-way toward the finish line and I hadn't walked! This was a good race, even if I was already at 30:06 for the race.....I kept heading for the finish....crossed the line in 31:40. I had done it...I beat last year's time and I didn't walk!

Rick was there cheering for me as I crossed. I walked over to him and congratulated him on a good race. I was so proud when he told me he had finished in about 28:14. We got some water and bananas and I walked over to check out the official results. His official time was 28:07!!! As I looked at the overall results (they didn't post age groups) It appeared that we had both placed. We decided to stay for the awards and sure enough I took 3rd and he took 2nd! We brought home 2 trophies from this one!!! Not only that, one of the 2nd grade teachers from my school took 3rd in his age group and his brother took 1st overall, and one of my girls took 3rd in her age group! It was a good day for Boyd Elementary runners!!!

What happened here?

Well, it has been nearly a week, so I guess it is about time to update my blog about the DRC 5K.

We decided to run the 5K instead of the 10K because we knew we had the Cowtown 1/2 coming up soon. Also, Cotton has class on Saturday and needed to get to school to study ahead of time.

Cotton came over about 6:00 A.M. and we headed on out to the lake. We got there early enought to get a pretty decent parking spot, and walked on up to the clubhouse. I wasn't feeling real well, was having some minor stomach issues, and had already told Rick I wasn't so sure I was going to make my goal of a sub 30 minute 5K. I've been trying to get back down there for nearly 2 years now and it is very frustrating!

We picked up our bibs and stood in the warm clubhouse for a bit, then went back to the car so Cotton could warm up. Rick went ahead and warmed up too, but I just sat in the car and rested until it was time to go on down the hill for the start. We took off the warm-up gear and walked to the start line. As I stood there shivering we got to say Hello to Mary Chupps, Cotton's 1st grade teacher. She was excited that Cotton was there and said she was hoping to get to see him after the race, but that she was just walking this one. She is recovering from a knee injury now.

After all the "cerimonial" stuff, the gun went off and we started. I hit the start on my Garmin as I went over the start line and I was off. The first mile felt amazingly good. It was only about 48 degrees outside, and I guess the cold must agree with me because I ran this mile at a 9:11 pace! That is 27:95 faster than my normal pace! I don't think I've ever run the first mile of ANY race at a 9:11 pace! I was feeling good at the mile marker, so I just kept pushing it. I knew if I could run the first two miles in under 10 minute miles I had a pretty good chance to meet my goal of under 30 minutes for the entire race...so I just kept pushing. Mile 2 was only slightly slower at 9:37. This put the first two mile time at 18:49. I was astonished. I still felt pretty good so I just kept going. I did really well until about 2.25 miles...then I felt myself slowing down a bit. I tried to talk myself through it and kept pushing every time I looked down and saw that my time was slipping. I did the mile in 9:49 for a 28:38 time for the 3 miles. I only had .1 mile to go...and over a minute to do it in.... When I look at the Garmin time for the entire 3.1 miles that a 5K is supposed to be it shows me finishing at 29:32 - I KNOW when I crossed the finish line, as I was hitting the stop timer button it read 29:59...so I KNOW I "unofficially" ran it in under 30 minutes...my goal. The DRC races are not chip timed however, and my official time was 30:08.

Cotton and Rick were right there at the finish line cheering me on. As I got close I tried to kick it out and I passed the girl ahead of me, but I started my kick too soon and couldn't keep up the pace, so she passed me back and finished just ahead of me.

We went on up to the clubhouse to get a banana and wait for the results. When the preliminary results were posted Cotton and I went over to check out how we did. My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw that I finished FIRST in my age group!!!! I walked back over to Rick and told them, and Cotton told me he had finished third in is his! We would both get medals.

We waited and waited for the results to become official. Finally 1 and 1/2 hours after the finish fo the race they gave out the awards. Cotton picked up his 3rd place medal and I picked up my 1st place medal. It was a GREAT day for the Boales family. Cotton had a PR with a time of 20:15:93...he is about to break the 20 minute mark - he had a pace of 6:31 minute miles. Rick had a PR of 27:46 and 8:47 minute miles. He finished 7th in his age group. I didn't PR, but I did finish first with a time of 30:08:39. HOWEVER; Sunday when we were checking the official results, Rick's time had changed, and I was now listed in SECOND place!

Hmmmmmm I have the first place medal - I was first for an hour and a half - how DID this happen. Here is my theory; The number for the girl who is now listed in first place is 1199...this matches all the numbers for the 15K race. I believe she signed up for the 15K, changed her mind and ran the 5K....this, according to what was published earlier should have disqualified her from any medal....however, I did contact the club and I am returning the medal I got, and they are sending me a second place. I'm still happy with my time, and the 9:41 overall pace I ran. It is the fastest in a long, long time...she only beat me by 15 seconds...I'll just have to get her next time! LOL!!!

Too Cold To Hold Results are in!

Today was a fantastic day for a run! We were up bright and early and ready to go by the time Cotton arrived about 6:15. We got to the park where the start line was to be set up in plenty of time to get a good parking spot, so we sat in the car to keep warm, we didn't even need to do a bag check. Nice!

We went down to the runner's area for our "porta" break, and we each picked up about a half a cup of coffee to warm up with...then went back to the car for a few minutes. About 15 minutes before the start we walked on down to the start line.

As we were waiting I told Rick that as much as I love running with him, I thought that if he really ran this one he could finish it in under 1:30 - instead of running with me and going for my goal of under 1:37! I told him I really wanted him to go for it! The gun sounded and we took off at our normal snail-dodge-the walkers-and-slower-runners pace. Rick passed me fairly quickly and I had to smile that he took my challenge and was going for it! YEAH RICK!!!

