This race was fun- not only did family come (Dave, my sister-in-law Beth, and our nephew Milo) but I knew two other racers. Colleen and I run at North Park together and she was racing, and her friend Callie was also there from Colorado. They're both faster than me, and Callie won overall for the women.
Colleen and me before the race
The race was out and back, and I was nervous because Colleen and I had done two loops at North Park the day before. (We did run/walk intervals for the first loop, 4.5 miles, and then did a fast walk including the big hill for 5 miles.) But that didn't seem to affect me- my muscles were fine.
I used Colleen's Garmin for the race- she and I both got a new one for Christmas but when I got mine the battery was screwed up and I had to return it. She used her old one because she is still getting used to the new one and I used her new one (which is the same model as my new one). The data is funny and shows me I need to learn to keep a steady pace.
Pretty soon I'll have these from my own watch! And I'll figure a better way to cut and paste the picture. But the blue is my speed and the green is the elevation. The first spike in blue is when I walked to take my gloves off. I can't seem to run and do anything like that or I fall all over myself. The 2nd spike was the turnaround point, where I slowed down to get around the cone. And then I walked at the start of the next 2 hills. I'm kicking myself for that but I always do. I need to work on the mental part- my body can handle it!
Since it was an out and back race, I watched for both Callie and Colleen before the turnaround. I did see Callie- she and another girl were the first women and I yelled "Go Callie" to cheer her on. She told me later she did hear me but didn't see me. I didn't see Colleen but I thought she had on the green Pittsburgh marathon shirt, not the blue one. That's probably why I missed her. (And she thought I had my black jacket on over the purple shirt so she missed me, too.)
The hills weren't too bad, although on the way back I was tired and they both made me kind of sigh. When I got towards the end, Callie and Colleen were there cheering and that really gave me a boost. They told me the end was right there, and I was surprised because the Garmin watch said it had been something like 2.9 miles... so it was short! Sure enough, when I rounded the corner, there was the finish line. I saw that the time was under 30 minutes and I couldn't believe it since I'd walked a few times. So I sped up to make sure I beat 30 minutes and I did- my official time was 29:54.
Since Dave was at the end, I got some good pictures of me finishing.
The lady next to me, it was her first 5K and she was walking/running most of it. So we kept passing each other. I remember how I felt after my first 5K- I couldn't believe I'd actually done it! I know for runners 3.1 miles isn't a big deal but I had never really run that far before and the mile in gym class was always a big pain for me. Anyway, I congratulated her and told her she did a really good job. And laughed a little at the pictures later, she looked so tired and relieved to be done!
Me, Colleen, and Callie after the race
Callie receiving her first place medal
And my official time.
The course was short (it was 2.95 miles on the Garmin) but according to the Garmin these were the mile splits:
Mile 1: 10:03
Mile 2: 10:24 (total time 20:27)
Mile 2.95: 9:23 (total time 29:50)
This is a good summary. Pretty soon I'll have you typing up long run recaps too.
ReplyDeleteOur race next week is out and back. We'll have to remember what each of us is wearing so we spot each other.
Oh I was also going to comment on the bridge we ran over after leaving the actual town. I don't know about when you ran it, but when we were going over it, you could hear it swaying because of all the runners on it at once, pounding their feet away. Someone near me commented that it was a bit scary to hear that. I had been thinking the same thing! (Colleen, did you hear it, too?)
ReplyDeleteI didn't hear it or notice it. After I did hear someone talking about it and I thought "what bridge?" then later on my coodlown lap I saw said bridge. I really need to pay better attention when I run.
ReplyDeleteAt the turnaround did the guy yell that it was slippery and to be careful? He did when I was there. He wasn't kidding. Callie said the same thing too. She said good thing he was warning us.
Yep, the guy was telling everyone to be careful at the turnaround. It wasn't as slippery as our run today though! :) And that's why there's the big slow down at the halfway mark.
ReplyDelete