Riverview Winter Fest 4 mile race results

I accomplished my goal for today's 4 mile race and my first race of the 2011 season! I wanted to break 30 minutes. I came close last year, but you know what they say, close only counts in horse shoes. I ended up finishing in 28:48 with a 7:12 pace! I did not expect to finish this well. The temps were great but the wind was brutal. I did go against the one thing I said I would never do; I ran with my MP3 player. I only put one ear bud in and shut it off towards the end. I just wasn't feeling this 'breaking 30 minute' goal and wanted an extra push. This race was a gun start, D tag finish. My Garmin said I ran 28:45, with a 7:05 pace but I go with the official timing companies results.

After I finished, I headed back out for a slow 2 mile run to cool down and get a couple additional miles in.

Overall, today was a successful race and a great way to kick off my 2011 racing season.

Official Results:
Finish Time: 28:48
Pace: 7:12
Age Group Place: 2nd out of 30
Gender Place: ?
Overall: 51 out of 415

Riverview Winter Fest; first race of 2011

On Sunday I will be running my first race of 2011. I've run this race twice before; in 2008 and in 2010. It's a nice course that starts at a local junior high school, goes through the neighborhood, around a park and finishes back at the school.

Usually the weather is bitter cold! In 2008, it was -13 with the wind chill. In 2010, it was 26 degrees. This year, we will have a heat wave. The high on Sunday is 35, low 30. Anyway, I am really hoping to beat my time from last year. I wanted to run it in under 30 minutes last year, but finished just a few seconds shy with a time of 30:04, 7:31 pace. In 2008 my time was 34:51, 8:43 pace.

I am pretty pump to wear some of my new gear too. Since I have been such a stinker about running in the cold, I have yet to use my sweet new purple Nike 1/4 zip & matching headband or my new running gloves. Maybe this race is what I need to kick myself in the butt and move from the warmth of the gym to the elements outside.

Hopefully I will have a sub-30 minute result post on Sunday!

I will leave you with photos from the race in 2008 and in 2010.

2008; Dad and I approaching the finish line




2010; around the 1 mile marker

Two-A-Day!

I experienced my first two-a-day.

Yesterday I woke up bright and early before work to head out for a 4.3 mile run. I had a decent pace of 8:05 per mile and felt pretty darn good, especially after being very sick for 2 days. After work it was hot and humid so I went to the gym to run the treadmill. I had planned to run a minimum of 4 miles, max of 6 miles. I made it 5 miles and it was tough! I averaged a 9:00 per mile pace, which is definitely on the slow end for me. I wasn't feeling all that well when I left the gym. I was hot, dripping with sweat and sick to my stomach. I made sure to grab a bottle of G2 as soon as I walked in the door. I thought about the run and what might have gone wrong and I determined it was a combination of errors on my part.

Error 1. I didn't eat enough through out the day. Salad and fruit doesn't cut it! I should know better.
Error 2. I believe I should have waited a couple more days to do this since I had just gotten over being very sick. I was so sick on Monday & Tuesday that I lost 6lbs, so doing my first two-a-day on Wednesday wasn't the smartest move.

Overall, I have to consider it a success regardless of how I felt during and after. It's a success since I have never done a two-a-day and no matter how hard it was, I made it through!

4 mile race results

4 mile Race
Chip Time: 30:04
Pace: 7:31

overall I am happy with my time, but I really wanted to break 30 minutes. I will definitely be focusing more on my speed work!

Week 2 Day 5 Half Marathon training

I am taking a much needed rest day. Not because I am fatigued, but because I need to clean my house! We are talking dusting, vacuuming, washing floors, etc... I have also enjoyed having Thursday as a day off. It's like the calm before the weekend storm. I tend to really bust it out on the weekends.

This week has been a great running week, thus far. I have ran every single day, doing various mileage and work outs. I am scheduled to run 6 miles Sunday. I have a 4 mile race that morning and will run 2 additional miles once I finish. I am hoping the weather cooperates this year. I ran this same race in 2008 and it was -13 with the wind chill and the ground was covered in snow & ice. No matter what the weather is, I am very excited to get in my first race of the 2010 season!

Day 5-7, Week 5

Unfortunately, I will not be doing any form of running or exercise today. But it's for a good reason. I am heading to Chicago for a bachelorette party. I think my body needs the break too after what happened last night. You can see my previous post for details.

I do intend on running tomorrow morning. I will be running with my friend Jaclyn and hope that my friend Kristy will join us. We are only doing an easy paced 4 miles, but at least we are getting back out there. I hope I feel ok on Sunday once I get home from Chicago. I will need to cross train!

I am looking forward to shopping and time with the girls!