Even with a slower than normal start I completed the first mile of the race in 10:00 flat. (This included slowing down to take off the jacket and tie it around my waist - I hate being so wimpy at the start when it is cold!) That was OK with me - it kept me on pace for my goal. I kept running at the pace I was comfortable at by then and finished mile 2 with a 9:57 pace....still looking good - although I had a feeling I wasn't going to be able to repeat my "Frigid" performance of a 1:03 pace for the 10K mark. All I could do was keep going and give it my best for the day....

My mile 3 pace was 9:47 and gave me a 3 mile time of 29:55 - close to my pace at the DRC race a couple of weeks ago. However - the "official" 5K mark was a little further down the trail....and they clocked me at 31:32:57, slightly slower than the last race. I kept going and trying to keep my pace fairly steady...Mile 4 was a 10:37....shoot...I had slowed down, but I was still under the 10:45 that I was trying so hard to beat this race. It seems like that has been my overall pace for about a year now and I'm really wanting to pick it up a bit. On and on and on I ran....mile 5 pace was 10:46....NOOOOOOOO! That would NOT do! I needed to pick it up if I could! Mile 6 - 10:25....better....whew! Now if I could just keep it there. For the 2nd 5K I had posted a time of 33:31:36. A couple of minutes lost, but a 6 mile time of 1:01:44 by Garmin time put me just slightly slower than the DRC...still pushing along!

Then I hit it...the infamous WALL!!! I was much bummed at 6.5 miles in...my legs were churning away - I felt like I was still running at the 10:30 or so pace, but Garmin was telling me differently....I hit mile 7 with 10:51 pace. I tried to give myself a little pep talk and pick it up, but my legs simply were not cooperating at ALL! For me, mile 7 and 8 are always the hardest, slowest of my races. I don't know why - when I'm running the pace feels the same, but I'll look at my watch and be shocked to see how much I've slowed. Even when I'm conciously monitoring and pushing-pushing-pushing it seems like this section of the run just will NOT cooporate! Mile 8 was my slowest mile of the race, per my norm....an 11:06 pace. Normally I would be very disappointed here and perhaps THINK about walking, but I had a goal that I really wanted to make...with Garmin telling me that my 8 mile time was 1:23:42 - and with only 1.3 miles to go I thought I just might get there, if I could just pick it up a little bit!

I ran the last mile the best I could - I worked at smoothing out my run, picking up the pace slightly, and breathing with the cadence of my steps...I also tried to stand a little taller....SOMETHING must have worked at least a little bit because my pace for this section was back down to 10:54 and Garmin told me I had done the 9 miles in 1:34:37. Since I use my Garmin as my official timer for our normal Sunday morning runs, I KNEW I was doing one of my best runs in a long time. I also knew I was getting close to the finish line. I could hear the loud speakers and some music. I tried to pick it up a little, run a little taller, look a little stronger since I knew Rick and Cotton would be there cheering for me. I did the last part of the race (Garmin shows it as .48 miles at a 10:41 pace in 5:09 for a total Garmin time of 1:39:47. The official results show my last 5K time at 34:41:43 and my overall time at 1:39:46 - pretty close to Garmin, huh? Officially, I finished 242 out of 719 runners overall, and 8th out of 17 in my age group - right about the middle, which is where I normally am ....

I didn't make my goal of the full 15K in 1:35 - but I got close...and I was fairly happy with the first 6 miles and my 10K time of 1:05:04. I was hoping for a little better after doing so well at the DRC, but it is a different race, and a different day - I was VERY happy to see that my overall pace ended up being 10:31...almost 15 seconds a mile faster than what my "normal" pace has been....it appears that some of the work is beginning to pay off!

Rick and Cotton both had AMAZING races.

Rick's splits were:

29:31:23

29:35:45

29:22:6

for an overall time of 1:28:30. I KNEW HE COULD DO IT!!!!!! The full 15K in UNDER 1:30!!! Congratulations RICK!!!! His overall place was 197 - top 200!!!!

Cotton's splits were:

22:38:66

21:56:29

21:29:27

for an overall time of 1:06:05 and 3rd place in his age group - and 29th overall! Congratualtions to you too, COTTON!!

Our next race is the Tal Morrison 5K. My goal for this one is to finish in under 30 minutes. I am getting so close even in these long races that I honestly believe if I can convince myself to RUN it I can do it!!!! Wish me luck!

DRC 10K today!

***** Update *****

We got the official results. Cotton finished 7th in his age group with a clock time of 44:10:53 (a 7:06 pace). Rick finished 9th in his age group with a clock time of 59:03:36 a 9:30 pace). I finished 3rd in my age group with a clock time of 1:04:10 (a 10:19 pace) ... I was totally shocked to learn that I placed in the top 3! Another big WHOO-HOO!

****************

Well, we made it. Last night I set my goal to do better than my average 10K time of 1:06 - 1:07. I even discussed it (made it public) with Rick beforehand so he would know what I was attempting.

We got up about 5:00 AM and got ready - we drove by and picked up Cotton and we were on our way to the race. After a little confusion (the notes on where to park referenced a "new clubhouse") we determined that it was the same clubhouse we have been using for the entire year we have been members of the DRC. No problem - we got there, got our bibs and completed our pre-race "stuff" in plenty of time to relax before the start.

They called us to the start line at 7:45 and we all walked down the hill and gathered for the moment of silence, the national anthem and the start of the race. It was pretty cold - I hate standing in the cold, but I always run better in it! Once they said go we were off in no time!

The first mile felt really good - even if it WAS cold...I ran that in 9:42, and couldn't believe I had a sub 10:00 mile under my belt and could still breathe! Mile 2 was still feeling good - although when I hit the turn around for the 5K I was sure wishing I could turn around too! Finished that mile at a 9:40 pace...all I could think was whoo-hoo!!! Now I was REALLY wishing for a 5K - I think I could have broken my 30 minute barrier today!!! Oh well, there is always next time. Mile 3 is where you hit the long uphill...I still ran that one in 10:16 for a 3 mile time of 29:39, needless to say I was already happy with this run!

