I can finally see and feel all the effort I have been putting in week after week doing speed work. It showed up today in my 5k race I was participating in. I ran a 22:41! My goal was to get under 23 minutes and I finally did it. That averaged out to a 7:19 minute per mile. My goal this year is to get down to a 7 minute mile when I run anything under a 10k on the road and I think I am well on my way of obtaining that goal this year!
When the race started I wanted to keep this one girl in my age group in my sites, we call her the gazelle. I did for the first mile and a half after that I focused on those directly in front of me and the girl who was racing next to me. The Gazelle took off pretty fast and I did not want to blow the race by running fast from the start. I am all about negative splits! My first mile was a 7:30 and my second mile was too! So after that 2nd mile mark the girl who was next to me that kept speeding up and slowing down, I finally sped up and passed her. From then on I worked that last hill and let the downhill take me into the last 1/2 mile of the race. I really opened up after the 2 mile mark and when I was coming up to the corner where the finish line would be in sight I started to really pick it up and passed this guy and I don't think he liked that because he was on a dead sprint after that to the finish line. He was about 6 foot tall and all legs but what he did not know was that I was a sprinter in high school and in college and I was not about to back down. I was neck and neck with him going to the line and a little boy was in front of me and I had to veer a little to the left to get around him and when I did long legs beat me to the finish and even the boy crossed before me! It was a great race and the girl who I finally passed came up to me after the race and congratulated me on a great race. That's what is all about good, fun, competition!
I do want to tell a little about the race in general. I did this race a few years ago and swore to never do it again because they did not start on time, the runners, walkers and boys and girls quest runners all started at the same time and it took f o r e v e r for the awards. Unfortunately the area race directors decided to make this race part of the local running circuit so that is why I did it. So today they had the walkers go first and 15 minutes later the runners went and then in another 15 minutes the boys and girls quest runners went. The race started about 10-15 minutes late, there was chip timing this time so that was nice and the results were posted quickly. Age group awards were presented in a timely fashion and I was awarded a pair of giant running socks that are guaranteed to shrink. So this experience was better but I still feel the race director could do better, maybe he should not run in it and concentrate on making sure everything is running smoothly. Two weeks until the next 5k in the area circuit we will see how I do in that one! On to more speedwork.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
To Blog or Not To Blog
I seem to be slipping in my blogging this year. There has been lots of stuff going on lately, but that should not be a excuse. So down to business and time to get all caught up.
My last race I ran was an 8k in downtown Jackson in April. I had traveled back from Nashville TN the day before the race and wanted to sleep in desperately in my bed that race morning. I pulled myself out of bed put my Marathon Bar gear on and out the door I went. I told Crissy I just wanted to get near 40 minutes in my finishing time sense i felt out of sorts. So we line up the gun goes off and i off and running and when I cross the 1 mile marker I tell Crissy we are at our 5k pace and I feel great! So the first mile was 7:30 and we slowed a little on the 2nd mile, that one came in at 7:50 but once I was over that 2 mile mark I started speeding up and finished the race very strong. I was female masters winner and the 3rd woman to cross the finish line and 22nd over all. I finished in a 37:30! New Masters PR for me! I won a ORS hat and long sleeve Brooks tech shirt! I like to win stuff rather than medals I have umpteen medals already give me something I can reuse!
So for my first official Marathon Bar race of 2012 I think I represented very well! This Saturday I will be representing again and doing a sampling of the bars at another race in downtown Jackson this one being a 5k. I want to break 23 minutes I hope I can, the morning is suppose to be cool so we will see how it goes.
My last race I ran was an 8k in downtown Jackson in April. I had traveled back from Nashville TN the day before the race and wanted to sleep in desperately in my bed that race morning. I pulled myself out of bed put my Marathon Bar gear on and out the door I went. I told Crissy I just wanted to get near 40 minutes in my finishing time sense i felt out of sorts. So we line up the gun goes off and i off and running and when I cross the 1 mile marker I tell Crissy we are at our 5k pace and I feel great! So the first mile was 7:30 and we slowed a little on the 2nd mile, that one came in at 7:50 but once I was over that 2 mile mark I started speeding up and finished the race very strong. I was female masters winner and the 3rd woman to cross the finish line and 22nd over all. I finished in a 37:30! New Masters PR for me! I won a ORS hat and long sleeve Brooks tech shirt! I like to win stuff rather than medals I have umpteen medals already give me something I can reuse!
So for my first official Marathon Bar race of 2012 I think I represented very well! This Saturday I will be representing again and doing a sampling of the bars at another race in downtown Jackson this one being a 5k. I want to break 23 minutes I hope I can, the morning is suppose to be cool so we will see how it goes.
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