Flying Owls 5K

I went into this morning just hoping for a decent time, not thinking a PR was in the cards today due to the course. As I mentioned previously it had 20 turns in it, and not only that but once I got there to get my number I found out the first mile was being run on the runner/walker path there around Rice, where we had to manuever the casual Saturday runners/walkers. And the path is only about 4.5 feet wide I would guess.

I was not happy. As a matter of fact, I almost bailed at that point. But I didnt, and boy am I glad I didnt.

At mile 2.5 I knew I had another PR in my sights. I just didnt know how much of a one I had.

Thats a :58 PR over last weeks chip time of 28:52 (and a SUB 28!!!). The course was a bit long, so the 'recorded' time for the course/race was 28:32 which is still a 20 second PR over last week at Bellaire Trolley 5K!!

The best part was as I was coming up on the final turn, there was Sam...waiting. I had no idea he had come over after the KW long run this morning, so I was excited to know he was there for this today. It was an awesome feeling.

There were no frills with this race, not even water anywhere on the course, so you just had to dig in and hope you had had enough hydration prior. They did have some awesome food and drink (including beer; which I didnt partake in because I knew I was running an additional 3 miles after). They only gave awards 1 deep in AG, and I thought I might have a shot, but I didnt. The girl who won our AG wasnt even there. I still dont know how I did in AG, but will once they send out the official sheet with times.

Splits were:
8:56
8:59
8:49

All freakin' sub 9's dawg!!!!

So I did my 3 miles after, averaging about 10 min miles even, so I again was surprised I still had gas in my tank.

Now its shower time, and I am off to see Mom, and spend the night with her. By the way, she got out of the hospital a week ago, and seems to be a-ok. Took 4 weeks to rid her completely of the staph.

Brooke ride those 100 miles today girl!! I will be thinking of you all day!! I had a blast last night!!

Bellaire Trolley Run 5K **UPDATED**

Well...well...well...

As previously posted, sub 30 went out the window today. I kinda figured I was going to get my 29:30 today...

But I knew from about 2.75 something else was going to happen. I couldn't be entirely sure...but just before I hit the 3 mile mark and I wasnt even at 28 min yet...

And then, there...the pace caller belted out at the 3 mile mark 28 minutes...Holy shit is what I thought.

So in the next .1 I hit it in 52 seconds.

I would like to say that I ran till I thought I was going to puke today, but honestly...I didnt feel like I was going to puke. Well till about 1 minute after I finished. Then I thought I might puke.

The splits:

Mile 1: 8:53
Mile 2: 9:02
Mile 3: 9:29
.1: :52

3.1: 28:52 A huge PR for me today...HUGE

Now I know...I wish I could have that Mile 3 back, but unlike the Resurrection Run...I opted to slow it back a bit in the first 800m, so that I had something at the end. And it worked out.

You know, in my bathroom, there on my mirror is a sticky note. Its been taped there for about 8 weeks now. On it, it simple says : 28:30

Now as I said, I was always going to be happy if I hit 29:30 but secretly...yeah, I wanted that 28:30 by June 1.

Will I get it? I dont know.

But I tell you one thing... I CERTAINLY didnt think I was going to go sub 29 today. No way. No how. I wasn't even contemplating it. Not even a little. But man o man...how happy was I? You have no idea.

So was it the shoes? At the most they would maybe take 8-10 sec off per mile ... I think it was a combination of hard work, determination, perserverance, training my ass off...and the will to get it done.

Its amazing what a person can do when they set their mind to it...

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

What really sucks....Eh, you know never mind...It really doesn't matter. It just really doesn't matter.

You know, like in the movie....'things are never really what they seem..'

Boy ain't that the truth...

Its pointless really...pointless. Fighting a losing battle... eh, like I said....just anxious to get back to the running and the training...

Resurrection Run - Clear Lake - 29:47 (PR)

Of course, as usual, I was apprehensive this morning before the run. Of course the 29:30 was my goal, but really just another sub-30 and I would have been fine, even 29:59 and I would have been happy.

Now that I have that first sub-30 I don't want to go back ya know?

This was another non-chip timed event, and with so few people there, it was easy to just be up front and go without worrying about getting in anyones way.

I won't go into a mile by mile synopsis, other than the fact that at the first 1/2 mile I was at 4:06 and I was like oh hells bells. Then somewhere towards the end of mile 3 I was at something like 27:30 and I knew I had it, unless I just fell apart. I did a bit, but held on for yet another 5K PR. It was only 5 seconds off the Conoco Rodeo Run (29:52), but another PR just the same.

I had a couple of other goals, which I did indeed hit, so overall I am very pleased with today's race. I hate that hairpin turn at the end, and of course as you can see, my watch shows 3.22, which a couple of other people also said they ended up with 3.2 but you know, its all relative I guess.

Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 8:55
Mile 2: 9:34
Mile 3: 9:27
and because somehow I jacked my Garmin to where it shows speed now, instead of pace, I only know that the last bit was covered at a 7.5 mph pace. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I wanted to just try and go faster the first mile, and the one mistake I made in the 3rd mile, was to go faster the first 800m instead of the last. Well, maybe not a mistake, as my intent was to put some more room in between myself and a couple of other runners that I knew were behind me ;o)

I am pretty excited about this: 4th in my age group...94th overall...and 26th overall female, as it stands now. But given what I said below, that would put me really at 91st overall and 25th female if OTR corrects the results page.

I have 2 weeks before Bellaire, where hopefully the 29:30 or better will surface. I am more than likely going to skip Law Week 8K, and run long with Kenyan instead and work on my speed and losing these last 4 lbs in prep for Bellaire.

Peace.

p.s. Only a 1/2 mile warm up and a mile cool down in addition to the race itself today. Also the results site shows me at 30 flat, but what happened was that after crossing the finish, I stopped and 3 people went in front of me and had their tags pulled before me. Even after both Sam and I told the guy that, he didn't correct the slips, but hopefully an email to OTR will correct that.

Bayou City Classic 10K aka The Race That Almost Wasn't

Temps: low 40's
Winds: 5mph (thank God they calmed down from yesterday!!)

Time: 1:02:35 (Garmin time)
Last 10K time was 1:08:52

PR difference: 6 minutes, 17 seconds
Average pace: 10:05

Splits:
Mile 1: 10:15
Mile 2: 9:52
Mile 3: 9:34; at this point, there was a water station just past the 3 mile marker and I took Powerade and walked to drink it
Mile 4: 10:16
Mile 5: 10:01
Mile 6: 9:53
.2... whatever it is to make it to 1:02:35

The splits I had to lap on my watch as for the first mile there was no signal, and it never caught up either, as my distance on the watch only comes in at 5.84 miles. I am not completely sure the splits are right on, but they are within seconds I know that.

I was shooting for 10:30's and well as you can see I managed to blow that out of the water, with my average pace being 10:05 for the 6.2 miles. At the Park to Park which was a 5 mile race I averaged 10:01, so I am damn happy about this race.

And as scared as I was about the route, with the rolling 'hills' I have to say that once you are on it, running, its not that bad. The worst part really is that last hill as you approach the 6 mile marker.

It certainly helped that it was so, so cold out there. I just run so much better when its cold. I shed the gloves by the 2nd mile, handing them off to Sam's brother, Rob, who ran with me the first 2 miles, before I dropped him ;o) and went on my merry way.

Congrats to Coach (Sean Wade) again, for a 1st place overall, and to Sam on yet another age group win, plaque, 16th overall and a 10K PR!!! And congrats to Rob on his first 10K, but I still beat him ;o)

Like I said, I'm on a roll it would seem.

Next up: Law Week 8K, last weekend in March. We'll see if I can PR that, as I have run that race the past 2 years. I PR'd it last year, so I'm shooting for another one.

Conoco Rodeo Run 5K

Well so much for overcast and humid. What we did have were sunny skies, 70+ deg temps, and not so much on the humidity side.

The challenge to trying to PR at the 5K with this particular race is because well, its a 5K/10K which start together, and there are approximately 9,000 runners. And of course you know no one lines up where they should according to pace and whether or not they are walking. So going into it I knew I had to get as close to the front as I could, making sure that I didn't get in anyones way. It was apparent from the Start that I made the right choice, and I was never in anyones way (nor was anyone in mine) as I stayed to the right.

Sam and I ran from mi casa to the Start (1.5 m), got his chip (the 5K has no chip), and just waited around for a bit for the start.

I was worried due to the heat factor, but I was bound and determined to do what I could to PR. I don't do well in the warmer temps. I didnt have a signal on the Garmin for about the first 1.5 miles, but at the mile 1 marker I hit the lap button and it was 9:37. At the second mile marker I hit the lap button but it says something crazy like 7:? and I know thats not right but the girl calling the splits said 19:5? and I was like AWESOME!! 1.1 more to go...1.1 more to go.

At what I figured was about 800m left to go, I again reached back to the 800m repeats 2 weeks ago, and just ran as fast as I could without collapsing (the heat was getting to me now)...

Final time?

29:52!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally the ever elusive sub :30!!! And in not so great conditions. Hot, and the course with a LOT of turns which usually will slow a person down, especially when its really crowded. Since it wasnt chip timed all I have for proof is a picture from the Garmin.