Now we were on the back side of the 10K...almost 1/2 way and still running uphill. I completed mile 4 with a 10:24 pace, I wasn't unhappy with this because of all the uphill running and it put me a 40:03 for 4 miles which is right at a 10:00 pace - better than I have done since the Human Race in October!

Mile 5 included the uphill of the spillway. This is a fairly steep grade and I ALMOST made it to the top...my legs gave out about 3/4 of the way to the top, so I went ahead and walked to the top and then started running again. I completed mile 5 at a 10:35 pace...wish I could say I didn't have to walk, but it is what it is....

Mile 6 I was really feeling it. I was tired, my thighs were on fire, and I wanted to just stop and walk soooooo bad! I knew I could finish this thing though - and I wasn't going to walk on a flat! So....mile 6 pace: 10:37...my slowest mile - but I ran every step!

Cotton and Rick caught me just after the 6 mile mark when I had less than 1/4 of a mile to go...it was so good to see them cheering me on! I finished the last .28 miles in 2:40 (9:39 pace) for an overall Garmin time of 1:03:58. Not a PR, but my second best time ever! (My best was the Human Race with a 1:02:21 - another unofficial Garmin time!) I feel pretty good about that time since it hasn't even been a month since our marathon. Not a bad "recovery race" at all!

We are still waiting for our official results to be posted - I will update when we know something. The main thing for me for this race was that I set the goal to beat the 1:06 - 1:07 average I have been running - and even with a slower clock time (which will be the official time) I managed to do that!

Day one, goal one - DONE!

An Experience to Remember!

I am a 1% - er now!

During the marathon yesterday we were told that only 1% of people ever complete a marathon, so if we made it to the end we would be in that 1%. What an amazing experience this was for us.

We determined very early on that we were in this as a "fun run" not a race. We weren't able to train like we really needed to - in fact the farthest we ran before the race was 13 miles! Only 1/2 the distance we would be "running" or should I say covering for the marathon. We knew we weren't going to be setting any major records! We did relax a little in the week before to give our bodies time to rejuvinate a little. We had completed the P90X program along with a few days of Insanity. This helped with core strength, but it is murder on your upper legs - so we gave ourselves a week back at the gym plus a couple of "off" days. It was nice - but I sure felt lost on those days off!

The marathon kinda started on Saturday for us. We got up early and attended our WW meeting first - had a lot of well wishes there joining the ones from other friends and family. We then drove over to pick up Cotton so we could all go to the EXPO together and pick up our bibs and T-shirts...you know - part of the reason you run these things, *laughing*!

The expo was really nice - very well organized with a TON of sponsors there! We got our bibs and our goodie bag - but you had to go to the other side of the room to pick up your T-shirt, so we wound our way through the maze of sponsor booths. Along the way we picked up 3 bags of free dog food, LOTS of business cards - our favorites were some chrome auto emblems we may get (for the 26.2 instead of a sticker!), Heavy Medalz which make hooks and jewelry for many sports, lifespeed sports which make these really nice wood stands to display your medals on, and the vitalsox booth...Cotton and Rick both got a pair of really nice compression socks there. We also went through Lukes Locker - Cotton found the shoes he had been looking for all over Dallas...in his size! As he was trying them on he talked Rick into trying on a pair of Luna Gliders as well...Rick loved them. On our way to the Expo Cotton had talked about how much Angel loved her new Gliders, so I thought, what the heck, I'll try a pair too! Well, let me tell ya - they are amazing! Angel's words, "Like walking on marshmallows!" We asked the salesman how long the break-in period was and we were told it is extremely short...he had people wear them the next day in races - so that is what we did! We finally made it over to pick up our shirts. It was kinda cool, because when we gave them our bibs the person behind the counter yelled, "First timers" and everyone there cheered for us! Really starts to get you pumped up!

We left the Expo, went by Sweet Tomatoes for our "carb-load" lunch, and then took Cotton back home. From there we came back by the house to change clothes and ran over to the mall to get in some steps and a little window shopping. We then drove on over to the kid's church to watch the Christmas program. Sydney did a really great job in her roll. We all went out to dinner, although Rick and I didn't eat much - didn't want to have a repeat of the tummy troubles from the DRC half!!!

We came home a little later than anticipated, packed up, got the running gear laid out and went to bed to try to get as much rest as we could - it was going to be an early morning!

Race morning we were up early and ready to head to the train station nice and early. I ate the small sample Cliff Mojo bar and a banana before we left as I have learned I don't want to run on a completely empty tummy, but I can't have too much in it either! We met Cotton at the train station and rode the train to the American Airline Center and Victory Park which is where the marathon was to start. We got to go inside where it was warm to wait - I for one was glad of that! About 7:30 we went ahead and pulled off the outer gear and packed it in our bags to take to the bag check and headed to the start line. Cotton was in wave "A" with the speedy guys, Rick was supposed to be in wave "D", and I was in wave "E". You are placed in the waves by your estimated finish times, so of course I was in the final wave of the afternoon! You can't move up a wave or you can possibly be disqualified, but you can move back, so Rick moved back with me so we could run this one together - I'm so glad he did!

We stood in line for the 4 available "potties" and were ready to go just about the time the gun went off. This was MUCH better than the Turkey Trot. Even though we were in the last wave it only took us about 15 minutes to get to the start, and everyone there was ready to run - no dodging walkers right away! As we got to the start line there was this machine shooting confetti into the air that you ran through and a GIANT t.v. screen showing the start - which was being televised - and a live band. It was sooooooo cool!

