A Three-Race Finale

So, after the Nike Women's Half Marathon I ran in DC, I told myself I'd take a rest afterward. But then someone kept tempting me to sign up for races. And because I was on a PR roll, I thought, hey, why not--let's end the spring race season with a bang. So I ran three races on the three weekends following Nike: the Police Appreciation 10K, Miles for Moffitt 5-Mile, and the Secret Service 5K. I PR'd two out of three, and finally got my 5K (official) PR I'd been hoping for. Interestingly, I placed eighth in my age group for all three races.

Police Appreciation 10K - 5/5/13

Official Time: 0:49:46

Official Avg Pace: 8:00 mins/mile

Age Group Place: 8/45

The unseasonably cool and breezy weather that morning made for a great race through scenic downtown St. Pete. Even though we learned later that we were led backward through the course as it was designed, which explains why we only saw the back sides of mile markers, we still ran the correct distance. 

Post-race success! I PR'd the 10K distance, and Tim won second place in his age group!

Miles for Moffitt 5-Mile - 5/11/13

Official Time: 041:37

Official Avg Pace: 8:20 mins/mile

Age Group Place: 8/98

I really wanted to stay under an 8-min pace, but it just wasn't happening. Classically, I went out too fast.

This race was hot, the course had a few significant inclines, and I think it was slightly long. Not meant for a 5-mile PR, but a good race for a good cause, nonetheless.

I ran this race with my friend Nicole, and we had a picture but then lost it :/ Also, my official results weren't initially posting to the results site, and I had to contact the race organizers to get them posted. It took a good week, but someone eventually retrieved my data and got the results up. (It seems the universe was trying to tell me this race was not significant for me.)

Secret Service 5K - 5/18/13

Official Time: 0:24:27

Official Avg Pace: 7:52 mins/mile

Age Group Place: 8/34

My Garmin lost satellite in the first and third miles, when we went under a bridge. So while the overall time is correct, the paces probably aren't in miles 1 and 3.

I ran this race with Tim and his dad, and none of us were feeling particularly optimistic about a PR. It had a later start, 8:00 a.m., was mostly exposed to the sun, and the weather had changed to the typical humid heat of late spring in Florida. But I also knew this was my last chance for a PR (on the books), and perhaps that was enough to push me through to glory. My last, unofficial PR was 25:16, and my previous official PR was 25:50. And both of those were on cold evenings. So I was happy to get a PR in such un-ideal weather--for me. 

Tim's dad won second place in his age group (at 23:09), and Tim just missed placing third in his AG by 25 seconds--still finishing with a great time of 19:27, especially considering the conditions.

I was a big winner . . . for a fleeting moment.

And I even won a prize afterward! My number got called for a raffle, just as we were leaving the race site, and I ran back to the stage area to retrieve my prize(s). I was handed three gift certificates to restaurants, totaling $150. Immediately after this picture was taken, one of the race volunteers came up to me and told me he was only supposed to give me one, and he took two of them back. Oh, well. I still won a prize, on top of a PR! 

I finally took my week of rest from running, although I got antsy toward the end and ran a 10-miler on the day that should have been my last day of rest. But I still feel good and refreshed, as I was hardly running in between race weekends. Very soon (i.e., as soon as I figure out a training plan), I will begin marathon training for my October 13 race in Scranton, PA. Bring on the hill training, the 4:00 a.m. alarms, and the ice baths. I'm ready.