Redhook 5k!

Sunday was the Redhook 5k;  it's a local race that's put on by my favorite local running store, Runner's Alley, and is held at the Redhook Brewery on the Pease Tradeport.  It's a really fun, really organized race that has activities for the entire family, and beer afterwards for the adults.  Going into the race, I wanted to get close to where I was in the fall with a time around 22 minutes and change,  but I was secretly hoping to see 21 in the number!  I felt good after the 1/2 marathon the weekend before, and felt okay to race.  

  Going into the weekend, I wasn't feeling 100%, but not bad enough that I couldn't run.  Sunday morning's weather wasn't even that bad, it was warm with a breeze.

The race has a late start (around 11am), so at 10am, Max and I drove over to Pease to meet my parents- they nicely agreed to watch Max while I ran.  I am NOT driving in the picture above, we are parked!

After dropping Max off, I parked my car and met up with my friend Stephanie.  By this point in the day, the breeze seemed to have gone away and the temperatures were getting closer to the 80s.  We did a quick warm-up, and I drank an entire bottle of water afterwards- I was already hot and feeling dehydrated, not a good sign!  

Steph and I lined ourselves up towards the front (right behind an older, shirtless, very tan man with extremely short shorts), and got ready to go!  I knew Stephanie was going to do well, even though she hasn't been running very long, she's already picking up speed quickly!
The gun went off, and we started!  Like a rookie, I did my first mile WAY too fast, or too fast for me at least.  I did 6:40, this was the worst idea ever.  It was super hot by this point, and the course has minimal, if no shade.    I normally don't stop to get water during 5k races, but because I had pretty much used up all of my energy during the first mile, I had to stop at the water stop, and had to stand for a few seconds to catch my breath.  The second mile was a full minute slower at 7:55.  At this point, I knew i wasn't even going to be close to getting 22 minutes!  I was super overheated, and had to stop again at the 2.5 mile mark to sit down for a second.   I watched a guy in front of me pass out, and another kid running by, throw up on the course!
  Stephanie ran by, she was doing great!!  I followed behind her, and barely made it through the last mile in 9 minutes.  I crossed the finish line in 24:15, I was so bummed, but knew I had made a dumb mistake with the first mile :).  Stephanie did awesome, and to add to that, she ran the 5k in longish pants;  based on the heat, that's even more impressive!

   I was disappointed in my time, but not that hung up on it as just a few years ago, I would have been super excited to see 24  minutes for a 5k! I was more frustrated that I know I could have done better, and also know better than to start a race about 30 seconds faster per mile than I should have.

Overall, it was a really fun time w. Stephanie, and hopefully I will get to 21 minutes someday!

Wallis Sands Half Marathon Recap

Before!

Yesterday was the Wallis Sands 1/2 Marathon;  it was my third year doing the race.  It's one of my favorites,  it goes directly by my house,  is really well organized, and is fairly flat (with the exception of a hill around mile 6.)   Going into the race, I wanted to do well-  I was hoping to get close to my 1:45 PR from November, but I thought that was going to be a stretch.  I got that PR when I was in the midst of training for a marathon;  when 13 miles is an "easy" run on your training schedule.  Overall, I was hoping to do better than I had at last month's Great Bay Half Marathon; with all of its hills, anything faster than that would be a nice bonus!

Wallis Sands starts at 8am, with six separate waves (starting every 5 minutes.)  Mariette was picking me up around 7am, and we were driving over to the race together.   I woke up at 6:25,  got dressed quickly, and ate an Udi's bagel with almond butter and 1/2 a cup of coffee.  The morning temperature was *kind of* chilly (around 55 degrees), but 55 degrees was more than warm enough for me!  

Around 7:15-ish, we parked at Wallis Sands and went to go look for Nicole, Angela N. and Lenny. We soon found them, and of course, got our obligatory group picture (except for Lenny, who nicely took our picture!)  We then went back to our cars to get our stuff ready for the run; I had one chocolate GU, and stuffed two more in my skirt pocket for later.  I went to go look for my inhaler, and realized I had left it at home. Oops!  Luckily, my asthma isn't that serious that I need to use it before every run, I just didn't know how it would affect my performance.