I really don't remember many specifics about the actual run. Just flashes. I know my first three miles were a little slow, but by the 10K mark I was right on my normal pace...stayed that way through the 10K, and even finished the 1/2 marathon a little faster than normal! Whoo - hoo...I was very excited about that! We kept right on running, it kept running through my mind that at this point I was in new territory - I had never run this far before - but I was really feeling good. The new shoes were awesome! My feet felt better than they ever had on any run - so breaking the rule of never wearing new shoes in a race was actually working for me instead of against me this time! No hip or toe problems after 13 miles!!!

We ran and ran and ran....each mile a new experience! At the 17 mile water stop I had to go to the medical tent and get a bandaid for one of my toes - a new blister - from my sock, not the shoe....the toes I had bandaged before the race were doing great! I also was pretty tender on my heel, but it wasn't too bad - just a little redder than normal.... I made it all the way to mile 18 before I started really tiring out. We walked just a little, and then ran a little more. At mile 19 we saw our good friend Mary from the DRC (this was their water stop and was by far the best of the race IMHO! - of course the fact that they had Hooter's Girls handing out water may influence some of the guy runners to vote for this stop as well!) It started to get pretty hilly here again and my legs let me know I was done for a while. We decided to take it easy for a bit and walk.

This turned out to be a pretty wise decision. We walked the rest of the way in - about 7 miles of the course...but we ran close to 19 miles with only one small walk! I was so proud of us!!! Even with the walking our slowest miles according to Garmin was 15:08 at mile 21 and 15:05 at mile 23. Those were the only 2 miles we were over 15 minute miles! We were walking at close to the pace I was running when I had to stop!

As we continued on the course it was uplifting to have people call out to us - "Way to go first timers! " (They knew we were first timers by the color of our bibs) - and, "Go Rick", "Go CJ"! (Our names were on our bibs too!) There were many families out handing out small treats like peanuts or skittles to keep the runners going, a lot out in their yards cheering the runners on...it was really something!

I got more and more excited as we got closer and closer to the finish....first it was just a 5K away, then just 2 more miles, then 1 more mile - people would cheer us on with kind words expressing their confidence that we could do this - but by far one of the best moments of the race was at the very end. We came up the street and we could see the finish line so we talked it over and decided where we were going to start running again...we were going to cross the line running, not walking. We started running and crossed together. As we were walking over to get our solar blankets I heard someone call out to us and looked over to the sideline and there was Clint! He had come out to see us finish! I nearly started crying!!! Our son's friend was there just to see us finish - you see, I knew he was there for us because Cotton had finished nearly two hours before we did - so he was there for us! I feel so blessed! We got our medals and walked over to get our pictures taken, then walked over to meet him and give him a hug! At this point we were exhausted and starving, but mostly ecstatic!

We had been saying all along that our major goal was to finish before they tore down the finish line,(or sent out a search party looking for us!)....They gave you 6.5 hours to finish the race. My goal always was to complete it in under 6 hours. Then at the Expo one of the vendors was giving out pacing bracelets...I picked one up for 5:45 laughingly thinking that would help me make my 6 hour goal. I also picked one up for Rick with a 5:30 goal time. For most of the race we were within sight of the 5:00 pace group - until I stopped at the medical tent. Even when we lost sight of them I was feeling pretty upbeat because we were still ahead of the 5:30 pace group. It saddened me when they passed us by and I knew in my heart I couldn't realistically keep up with them, but when we took off running and crossed that finish line and the clock said 5:58:08 - well, that is JOY! I completed the race in under 6 hours CLOCK TIME! We called Candy to let her know we finished and she told us our chip time was 5:44:04 (well, Rick's was 5:44:03 - darn his longer stride...hahaha!) so we even beat our 5:45 pace by 0:0:96 seconds! How cool is THAT?

I'm VERY glad we did this. Our real goal when we started this was just to lose weight, then to get fit...along the way we discovered running and the races...it keeps us focused - this was our hardest challenge to date - we met it. I don't think I'll every run another, although I won't say never! Just not in the forseeable future, but I'm awfully glad to have done it once....here's to 1%!

For my "statistical" friends - here is the total Garmin info:

Mile 1 11:00

Mile 2 10:32

Mile 3 10:48 5K time about 32:21

Mile 4 11:11

Mile 5 11:23

Mile 6 11:33 10K time about 1:06:30

Mile 7 11:52

Mile 8 11:23

Mile 9 10:55

Mile 10 11:23

Mile 11 11:08

Mile 12 11:20

Mile 13 11:36 1/2 marathon time about 2:26:11 with NO WALKING!!!!

Mile 14 11:52

Mile 15 13:04

Mile 16 12:18

Mile 17 12:52

Mile 18 13:43

Mile 19 13:32

Mile 20 14:16 (see what I mean about it not being that much slower walking, lol)

Mile 21 15:08

Mile 22 14:14

Mile 23 14:43

Mile 24 14:39

Mile 25 15:05

Mile 26 13:36

Mile 27 9:35 for a total Garmin time of 5:34:54 (it pauses and lost connection a few times)

Better late than never - doubled!

Well, it has been a little over a week since we ran the "Trot", but life around here has been as busy and hectic as ever so I'm just now getting around to posting my "run report"!

We got up VERY early on Thanksgiving morning to meet everyone at the train station so we could use the train to get to the race - parking downtown is scarce and we knew it would be ugly around there with the expected 37,000 runners! Cotton and Angel came on over to the house and rode to the station with us. We were getting ready to make the turn into the parking lot when the car behind us started honking....at first we were all surprised (read that annoyed), but it was all good when it turned out that it was Clint, Jennifer, and Bella! Meeting there first was looking better and better!

We walked over the the station and everyone bought their day passes for the DART train, finishing up just in time to board the train for downtown Dallas. The ride itself was pretty uneventful, other than watching Bella's face as we emerged from a tunnel and she realized she could see "outside" going by really fast!

