Zoo Run 10k

After my 9 mile tempo run at 7:07 pace I was really excited about the Zoo Run 10k coming up that next weekend. I felt like I was getting into really good shape and was excited to see if I could beat my postpartum PR of 42:30 from the Aquarium Run 10k. I decided to bump my speedwork up to Tuesday morning to give myself Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday easy before the race so I would be pretty fresh for the race. My running friend, Sara, had posted about a speed workout she does a while back and I decided to give it a go. The workout consisted of 2 miles hard, 1 mile recovery, 1.5 miles hard, 0.75 recovery, 1 mile hard, 0.5 mile recovery, and then 0.5 mile hard. I had never run the workout before but figured I'd shoot for 6:45 miles and go from there. I had only taken one easy recovery day after my 9 mile tempo so I knew there was a chance the run would be a struggle. I took off and felt great from the start running 6:47 and 6:41 for the first 2 miles. Then followed that up with a 6:32 mile of my 1.5 mile repeat, a 6:31 for my mile repeat, and my half mile repeat in 3:07. After the workout I felt confident I would be able to run really well at the race on Saturday. I kept thinking 6:45 was a reasonable goal for me in a 10k but then I kept thinking back to the Corndog Challenge 5k. I had averaged 6:45 pace in the race. It hadn't felt hard but it hadn't felt easy either, like I could have gone another 5k at that pace. The doubt would start to set in, but I just kept telling myself to go out and run as hard as I could. If I was able to run that pace great, if not I'd do my best.

The kids posing in the rain forest area after the race.

Jeremy, Thomas, mom, and dad were all signed up for the 5k while Ty and I were signed up for the 10k. The 5k started 30 minutes before the 10k so we knew Jeremy, Thomas, and dad would all finish before our race started but the finish was inside the zoo while the start was out in front of the parking lot. We weren't sure we'd be able to pass off the kids in time to make it for our race start so Thomas decided to go ahead and run with the kids in the double stroller as originally planned. We were standing way at the back with him talking when we heard the gun go off for the start. We had been expecting to hear some sort of warning or commands so Thomas was still in his sweats and hadn't tied his shoes. He quickly stripped down and took off. As he ran by someone said, "Wow, he's going all out with the double stroller." I told them, "Yeah, and those aren't even his kids!" Ty and I headed to the restrooms together and then I ran a mile warm up. I was feeling good and really confident that I would have a good race. As we lined up at the start line I saw a woman I recognized from multiple different races. She and I ran part of the Sweetheart Run 10k together before she took off in the second half to win. She took off faster than I did and then I caught up to her. I decided to stick with her and run together but the pace felt a little slow. I looked down to see we were running 7:00 pace so I decided to take off on my own and run what felt right. I went through the first mile in 6:39 which was a touch faster than I expected but I didn't worry about it. I just stayed in my rhythm and ran what felt like a strong pace for me. Right as my watch beeped for the 2nd mile which I ran in 6:45, the woman I had planned to run with passed me and I decided to go with her. I kept telling myself to hold steady until the second half of the race and then I could pick up the pace. We went through the 3rd mile together in 6:42 and then I started to pick up the pace going into the final 5k. I was feeling really strong and got excited knowing I was already 21 seconds under the pace from my postpartum PR at the Aquarium Run which I ran in 6:49 pace.

I must have gotten a little bit too excited about being in the second half of the race and went through mile 4 in 6:33. Going into the last two miles I was starting to feel it in my legs. They were getting tired and I was working a lot harder. I haven't run very many 10ks so I'm still figuring things out pace-wise. I feel like it makes it harder when I haven't done any 6 mile tempos going into the race because I'm not quite sure what pace I am capable of. I went through mile 5 in 6:42 and was starting to catch up to a couple of men in front of me. I passed them going into the last mile as we headed toward the zoo. Up until that point the race had been extremely flat. As we headed into the zoo there were a few very mild hills, nothing too difficult. I had barely noticed them in the previous years when I'd run the 5k, but I noticed them this year! My legs were burning as I went up each one and I was trying to speed up to make my last mile the fastest but I knew I was going to be doing good if I could just hold on. It makes such a big difference going up hills after hammering away 5 miles vs. 2 miles, that's for sure! As I made the turn toward the finish line I was so excited to be nearly done then we turned one last time and I almost took a cheerleader out because I hadn't been able to see them until I turned the corner. They had cheerleaders from a local high school lining both sides of the finish line cheering us on. I looked up at the clock to see I was going to finish just under 42 minutes and gave it every last bit I had left. As I stopped my Garmin (actually Ty's Garmin since mine stopped working a few months ago) it showed I had run my fastest 5k of 20:35. That would put me running the second half of my 10k just 6 seconds slower than my fastest 5k from last year, a 20:29 at the Race into the New Year 5k, which got me excited to run a 5k in a few weeks and see what I can do! I grabbed a water and took off on my cool down so I could make it back to the finish in time to see Ty finish. When I got back I grabbed a Powerade and saw my mom and Thomas with Elise. We stood waiting for Ty to finish and I started getting really cold. My head started to feel funny and I remembered after our half-marathon last November I realized I had gotten a migraine due to standing sweaty and freezing in the cold for so long after the race. I figured I'd miss Ty finish, but I didn't want to get a migraine so I took off to get my change of clothes out of the stroller and warm up.

We stayed over in the awards area for a while so Carter could jump on the inflatables they had for kids. It was fun to hear how everyone's races went. Jeremy was 3 seconds away from placing in his age group with a time of 23:22. He was 4th out of 49 in his age group and 54th out of 1,050 total finishers. As we were walking around the zoo later I asked him if his form feels different or off since his accident. He said it feels different every single time he runs and each day it gets a little bit better. It is amazing what he has already accomplished and I get excited thinking about what is still to come! Dad was 61st out of 1,050 overall and 5th out of 20 in his age group with a time of 23:56. He was able to see Jeremy for much of the race and was amazed at how well he ran. After the race he described Jeremy as a freak of nature and I would have to agree. I can't believe he ran a 5k in just over 7:30 pace so soon after his accident. Thomas rocked it pushing the double stroller. He crossed the starting line as the announcer was saying, "Last call for the 5k. If you are running the 5k you must start now." He spent most of the race running in the grass on the outside of the path to pass people. When I was putting the stroller in the trunk I was amazed at the amount of grass that was underneath the stroller in the area where we store things. I've never gotten grass in the stroller there before! That just goes to show how much off roading he was doing! He finished 101st overall and 6th out of 33 in his age group with a time of 25:58. Quite impressive for running with the double stroller through grass most of the way! Mom improved her time even more, finishing in 35:19 which put her 441st overall and 3rd out of 35 in her age group. My new 10k PR of 41:49 put me 15th out of 459 overall, 2nd out of 267 women, and 1st out of 52 in my age group. Ty also ran a 10k PR of 1:02:11, good for 249th overall and 12th out of 17 in his age group. After awards we headed out to look at animals at the zoo before heading home. I always love running my cool down inside the zoo while looking at animals and then walking around the zoo afterward with my family. This race is always so much fun and I look forward to it every year. This year was even better as I ran not just a postpartum PR but an overall PR in the 10k. That may be because I haven't run very many 10ks in the past, but I'm taking it anyway! Read about our first year running the race here, read about 2014's race here in my 14 week bumpdate, and last year's run here.

Resting for a bit at the zoo.

Walking around the zoo after the race.