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.

Blue Moon 10k

The Blue Moon was the last of 3 races in a summer evening race series we enjoy running. All 3 races start in a parking lot, run out and back on the same dirt running path, and then end in the same place where they started. For the first race of the series I ran the 5k as my first tempo run of the summer. We were out of town for the second race so I ran a virtual run, finishing a 10k tempo run in 45:39 which averaged out to 7:22 pace. This race I was signed up for the 10k and planned to run it as my tempo run for the week. My goal was to run between 7:15 and 7:20 pace and beat my time from my previous 10k tempo. On our way there Ty was talking about how he planned to add a few miles to the end of the 5k to turn it into a long run so I suggested he just switch to the 10k. Thomas offered to run with the kids in the stroller if Ty ran the 10k so he wouldn't have to run a long run with the stroller and Ty decided to go for it. Jeremy was volunteering with the race and was given the job of passing out finisher's medals to all runners who completed the entire race series. It was exciting knowing I would see him as I crossed the finish line.

All of us with our race shirts and medals.

Dad, Thomas, and the kids ready for the race.

The 10k started 15 minutes before the 5k and I realized that meant I would most likely see mom on my way to the finish. When we took off at the start I was the 4th female and remained there for the first mile which I went through in 7:03. By the end of the 2nd mile I had worked my way into 2nd female and hit my 2nd mile in 7:28. I was disappointed with that split and focused on getting back to my goal pace of 7:15-7:20 for the next mile which I was able to do with a split of 7:14. Something about this course I always run really inconsistent miles and typically consistent miles are a strength of mine. My Garmin shows elevation loss in the first mile and elevation gain the 2nd mile so maybe that's why but I have never noticed a "hill". I caught up with the 1st female a little bit before the turn around which we hit before we crossed another road. We started chatting after the turn around and I thought about just sticking with her and enjoying a running buddy but then I looked down at my watch to see we had slowed to 7:55 pace as we chatted. I wanted to make the race a strong tempo run so I took off. By the time I heard my watch beep for mile 4 I was running alone with the person closest ahead of me barely visible, especially since it was getting pretty dark. I went through mile 4 in 7:29, thanks to slowing down and chatting, oops! 

A picture mom got of me taking off at the start, I'm in a grey tank and blue tutu.

Ty taking off on the 10k.

Ty off to a good start, photo from the race photographers.

With a mile and a half to go I reached the turn around for the 5k. It was super congested since I was passing runners and run/walkers who were finishing a 5k somewhere in the 30 minute range which is the largest pack of runners. I had trouble getting around some packs where people were running 3-4 wide on the right side and slower runners were still headed out toward the turn around. It really slowed me down, but it also kept me from being alone. Since I'd run half of my 5th mile before hitting all the congestion, I was able to make it through in 7:10. The traffic definitely affected me during mile 6. With around a mile to go I saw mom running ahead of me in the light up tutu and cheered for her. She yelled that there was a 10k runner coming and to move over. It was the only time I was able to pass freely. I think most of the runners weren't even aware that 10k runners were coming back through otherwise they may have been more courteous trying not to occupy the entire course. Mile 6 I came through in 7:19 despite all the weaving around and took off as hard as I could for the finish. Coming up on the finish I was flying by the 5k runners and one guy looked over and took off, trying to beat me. I knew he wasn't in my race but it was still fun to sprint to the finish against someone and I out kicked him as we made our way onto the pavement. As I crossed the finish line I saw Jeremy handing out medals and he congratulated me on my run. I was able to finish the last 0.23 of a mile in 6:39 pace.

Me finishing, photo from the race photographers.

With Jeremy after finishing the race.

My official finishing time was 45:14. I had 45:15 on my Garmin. I was a little bit disappointed at first because I hadn't run consistently and I felt like I was capable of running under 45 minutes. But then I saw my average pace was 7:16 per mile which was so close to my overall fastest goal so I was good with it. I could have given in once I caught up to the first female and coasted in but instead put the hammer down and really focused on running a strong tempo run which I was proud of. It was hard when I started comparing my time to the 42:30 I ran in April but I reminded myself I had been doing speed work for a long time before I ran that race and I have yet to do any speed work since April so I'll get there. It will just take a few months.

I ran my cool down out to mom and ran to the finish with her. She had planned to run a mile, walk a half-mile, run a mile, walk a half-mile the entire race but had forgotten her Garmin so she just ran the whole way. I was impressed with how well she did, especially considering she is just getting back into it after her injury. After watching mom cross the finish, I jogged out to finish my cool down and then walked until I saw Ty. Then I ran to the finish with him. He was somewhat regretting his decision to do an entire 10k and felt 5 miles would have been a more appropriate long run for him. I felt bad since it had been my idea, but he was able to finish his first 10k looking strong. When Ty finished we headed to get ice cream and I saw Elise enjoying an ice cream as she played with Uncie Taco.

Mom finishing the 5k.

Thomas sharing ice cream with Elise.