After a quick walk, we looked at some of the big jump houses - Bella actually jumped on one and slid down the small slide - but then she was ready to go back to mommy and daddy. It was about time to head to the start area. Rick brought a backpack to put our wind suits and sweats in since they didn't have a bag check at this race, so we all slipped those off and stashed them in the bag, passed out GU packs, and got ready to run.

Cotton and Clint were going to really run - so they went off towards the front of the line. They have markers set up with pace times you are supposed to go by...for example you go to the sign for the 7:00 if you run a 7 minute mile. These appear to be suggestions only as both Cotton and Clint advised us later that even that close they were still dodging walkers at the actual start line!

Rick and I opted to stay back a little farther with Jennifer, Bella, and Angel. We knew we weren't going to set any speed records, but we figured we could still beat my time from last year. We were being chip timed so it shouldn't matter how long it takes you to cross the start - YOUR time doesn't start until you cross the start line...they just keep up with how long it takes you to finish. It turns out that it DOES matter how far back you start - more on that in a minute.

We waited patiently as the warm up portion of the program finished and they announced the start of the wheelchair race. Then finally the countdown and the gun - the race started promptly at 9:00. It turns out it takes a LONG time for 37,000 people to cross the start line. We finally got the to line at 9:32! We were so far back that we had to just walk in fits and starts before we finally got to the line. We honestly thought that once we got there that people would start running - at least a little. Boy were we wrong!

They were trying to make some running "lanes" around the outside edges of the street - some even on the sidewalks, but there was no guarantee that by the time you got to the little opening that some walkers wouldn't decide to walk side by side and block that lane so you would have to make a fast stop to avoid running into them - wait for an opening to get around them and then try to take off running again. I never realized how much this "start and stop" action wears on a person...I guess because I'd never had to run like that before, but it really tires you out and makes your legs feel like you are running on tree trunks after a while! To let you know how bad it was - it took us over 12 minutes to run the first mile! This is usually our fastest mile - and we normally do the first mile of a race in under 10 minutes....this was NOT good!

Somewhere between the start and mile 1 Rick and I got separated....I was running in front of him and I guess a group of walkers got between us and he got caught. I stopped at the top of a hill and tried to find him in the crowd, but it was impossible...if you can believe that! I couldn't spot him at all! So I took a deep breath and figured I would find him at the finish line - and off I went. I continued the start stop running pattern until the 5K turnoff. This is where the majority of the walkers make their turn to get to the 5K finish line. Unfortunately it is nearly 3 miles into the race! By this time my Garmin was telling me that I had been "slogging" along for 35:24. My slowest 5K time is about 32+ minutes, so I knew this wasn't going to be a pretty time today! Mile 3 was also one of the fastest miles I ran all day - a 10:37 pace....all I could say was WOW! (and not in a good way.) I saw the sign for the turnoff and noticed the measurably thinner crowd ahead when what to my wondering eyes should apper, but a runner carrying a bright red backpack!!!! I sprinted ahead and caught up with Rick and we were able to stay together from that point on! YEAH!

The rest of the race was pretty uneventful, we ran along but had to walk a couple of times - much less than at the beginning. Finally at mile 6 we had to take a break. The backpack was much heavier than we thought at first, and it was taking a toll on Rick - I was hurting from all the stopping and starting - like I said - it felt like I was running on two sawed off logs. We walked at a pretty decent clip through the residential section of the race - our average pace here was a 13 minute mile, so we weren't just strolling, but we were certainly not going at our normal run pace either. We finally caught our breath and started running a bit again. This is where we got our one big laugh of the race. As we were nearing the turn to leave the neighborhood and go towards the viaduct overpass we passed a couple on the corner waiting for someone else. He saw the backpack and hollered over to Rick, "What's in the pack?". Of course Rick has his iPod headphones on and can't hear, so I hollered back the answer, "All my clothes!". The couple cracked up and the laughter caught Rick's attention. He pulled out his headphones to find out what was so funny, and laughed along with us when I told him of the exchange.

Now we got to look ahead to the viaduct! This is probably the hardest part of the race, and the part that took me down last year! I was determined that wasn't going to happen this year. I ran the entire thing at about an 11:10 pace. For this race, on this day - it was pretty darn good for me! I did NOT WALK ONE STEP OF THE VIADUCT!!!! That alone was a major victory for me. In fact, after our short walk through the neighborhood we didn't walk again at all!

We ran well right up to the last .2 miles...the finish of the race is uphill and it is a killer...it was wonderful though as we started up the hill to hear "Go BOALES'!" To glance over and see Clint and Cotton by the rail cheering us on! Rick ran on over to the rail and gave them the backpack and then joined me to finish the race. As we neared the finish line we again hear a distinctive "Whoo - hooo!" and look over to see Angel, Jennifer, and Bella waving and cheering us on. It was just enough encouragement at just the right time to pull us on up and over the hill to the finish. We finished together holding hands. An awsome finish to a horrible race!

My time last year was 1:25:51 - this year 1:35:09! When we do this again next year we WILL be starting much closer to the start line - it isn't worth the 10 minutes it cost starting that far back! My pace last year was a 10:33 minute mile average - this year, an 11:33 average. Lesson learned ... again, but even though it wasn't what we expected going in, we both finished, we weren't injured, and we will be back!

The Human Race

Today we joined with thousands of others around the world in the Nike Human Race. Ours was held here in Allen at 7:00 AM. It was a little cool, around 47 degrees, and it was still pretty dark at start time - just the way I like it!

There weren't all that many runners here at our race in Allen - which was fine by me since the trail we were running on wasn't real wide - made for a "painful" start because if you got behind a group, even if it was a small group, you couldn't pass - you had to run at their speed until there was an opening.....this is always frustrating for me since I know I have to get my best times early in the race before I hit the wall...

