Partners for Life Police Appreciation Run 5K, St. Petersburg, Florida, May 5, 2013: race recap

This is the 5K of a 10K-5K challenge. Read about the 10K here.

Because I had this fabulous idea to sign up for a 10K-5K challenge, I had about 20 minutes after the 10K before the start of the 5K, which started at 8:30 a.m. ... or so I thought.

In-between races photo

In reality, it was 8:52 a.m. before the start of the 5K. So my timed water drinking, GU taking and stretching and warming up again wasn't really timed well. I wasn't expecting much out of this race anyway (since I just ran a 10K and was uncomfortable every step), but a 22-minute late start didn't help matters any.

I wasn't planning on meeting my under 30-minute 5K goal this race, but I wanted to be respectable ... whatever that means. For me, I decided it meant under 11-minute miles.

I started out a little stiff, but warmed up pretty quickly (quicker than my usual 1+-mile warm up).  That doesn't mean I was comfortable or feeling good. I was hoping I could make it through this thing. I wasn't feeling it, and I was missing my running buddy to push me along.
'
Mile 1: 10:29

I don't remember much of this race, really. I just remember: (1) running on the pesky pier ... again; (2) being uncomfortable the entire race; and (3) trying to force a smile when I ran by my coach, Carolyn, who was snapping pictures (all were terrible; totally my fault — not hers).

You pesky, windy pier

Mile 2: 10:40
Mile 3: 10: 38

I tried to push it at the finish, but I didn't have much left in me.

I looked tired in this photo. I am. (My boyfriend and dog surprised
me along the 5K finish.)

I crossed the finish line at 32:59, which is my second-best 5K time ever. Hmm, I guess I did OK for feeling uncomfortable and totally not in this race.

After the race, I grabbed some bubbles (Diet Coke). I love carbonation after a race. Every race should have bubbles of some kind (yes, beer is acceptable).

Lori and I decided to capture our last race on the pier in photo (it is being torn down, so this is the last official race for us on this thing). Lori asked the girl taking the photo to be sure to get the pier in the background. She did. It's just behind Lori's head ... 

So, the big question: would I do a 10K-5K challenge again? I am proud that I did it this time, but I don't think I'd do it again. It added a whole other level of stress to a race day. I worried about the 5K all the way through the 10K. Was I using everything I had in the 10K? How was I going to run a 5K after this disaster? Then, running the 5K, I felt like it was a "just survive this thing" mode instead of a "let's give this all I got" attitude.

Have you run a 10K-5K challenge? Would you? Do you like bubbles after a race?

Another one of those pesky 5Ks ...

I’m running a 5K today. Yeah, the race distance I despise. But, it will be fun because my dad is doing it, too. It’s his first! For that reason, I’m excited. 

I'm hoping to run it faster than my last 5K in September (and hopefully not feel like puking like I did then). My dad's plan is to run one mile and walk two miles in interval fashion (he just recently started the Couch-to-5K program).

I'm a little nervous about it because I haven't gotten enough sleep all week or ran (well, aside from the half marathon on Sunday) due to work, Dad arriving and general craziness. Also, we'll be at a spring training game from 10:30 a.m. until almost 4 p.m. in the skin-sizzling sun ... with the 5K starting at 6:15 p.m. Eek! 

Thankfully, we were in the shade this game.

But something working for me: even though this race is in the vicinity of the Pier, and I think you'll be able to see it almost the entire course, it doesn't involve running on the thing. Yay! No pesky Pier! 

It's nice to look at ...

 

I’m debating about wearing bunny ears for the race. I have a hard time resisting a costume, and with Easter looming, I thought it would be fun (and easy since I already have the ears). I also like the humor factor: a person who proclaims to be a turtle wearing rabbit ears.

(On a side note, wearing things on my head does not bother me during a race. I usually forget they are even there. I always think I am going to want to toss the thing off within the first mile, but I never do.)

If these didn't bother me, I don't think anything will.

Maybe Dad's first race, no Pier and bunny ears will make my dislike of the 5K disappear ...

Should I wear bunny ears? Do you like 5Ks? Do you run 5K races regularly? What is your favorite distance? Do your parents run? Have you ever run a race with them?

Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, St. Petersburg, Florida, Feb. 10, 2013: race recap

It's official: I adore this race.

I loved it last year, and this year solidified my love.

I was worried I loved it so much last year because it was cold (I prefer cold weather running), and I got a 15-minute personal record. I loved the bands and course, but I was afraid it was tainted by the weather and my sweet PR.  

This year, it was not cold (it bordered on hot at the end of the race), and I actually ran it a few seconds slower than last year. But, I still smiled throughout the majority of the race and loved almost every second of it (The few seconds I didn't love were in mile 12 ... blech). 

For a baseball-loving girl like myself, I love that the expo and start line are at Tropicana Field.

I didn't love that my Garmin decided to freeze. Grrr.

It was 6:45 a.m. all day.

I love that the course follows familiar turf: right by Taco Bus. What I didn't like this year is I was starting to get warm at this point (only mile 3).