Carter sharing his ice cream with Elise. Carter wanted to wear light up shoelaces too, so he wore my old ones.

We stayed for awards. Dad finished 3rd out of 16 in his age group and 22nd out of 334 overall in the 5k so he received a medal. Thomas pushed Elise and Carter in the double stroller. He started all the way at the back and later realized he should have lined up farther up as he was behind large groups of people waking together. He described his race as a fartlek as he had to sprint to get around groups of people and then slow, even walking at times, when he couldn't fit through. Given how narrow the trail was he had to run down onto the side of the hill at times which was a mess! As he approached the finish line Carter told him that Ty normally lets him out to run to the finish. He said he was disappointed to slow down and let Carter out as he was getting ready to pass the only stroller runner ahead of him, although that runner only had a single stroller. Even with all the weaving, sprinting, slowing down, walking, and then running at Carter's pace, Thomas was able to finish 5th out of 13 in his age group and 67th overall with a time of 27:12. Mom had a very impressive race running the entire way for the first time in over a year, thanks to injuries and a long recovery. She finished in 35:20, good for 6th out of 16 in her age group, 96th out of 218 women, and 179th overall. She was very excited she was able to run the whole way without pain! I finished 1st out of 51 females and 7th out of 95 total runners in the 10k. My time of 45:14 averaged to 7:16 pace. Ty completed his first ever 10k in 1:06:50. He was 8th out of 15 in his age group and 48th out of 95 total runners. I was proud of him for pushing through to the finish, especially given his lack of training recently. We all really enjoyed the event. Carter and Elise were dancing around, just having a blast at the post-race party but we knew it was time to get them home as it was already past 9:00! Elise was in bed by 10:30 and Carter was in bed a little after her so it was a late night for them both. By the time we had showered and eaten dinner, we didn't get to bed until after midnight. Thankfully the kids gifted us with sleeping in until 8 am. Which worked out great because I got to watch the Olympic women's marathon as I made and we ate breakfast. We have almost a month until our next race which will be a 5k for all of us. I'm excited to get some speed work in between now and then and see if I can squeeze in under 21 minutes!

Dad with his award, photo from the race photographers.

Me with my award, photo from the race photographers.

Aquarium Run 10k

After running the Sweetheart Run 10k I really wanted to run another 10k to break 43 minutes. My goal race for the spring has been a 5k we run in honor of one of Jeremy's high school classmates who died in a hiking accident. The race is very near and dear to our hearts and when I'm not pregnant or just coming back from having a baby I plan my spring around running my fastest at that race. I decided to run a 10k at the Aquarium Run a few weeks before the Get Busy Livin 5k and shoot for a sub-43 performance. I kept most my speed workouts geared more toward a 5k and my training has been for the 5k, but I knew all of that would also transfer over to a faster 10k. I just haven't been running long runs with my longest run topping out at 6 miles. The Friday before the race I started looking at past years' results to get an idea of how many people I would be running with. I was shocked to see that my 43:11 from the Sweetheart run would have put my in the top 5 overall (meaning male and female combined) all of the previous years and would leave me running pretty much alone. I'm glad I looked at results and was prepared for that mentally. I made sure to really look at the course map to ensure I knew where I was going. I ran the 10k in 2013 and remembered it was not marked particularly well and there weren't very many people out on the course directing us where to go. I wasn't worried about the way out because we would have half-marathoners running with us and I knew there would be sub-1:30 half-marathoners to run with. It was the return trip I was worried about because the course was not an out and back. Friday night Jeremy and my parents came over for dinner and I was telling them my concerns about getting lost on the course. When I laid Carter down for bed he asked me if we were going to a race in the morning. When I told him we were, he said, "Don't worry mommy, you will be okay. I'll be there and I'll cheer for you." It melted my heart. He is the sweetest!

Elise and Carter ready to spectate the race.

We arrived at the aquarium a little later than we had planned and I needed to use the restroom again so my warm up got cut short. I ran a 0.6 mile warm up rather than my typical mile warm up. It turned out I could've done a full mile because the race started about 5 minutes late. We took off and I was feeling pretty good, cruising along. My plan was to go out around 6:50-6:55 pace for the first half of the race and attempt to negative split. The course is extremely flat with the only downside being it is typically very windy which slows down the times. We lucked out with very mild wind the day of the race. I went through the first mile in 6:45 which was a touch faster than I was hoping for so I decided to dial it down during the second mile and immediately slowed my pace. Apparently I slowed down too much because I went through mile 2 in 6:59. Then I freaked out a little bit that mile 2 was so slow and I was going to have a tough time coming back from it like my 5th mile during the Sweetheart Run. At this point in the race I had caught up to a guy ahead of me and we were running side by side. We had a great pace going and were running along stride for stride. We crossed a bridge to the other side of the river and were running down a street that is also part of the Route 66 Marathon course and I had a flashback to my first marathon. I told myself no matter how much the last 3 miles of the race hurt, it would never compare to the last 3 miles of a marathon. I started to gain my confidence back and knew no matter what I could rock that last 5k. I went through mile 3 in 6:47. I was pleased with where my overall pace was at this point and I was also happy to be half-way done.