It was really too dark for me to really look at my Garmin at the first part of the race, so I just went with how it felt, and it felt GREAT! There was water just before the 2 mile mark and I looked at my pace at that point and I was looking at under 30 minutes for the 5K mark...whoo hooo...well, it turns out looking and doing are two different things here. Mile 1, despite not being able to get around a few people easily, passed in 9:58. Mile 2, slightly faster at 9:52. Mile 3 was my slowest of the entire race 10:08. That put me at 29:54 for the 3 mile mark - and about 30:17 for the 5K. I'll take it - getting closer and closer to breaking that 30 minute mark!

The last half - for the first time EVER was actually better than the first half! NEGATIVE SPLIT COTTON! Mile 4 was completed in 10:02. This one I understood because I actually forgot to take my GU at the turn around and had to walk a small way to get it opened up and taken in....only a few steps - and I think mostly because my hands were so cold, and I slowed at the water stop too. Mile 5 was my fastest in the race - completed in 9:41! Mile 6 was nearly as good with a 9:44. I actually passed 2 people here in this mile...haven't passed people who were still running at this distance ever - I've passed walkers, but not runners :) I was happy!

The last .3 miles were pretty much up an incline. I chugged on up it, trying to pick up some speed and keep up with Rick. Just before I got to the finish line the girl I had passed in mile six came up on my left side. Luckily I caught a glimpse of her over my shoulder as she closed in and I thought to myself, "Oh no you don't" - I shot off like a rocket and crossed just a toenail ahead of her.

The last 3 miles were completed in about 29:29, and then of course you need to add the 2:59 for the last .3 miles, so my time for the entire 6.30 miles was 1:02:21! A NEW PR BY 5 MINUTES!
Can you tell I'm excited? Now I'm really looking forward to the 1/2 next month...hope I can PR that one too!

Labor Day 5K Complete

*********************************************UPDATE************************

The results are in: Rick and I both posted an official time of 31:35 for a 10:10 overall pace! He took 4th in his age group and I took 1st in mine....unfortunately, due to the length of time before ANY results were posted we weren't there when the awards were given out, so had to forfeit our medals......I am NOT a happy camper right now!!!!!!!

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Well, we finished the first in our series of races for this season, and as far as I'm concerned it was a success....I met the goal I had set for myself! I ran the entire race, did NOT walk ONE STEP! It has been a long time coming - since back in February when I ran the Cowtown 1/2....I don't know exactly what happened there, but I haven't been able to run a complete 5K since then without walking at least a little near the end.

We got up early this morning, since the run was at White Rock and parking is limited, and drove down to our regular parking spot at the Big Thicket. We walked from there to the Bath House to pick up our bibs and shirts - walked back to the car to lock up the shirts...(had them stolen at the last DRC race because we didn't have a safe place to store them!) and walked back to the Bath House to wait for the start. I was a little surprised when we got there and found out that the race wasn't chip timed - but more about that later! There were nice people setting up a drink station at the finish line, so we were able to hydrate a little with some gatorade before the start.

We walked over to the start area and got in the line towards the middle of the pack and waited for the "shout" - no gun - and off we went. I felt REALLY good...was into a good pace right away, feeling strong and not breathing too hard. The 15K racers peeled off at about .75 miles into the race so the pack thinned out pretty good there. At the one mile marker my Garmin beeped and told me we had just completed the first mile in 9:23 . This was quite the surprise becaue I just didn't feel like I was pushing that hard...I was still feeling strong and breathing easy! This is better than my first mile in any 5K I have run before by over 10 seconds! I did try to slow it down a little, knowing that when I start out that fast I generally can't get all the way through the race without walking and I REALLY didn't want to walk today!

We continued to run and just under the bridge there was a water stop where I grabbed a cup of Gatorade and swigged a bit down...didn't really even slow to a walk there - but jogged on through! Whoo hoo!!! The next thing I knew we were at the turn around. Still feeling good - where normally I would be starting to really labor with my breathing.

At the two mile mark my Garmin again beeped and told me we had just completed mile 2 at a 9:44 pace! Can you say AMAZ-Z-Zing!!! Still going strong...still able to talk (a little) to Rick to let him know I was OK. Then we hit the 2.5 mile mark....I guess that is where I hit the proverbial wall.....I no longer felt as good - Rick could tell I was lagging back and slowing down. He was very encouraging and kept reminding me to dig deep - that I was stronger than I thought and I could do this. We were going uphill at this point and I was really struggling to keep going, but I wasn't stopping!

We hit the 3 mile mark and Garmin let me know how much I had slowed down... this mile was completed at a 10:32 pace. (About my normal race pace) Still not bad, and I'm very pleased. I struggled up the rest of the hill gasping for air all the way and was sooooo happy to start running down the hill into the grass because that meant we were closing in on the finish line. Rick and I hit the cones leading to the finish line and we really kicked it up a notch and sprintedto the finish line (Garmin says we did this part at a 6:58 pace!) Once through we stayed in the chute to turn in our bib information to be recorded and headed over for fluids and bananas. After we cooled down a little we watched several other racers come across the line. I really wanted to stay and see what our official time was and how we did in the overall and age categories.

Here is the only place I really have a complaint - we waited at the finish for over an hour for the results! When we left at 9:00 they were still waiting! In this day of chip timing and computer mobility I really don't see any reason that the 5K results weren't being announced before an hour was up. As of this posting I still don't have official information.....It is for this reason that we will not run another Thurston Racing event until they get this fixed. It is a real shame too, because it was a nice event - well organized with nice volunteers....it was just the timing that made it frustrating. I guess we may be a little spoiled by the other races (even those that aren't chip timed) by having times posted by the time you get your water and cool down a bit. You can go check out the preliminary results to see how you did and leave if you need to.

Anyway....I know I reached my goal of not walking at all through the race, and my unofficial time, which will be a bit slower than the official time since I got all the way through the chute before I hit stop on the Garmin was 31:46...the best 5K time I've run this year!