What's even sweeter is that Sam won 2nd in his age group for the 10K, and those trophies are schweeet! I was so excited to see his name on the list (even if he missed it), because I know how badly he wanted to place today. I couldn't be more happy about it!!! Keep chasing down those on that list of yours... :o)

I tell ya, no way would I have survived that 10K today, the route is much harder and the weather would have killed me, so to everyone that did it, whether you placed or not kudos to you!!! Rough stuff man. Rough stuff. Oh and Coach SW, of course, won overall male in the 10K with a time of 31:24!!!

Woohoo! I am supercalifragilisticexpealidocious happy happy!!

Next up: Bayou City Classic 10K next Saturday. Maybe...I HATE the 10K...and its not an easy course. I'm going to be a wimp and wait till mid-week to see how the weather is supposed to be ;o)

Park to Park 5 Miler

The last time I ran an official 5 mile race was 2 years ago.

My time then? 62:10

Today?

50:07; Average pace was 10:01

Um, yeah, a 12 minute PR is one that I will definitely take!

Last March, in the Law Week 8K which is 4.9 miles my time was: 53:23

So again, a PR even off a distance that was less than today by over 3 minutes.

My goal was to go sub :50 and to just have that average at under 10. Of course my mindset right now is if I hadnt stopped for water at the 3 mile mark. But I can't think like that. The last 800m I thought about the 800m repeats this past Wednesday and drew off of that, but the kick that I did have at the end just wasn't enough.

But don't get me wrong, I am pleased as peaches that I did so well.

The mile markers were off up till mile 4; as at the 3 mile mark they called out a 27+ and thats when I knew for sure they were off by about 1/4 mile. When I hit the 4 mile mark it seemed only to be off by a 1/10, and when I stopped my watch it read EXACTLY 5.00. That never happens!

Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 9:58
Mile 2: 10:11
Mile 3: 10:31
Mile 4: 10:01
Mile 5: 9:23

Again, exactly what I wanted to do. Negative splits and have a strong 5th mile.

I can't ask for anything more than that!!

Next up: Rodeo Run 5K next Saturday.

WTH? Extra Hill(s) AND a Long Course!? (Christophers Heart Run 5K)

Oh boy.

When I looked at the map for the race today, one would assume that once you went down and up the first hill of AP that you exited Waugh, went over and then back.

But nooooooooooooooo...

You went past Waugh, then down again, and about 1/2 way up the next hill, turn around and immediately go back up again. And then of course the other hill was looming.

Yesterday I started having crud in my chest, sneezing and just overall allergy crap I think. So last night I made the decision to do Theraflu and slathering Vicks all over me before tucking in for the night. It didnt seem to bother me much but I knew I had those meds in me. I ate 1/2 orange and had Gatorade before leaving the house and running the 1.2 to the Start. It was much warmer this morning (61) than it was supposed to be (50ish), but I didnt feel much humidity.

For the first time ever I think I ran my first mile in what I wanted to: 9:38 instead of something stupid like -9:20. I knew I had to do it to make sure I could take those hills without too much problem. I havent been hill training and I knew I might have some issues.

But honestly I really didnt. Yeah they slowed me down a bit (especially the last one), but I was alright.

It wasnt till just past the end of the 2 mile mark (this is where the course was long) where I started losing a bit of steam, but I kept finding bits of steam here and there. I knew all along it wasnt a PR day/course but I certainly didnt want to crater. I have to say that this was probably my best 2nd mile ever in a 5K, at least in the way that I felt during it, hills and all.

I had no kick left at the end, but I know I was remaining steady on my pace there at the end which was all I could hope for. I do have to give some credit where credit is due as I had some extra 'encouragement' during the last 1/2 mile or so. Thank you for that.

According to all the heavy hitters, the course was 3.2 or more (I found this out in the last mile), and I decided then to stop my watch at the 3.1 for a 30:53 (sure enough the 3.1 was at the 3 mile marker).

Thats just over what I ran the Texas Med 5K in and that bitch was flat. Plus its just over what I ran my 3 mile time trial at the other day. And I felt ALOT better today than I did that day at the Med Center 5K.

The race was not chip timed, but they did scan your bib, but since the scanner was a good ways past the Finish, I dont like that at all, but whatever. And if stopped running at the Finish, which I did, and walk to the scanner...well that adds to your time.

You know that shit ain't bad (for me) considering the course. I sure as hell will take it. Extra hills and all.

Oh and to the girl that so cheated and turned around somewhere in between the first 2 hills, you suck :o). But I still passed you twice and beat you by about 3-4 minutes. So there.

Instead of doing the bayou (I had had enough of hills for today)...I ran long through downtown adding another 2 miles on, before arriving home giving me 10K for the day.

One thing more...this is an infant race, and they really have a great after race spread for such a small group (about 200 runners maybe)...too bad I had more running to do, or my face might have been in that pizza and fajitas). I will definitely do this one every year.

I've got 3 weeks before the Rodeo Run; this is where I hope to PR. Of course I will also be hoping for that ever elusive sub 30.

Peace.