 At 8am, we lined up in Wave 1 to get ready to run;  we lined up towards the back of our corral.  The 1st mile was great, I felt comfortable.  There were already tons of Six03 spectators cheering everyone on, best cheerleaders ever!
Mile 1: 8:00
Mile 2: 7:46 (whoops)
Mile 3: 7:51
Mile 4: 7:52

Mariette and me around Mile 4

I was still feeling pretty good, but knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with Mariette forever! I told her to feel free to move ahead;  I always also walk through the water stops, and didn't want to slow her down!

Mile 5: 7:56
Mile 6: 8:00
Mile 7: 8:02
Mile 8: 7:49

I tool a GU at mile 6, which seemed to help.  I was starting to get tired, but kept thinking how much stronger I felt than last year's Wallis Sands 1/2.  Again, Six03 spectators were all over the course, and helped SO much.  Mariette was ahead in the distance, so it also helped to use her as a pacer bunny! People kept passing me, and I kept telling myself to run my own race.

Mile 9: 8:14 (yikes)
Mile 10: 7:48 (guess who had another GU?)
Mile 11: 8:34 (ick)
Mile 12: 8:22
Mile 13: 8:04


In the distance, I saw Mariette turn into the finish line- I saw that the finisher's clock for her said 1:43xx.  I knew I had a chance of not only being close to 1:45, but potentially getting a PR.  I picked up my pace and crossed in 1:44:16!!!!   I was so happy!! I placed 6th in my age group!

Done, baby!!!

After the race!

Lounging

After was great, we all got coffee from Summer Sessions down the road, and sat outside enjoying the sun- actually, we all got Nutella Lattes, which were amazing.  

Then, I went back to the real world and did laundry.  Blah.

The Heat is on....

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mommies out there, hope you all had a great weekend!

Max's Daycare had a Mother's Day party today-  I love his teachers,  and loved the  creativity that they put into the Mother's Day gift!

It's that time of the year again when I complain about running in the heat.  I really shouldn't complain; only two months ago, I had to cut a run short because I was too cold.  I'm happy it's warm again, but running in the heat just zaps my energy.  Yesterday, because of timing issues, I headed out the door for a 10 mile run....at 1:30pm. It was 87 degrees out.  Neil suggested that I go later, but I just wanted to get outside and run.  I would be fine, I insisted! I'd just go slow.  

  I was fine, but 10 miles turned into running for 40 minutes before getting so hot that my heart rate monitor was almost at 200! I started walking for 5 minutes, and then alternated it with a slow mile.  All in all, I only actually ran 8 miles, and walked 2 miles.

 Here are some tips that I should tell myself before Summer/warm weather runs:

1.  Don't be afraid to throw your pace out the window, you're going to run slower in warmer weather.  If you're doing a long, slow run- make it a long slow run.  Yesterday, I did my first 3 miles at an average of 8:20.  That's not my slow pace- I should be closer to 9-930 minute miles on long runs.  

2.  If you cannot run in the early morning or evening, try to run in a shaded area.  Yesterday, I ran the first 1/2 of my run along Route 1A with absolutely no trees, lots of car exhaust from beach traffic, and no breeze. 

3. Carry more than 8 oz. of water;  I don't like carrying water, it's a pain in the butt. Yesterday, I figured I would be fine with a tiny bottle of water.  I was finished with the water by the 3rd mile. Luckily, I was able to refill at a beach water fountain, but I finished that bottle by the sixth mile.  It's a no-brainer,  find a hydration system that works well for you (I have a Nathan's hand-held water bottle and a Nathan's Hydration back-pack.)  I like them both, I just was missing some braincells yesterday, and decided against bringing either one.  

4.  Embrace the booty shorts-  hot weather means light-colored tanks and short shorts. GapFit makes a really good lightweight tank.  Here's my favorite one! (Tank)

The rest of the day was great! I went to my parent's house for a Mother's Day brunch.  I am obsessed with my niece's chunky legs; seriously, nothing is cuter than chunky baby legs.

I also binge watched episodes of 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' on Netflix.  It's such a funny show!