Lovejoy Country Run 5K

Today was a good day for a run. We got up early to get ready. We were both really tired for some odd reason, but we had paid our money and we were going to go run darn it! We strapped on the ipods and the garmin and we were off! After a quick stop for energy drinks it was up the road to Lovejoy. It was really close to the house, and that alone was nice - but seeing the organization of the race made it even nicer!
When we drove up there must have been 8 - 10 people directing traffic through the parking lot making sure everyone got parked in the correct area. Then it was off to the center courtyard where pre- and post- race activities would be held. It was nicely set up - and made for an ease of race day registration, listening to music and announcements, etc.
When it came time for our run to start (after the 1 mile run) it was a very efficient start. There was someone at the start line reminding everyone that the very start was for the elite runners who would be running a 6:30 or less time, and to place yourself accordingly - to stay on the sidewalk until the elite runners got into place. Rick and I walked to the middle of the pack - which is about where I need to be :) .
The gun went off right on time and we were off! The course took us across the parking lot to the main road, up a mild hill to the turn, along this country road where you could see lots of trees, a pond, a few houses, etc. and back the same way. There was a good water stop with lots of volunteers placed about 1.25 miles in on both sides of the road so you could stop both going out and coming back. The course was pretty flat.
I started out a little faster than I normally do - probably because of the cooler temps. My first mile was completed in 9:33! This is one of my fastest mile times since we came back to running! The other nice part of this was that when I got close to the turn-around Rick wasn't too far ahead of me. I think he was really surprised to see me that close to the turn-around. We high fived as he went by and I just tried to keep my pace going. My second mile was done in 10:27 - and that was with a slow walk through the water stop...by that time I was starting to feel the run, but I was pretty determined that I was going to have a better time this race. I was still feeling it the last 1/2 mile, but I was plugging along when out of nowhere I got the "heaves"...I thought I was going to lose it on the track. within .2 miles of the finish I had to stop and walk...Rick caught sight of me and urged me on and I did jog over the finish and had a respectable 31:34 finish to take 5th in my age group. After I caught my breath we took our stuff back to the car. I asked how he had done because I lost him after mile 2. He finished with a great 28:27! He just keeps getting better and better - I am soooo proud of him! After we checked our times we headed to the cafeteria for a wonderful pancake breakfast that was paid for by our entry fee.
This was a well organized, very enjoyable race. Everything had been thought out in advance, the signage was well placed, but most important EVERYONE, from the folks in the parking lot to the volunteers serving the pancakes were very friendly and helpful! This is for sure a race I will look forward to doing again next year to see if I can get that time down a little more!

DRC Rock and Roll 5 mile run

Today was a pretty good day to run. A little warm - a LOT humid, but OK. At 73 degrees it was warm for me - I do best in the mid 60's. There were a couple of glitches along the way but we made it!

We got there in plenty of time, but the parking lot was full and because of the rain they weren't letting anyone park on the grass - so we parked in the church lot on Garland road where they club had gotten permission for overflow parking. We walked on down to the clubhouse and picked up our numbers and shirts. Then it was to the porta-potty line. With three minutes to the start I gave up! (They had THREE potties for 600 people!) We went on down to the start line only to find that they had delayed the start of the race 15 minutes! I was about 6 people back in the line when I left - had ANYONE bothered to send word up to the potties then I could have stayed in line. I was NOT a happy camper! I really wasn't happy after the race when we got back to where we left our bag of goodies and someone had stolen it! Yeah - we had to leave the bag because the car was about a 1/2 mile away and we couldn't walk back and put the stuff away and then walk back to the start line again. There has GOT to be a better way to do that!!!

We finally got started and I tried to just run and not worry about anyone or anything around me. I looked down when Garmin beeped at me and I had completed the first mile in 9:57! This was my first under 10:00 mile in FOREVER! I couldn't believe it.. I just kept on going at about the same pace and figured I'd see what happened.

Well, hills are what happened! We came to this big hill and I ran up it, then we had to make a right turn and there was MORE hill. My legs were not happy, and I was having trouble breathing - so I walked to the top and then took off again. It seems I always have trouble breathing in the heat - so my strategy became run as much of the hill as I could then walk to the top and start running again. Finallly at the three mile mark we were pretty much done with the hills....that is a mile and a half of hills!

Back on the flats and I was good to go again. I felt OK, but I could tell I was wearing out. The last mile was really tough...at about .25 to go I had to go back into walk run mode. At about .10 this gal passed me up and I struggled to get back by her. I was successful and I was pretty proud that I had enough steam to pass at that point. Just at the finish line this guy came running out to her to tell her to "finish strong" and he was going to run with her...well I wasn't going to let her pass me - so I put on the after burners and took off. I DID IT....I beat her and passed another 1 or 2 before the line as well. Whoo hoo! My Garmin time was 54:50. Not incredibly fast - but about my average. I think if the course had been a little less hilly I would have made my 52:00 goal time...ah well, there is always next year, right?

The Great Race!

This has to be a post about more than a run. It encompasses an entire weekend, so please be patient!

We left home on Friday evening just about the time we had planned, after leaving our home in the capable hands of our daughter and son-in-law. We had a pretty uneventful trip, the only snag being stuck in traffic on 75 for about an hour, which delayed our arrival in Temple.

We spent the night in Temple, got up and had breakfast, loaded the car and went on in to Belton to visit with Rick's mom and aunt. They live in a nursing home there. It was a pretty good visit overall, and Rick's mom looks much better than she did the last time we saw her.

Then it was off to Austin. We called and found out that we couldn't check into our hotel until about 3:00 pm so we needed to find something to do in the meantime. We drove around and tried to find Capital Camera - a favorite place of Rick's back when we lived a lot closer to the Austin area. After NUMEROUS calls to Google we were finally given the phone number of a store that sounded similar. When we called the conversation went something like this:

Us: "Is this a camera store?"
Them: "No, this is more like a photography studio. Maybe we can help you, what camera store were you looking for?"
Us: "Capital Camera."
Them: "Oh my, that store has been out of business for YEARS! Ummm, there is another store for professionals that might suit you, Precision Camera."