The race start of the 10k/half-marathon taken from the aquarium website, you can't see me but I like the picture.

I could see the casino in the distance and knew our turn around was right before we reached the casino. My watch beeped for mile 4 which I had run in 6:51. As I approached the turn around I was hoping to see the pack of runners ahead of me turn around for the 10k, but none of them did. Then as I started to turn off for the 10k, the guy I was running with said, "Have a good race!" and continued on with the half-marathon. I was on the return trip with just 2 miles to go but I couldn't see anyone even in the far distance. I really strained my eyes looking ahead of me and there was no one to be seen. Unless someone passed me from behind it was looking to be a lonely trek those last couple miles when it would have been nice to have someone to chase after. I kept repeating 43 over and over in my head and pushing as hard as I could, knowing I was on pace to break 43 and I wanted to keep with it. I was tired and starting to hurt but I wasn't giving up. I hit mile 5 right before I turned back onto the bridge to head to the aquarium. I had kept mile 5 steady at 6:52. As I was crossing the bridge I was wondering where I would head once I got across the bridge and didn't see anyone at the end of the bridge directing runners which way to go. As I got close to the end of the bridge I could see the 10k runners ahead of me heading back on the road toward the aquarium so I knew that's where I would go. As I turned onto the road back to the aquarium I was having to weave in and out of 5k runners and 1 mile fun run participants who were finishing their races. It was a bit of a jumbled mess and made it hard to kick as much as I would have liked for the last mile, but I still ran my last mile as one of my fastest in 6:46 and ran the last 0.24 miles in 6:15 pace! As I neared the finish line I saw they had a bubble machine at the finish so bubbles were blowing across the finish line which was fun and helped me push just a bit harder. Then I heard my dad cheering for me and when I glanced at the finishing clock, I saw the time was just ticking over to 42:30. I had crushed my goal of breaking 43 minutes and was pumped!

A picture of me finishing that dad took.

I found my dad who was spectating this race with the kids due to a sinus infection and possibly a cold on top of that and Thomas was with him. Thomas had annihilated his time from the St. Patrick's Day 5k less than a month ago, running 21:49. With the 5k starting 20 minutes after the 10k and half marathon, I was excited at the thought that if Thomas ran just under 23 minutes, we could finish at the same time. But he ran quite a bit faster than that! He placed 11th out of 387 overall and 2nd out of 17 in his age group. We got to watch Ty finish in 27:56 which put him 5th out of 17 in his age group and 59th overall. My time of 42:30 put me 7th out of 195 overall, 2nd out of 126 women, and 1st out of 30 in my age group. When I looked at the results, it turned out the person closest in front of me beat me by almost 3 minutes and the person closest behind me ran almost 3 minutes slower than me. I was even farther spaced out than I had imagined during the race! I ran a mile cool down and got such a bad side stitch at one point that I got light headed and had to walk to catch my breath. I thought, that's how you know you ran really hard, you can barely run a cool down! Once I returned I found everyone else inside eating the finisher's food and Ty got in line to pick mine up for me so I could change out of my sweaty clothes. Dad took Carter into the aquarium while I helped Ty load the stroller and Elise up so he could take her home for a nap and get started on our bathroom remodel. Then I went into the aquarium with Thomas to meet dad and we walked around a bit before picking up Thomas' and my awards and then heading home. Although the race is a bit on the smaller side, I have always really enjoyed it. It's a bit surprising to me that it isn't more popular considering the great post-race food (breakfast burritos from a local Mexican restaurant) and free entry into the aquarium after the race.

A picture of Ty finishing that my dad took.

Thomas with the kids after his race.

Carter walking through the aquarium after the race.

I was once again so glad Jeremy got me to push out of my 5k/half marathon comfort zone and try out a 10k. I love the challenge of the 10k. It is such a different beast than my normal races. You have more pacing involved than in a 5k where I basically go out hard, run the middle hard, and finish hard. It's also faster than a half marathon where you can go out slow the first couple miles and have plenty of miles to make up the time. With a 10k being 6 miles you have to pace yourself from starting out too fast and burning up, but you also go long enough that those last couple miles are hard and your legs burn. I'd have to say I'm a bit hooked on the distance right now. I also love that I can train for and run a decent 10k without actually doing any long runs which is great with trying to time runs around the kids' schedules! During my cool down I was already thinking about running the 10k this summer at the summer race series we normally run and I usually run the 5k. My first 3 miles in this race added up to 20:31 and miles 4-6 were 20:29. I was pleased with myself that even though my mile splits were a bit up and down, my overall pacing was pretty even and I ran a negative split which was awesome! I looked back at the Sweetheart run and I had also run my first 3 miles in 20:31 but miles 4-6 were a crap shoot with that super slow 5th mile. I'd like to keep chipping away at my 10k time and really enjoy the chance to run PRs that are now so difficult to hit in the 5k!