I love the slight downhill into downtown St. Pete, and this year I loved the shade the tall buildings provided. This is where I took my first GU gel (about mile 4).

I normally wouldn't love the route south into a somewhat boring stretch into a neighborhood, but I do love the bands along the course. They'd make any course fun.

I felt pretty good miles 5-7. It was cooler through this part of course, and I felt a nice breeze as we went from mile 7 into mile 8 along Tampa Bay. I took my second GU gel around mile 8.

Then, this happened.

Yes, the pesky Pier. It's no secret that it's not something I love. It wasn't this day either. Don't get me wrong: the views are beautiful, and I know there are much worse routes than this. But, it's long, there's no shade, and it's windy. 

I started struggling a bit on the Pier. My legs just started feeling tired. Not horrible, but miles 9 and 10 were kind of rough. 

It was also rough not knowing my time. They had clocks at each mile, but I wasn't sure how much later I started than the clock. Being in corral 8, I figured it was about 10 minutes later, but I wasn't entirely sure. I tried doing math while running, which was a bad idea on my part. It made my head hurt.

I felt a little better in mile 11 because I saw some rockin' cheerleaders: Lori and Georgina. They really were at the right place at the right time. I needed a push, and it was great seeing friendly faces who were cheering their faces off for me.  

After the race with one of my rockin' coaches
(Carolyn) and the rockin' cheerleaders,
Lori and Georgina.

Mile 12 is where things got worse for me. I was hot, tired and done. I really didn't know if I was pushing for a PR (I didn't think so, but wasn't certain) or if I was way off (I didn't think so). So, not knowing and being hot and tired, I walked a bit. I doubt it was more than one minute, but having a frozen watch, I don't know.

I tried to push mile 12 into 13, but I really don't think it happened. Again, I don't know because my watch was frozen. 

But, I did take a rockin' race photo (the first and only time this has ever happened) during this time. (Didn't my frozen watch photograph nicely?)

The run to the finish line seemed to take forever. It could have. I don't know. MY WATCH WAS FROZEN.

The LONG run to the finish

It was great seeing more rockin' cheerleaders along the finish line. 

After finishing, getting a sweet medal, a cold towel and grabbing some food and beverages, I met up with the cheerleaders.

With my cheerleaders Caroline, Dan and Theresa. Oh, and a
photo-bombing Chloe. She went for the bagel while we were
busy posing for a photo. (Cheerleader Eric took the photo.)

With my rockin' running buddy and cheerleader, Lori

Then, I went to check out Sean Kingston at the after-race concert. I wasn't crazy-excited about seeing him, but I was pretty impressed with his performance. I heard him sing "Beautiful Girl," which is the only song I thought I knew that he sang. He then proceeded to sing a string of songs I knew. Fun. 

And, that's what this entire race is: fun. I love the organization, the atmosphere, the bands along the course, the course itself, the post-race concert ... yeah, pretty much everything. 

Oh, and my time: 2:33:54. After hearing it, I wondered if I could have cut 4 minutes off (to get a PR) if I had an unfrozen watch. I wondered if I would have ran harder if I had an unfrozen watch. Then, I realized I couldn't change it. And I had fun, which is the most important thing.

This week in running: week 1

I love the title of this because it reminds of “This Week in Baseball.” I have fond memories of watching that before every baseball game I attended growing up. I guess they used it as entertainment for the fools who got to the stadium two hours before the game started.
 

What up, fools?

But, I digress.

My half marathon training group started this week. We run together on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (6:30 p.m.) and on Sunday morning (7:30 a.m.) for our long run.

Tuesday

We met the coaches and each other did a short run to acquaint ourselves with the area.

It brought back bad memories from last year’s Women’s Half Marathon. This stupid pier was the least favorite part of the race: long, hot, no shade at mile 9. Yuck!
 

Pesky Pier

But, I conquered that thing (it was still hot with no shade). It could have helped that it was only a 2-mile run, not part of a 13.1-mile race. Watch out, Pier! I’m coming for you in a race!

Distance: 2 miles

Thursday

Our mission: run 22 minutes out and 22 minutes back. Our group stopped for water along the way because it was freaking hot. I think that is the hardest thing to get used to: the heat at 6:30 p.m.

I’ve run at night or on a treadmill the entire summer. There is a reason I do that: to avoid the big, scary ball of fire in the sky.

Distance: 3.5 miles

Sunday

I’m not a morning person … at all. Especially on the weekend. So, I was thrilled to meet the group for a 7:30 a.m. run.

But, it was SO much better than running in the evening. Not that it was cool by any means, but the sun was not as strong. And, I rocked out the run and had the whole day for fun stuff like Costco and car rides and walks with my dog.
 

Chloe's favorite weekend activity

The group of three I was running with made three water stops in our 50-minute run, walking up to them and walking just a bit after to make sure we swallowed our water before starting again. It wasn’t speedy by any means, but I’m happy with the results.

Distance: 4 miles