So....off we went. (After another chat with Google, LOL).

After the camera store we thought we would try to find Mellow Johnny's...Lance Armstrong's bicycle shop. Another call to Google....unfortuately, every time I asked for Mellow Johnny's they tried to find "Miller, Johnnys"! Pretty funny...I already knew where my Dad and brother were! We had been there one other time so off we went to find it from memory. After some driving around we were able to locate the store. We spent some more time looking around there and determined we were pretty close to the hotel, so we decided to go ahead and see if we could get checked in.

After FINALLY locating the hotel, we successfully checked in an hour early and got our room. We also got a map of the 10K route. The start line was right outside the front door of the hotel! That was BONUS!

We were then off to visit with my "Austin" family. We went on out to Jonestown where my sister and her husband live. My Mom and Dad park their RV there when they aren't off seeing the U.S. (and sometimes Canada by accident!). My niece lives right there as well, with her 8 year old daughter. My oldest brother and his family live in Cedar Park which is close by. When we got to my sister's house my brother was there, but unfortunately his wife and youngest son were up here in the Dallas area looking at colleges!

We had an awesome visit! My sister cooked baked spaghetti for us (our carb load!) with salad and toasted garlic bread and brownies for dessert. It was great. We sat around the table and visited for hours. I haven't laughed that hard and that long in a LONG time...it was AWESOME! We had a great time. We didn't get back to our hotel until almost 10:00 and it was off to dreamland.

We got up about 6:30 so we could have a light breakfast - after all, it was part of the package! Then it was back to the room to get ready, check out our mail and etc. and get ready to run. We knew it was going to be cold this weekend so we had packed all our cold weather gear. I wore my long sleeve pink shirt, long black running pants, pink headband, pink Tahoe cap, and of course my running shoes...also my iPod and Garmin...I was ready to go!

We walked out the door of the hotel about 8:20 so we could be in the start area by the time the wheelchair race took off at 8:30. The temperature was 38 degrees but there was NO wind. It didn't feel that cold at all - just a little chilly.

Just as the wheelchair division started I realized I needed to go! I ran back into the hotel - but forgot to get the room key from Rick...the line for the public restroom was all the way from the back of the hotel to the front door so I just turned around and went back but by that time the starting group was so packed in that I couldn't find Rick! I was going to have to do this one on my own!

They closed the gates for the timed run and started the countdown. The gun went off. We stood. Finally we started making our way to the startline as I watched the clock overhead tick, tick, ticking away. It was at 5:39:9 when I crossed the starting line. (One of 6,644 timed 10K runners starting!) The course started out over the congress street bridge at a very slight uphill. I was a little stiff, but we weren't going very fast because there were just so many people! The route starts out at an elevation of about 468 ft. to slightly above 500 ft. at mile marker 1. At the road in front of the capitol building we made a right turn, ran a little ways then made a left so we could get to the back of the capitol. This was a steeper grade and we were up to about 530 ft. We turned again around the backside of the capitol building and there was a rollilng hill here. Not too bad, but you were beginning to feel it. Mile 2 was great...downhill...so deceiving! At mile 2.25 you hit the worst hill in the race!!! You go from an elevation of 500 ft. to about 560 ft. in less than .25 miles. My legs were feeling the hills already, but I thought I'd be able to make it to the top when out of nowhere the group I was running in just stopped and started walking! I was right in the middle of the pack and they ALL stopped! There wasn't any way for me to get around them, so I walked too. I walked as fast as I could, and I was passing a few of them as best I could, but it wasn't easy. We reached the top of the hill and started running again. There was a pretty decent downhill here and that helped - although I have learned you just can't let yourself go on a downhill, you have to control your pace here too! At about mile 3.5 you get to the best downhill in the race. What a relief to let gravity do some of the work! I looked down and I was running at about an 8.5/M pace and it felt pretty good, although by now I was wishing I was in my short sleeve running shirt and shorts. When there isn't any wind at above 40 you really don't need all the cold weather protection. You should have seen all the cold weather gear along the course that people were discarding! Now we entered the flatest part of the course and here is where the burn hits. you know you are getting close, you are so tired, you've used so much energy on those hills it is hard to catch your breath... you just really have to push it on through. I kept running and made it through the 4.75 miles right on pace (right at about 10.5/M pace). I really felt like I might PR this one...after all I only had about a mile and 1/2 to go, right? Unfortunately for me mile 5 starts going up again! This is right on a major street, they only block off about 1/2 the street, so you have to stay within the cones, so it gets a little more crowded again and you have to do a bit more dodging of folks than you had been. From 5.25 to 5.5 is the worst of this part of the run... After that it is on a slight downhill to the finish. I was able to pick up my pace, but by that time I knew I was too far behind my goal to PR. The hill at mile 5 had done me in! I knew I was going to reach my first goal though - finish :) ! That I did! I actually did pick up the pace the last .2 miles to just under a 10:00/M and when I stopped my Garmin it read 1:07:45.32. My 3rd non-goal was to finish in around 1:07:45 so I was VERY happy. Rick was right there waiting for me too!

We got the official results when we got home. Rick finished in 1:00:14.5 for an average pace of 9:42/M! He was 104 of 182 in his division! I am soooooo proud of him!

I finished in 1:07:44.0 for an average pace of 10:54/M and was 83 out of 181 in my division, so in the top 1/2...I'm happy with that. I always look back and try to see what I could have done better, where could I have picked it up so I could have made that 7 a 6, but for this race, and those hills, I'm happy. I know I will get better with time, I'm just going to patient and it will probably come when I least expect it!