Trick or Treat Trail Run Race Goals

I went back and forth for quite a few weeks about running the 5k or the 10k for the Trick or Treat race. It's the weekend before my half marathon, and it's in costume, so both were weighing on my decision making. On one hand, I thought I'd be better suited for a 10k, given I've been training for a 10 mile and half marathon this fall, but thought that maybe my legs would still be recovering into race week and I didn't want that. Toni had planned to do the 5k, which swayed me slightly, and once I found a costume, I was all in on the 5k train. Plus the fall "5ks" I've been running are more 3 milers, so I was curious what I could do for a legit 3.1 miles.

My best legit 5k (only) of the year was the Purple Stride 5k in June in sweltering heat and humidity. I ran an 8:40 pace for a 25:41. My best 3ish mile this year was the last one of the Parks and Rec series, which was a 7:57 pace for 23:04 on a 2.91 mile course. Most of my 3 mile efforts have been in the 8:20s 24:58-25:08.

A goal: If it's a nice cool day, I'd really like to see if I can maintain a sub 8 pace for a full 3.1 miles. I was able to do it for 2.91 with zero people running near me (Toni finished 90 seconds ahead of me, so I was 100% pushing myself). I'd like to think that the competitive part of my brain can pull me through for another .2 miles, right? A 7:59 on an exact course would be 24:48.

B goal: This one doesn't give me much wiggle room from A to B, but I would like to be under 25 minutes. Back when I was racing 5ks a lot, it was such a huge deal the first time I went under 25, and I even won a 5k in a low low 24 once. It'd be awesome to be in this time range for having been working on longer distances and nothing specific to 5k speed training.

C goal: Earlier this summer, I had written down a goal for a 25:30 5k time. And then the 2 legit 5ks I raced were in the hottest of hot days so I wasn't anywhere close. I think even if it's a warmer late October day, I should be able to do dig for that sub 8:15 pace.

Stay tuned for my costume!

10k Race Pics and En Route to Madison

Today I'm en route to Madison, Wisconsin for the Madison Marathon, and more importantly TO SEE KRISTA, RENEE, AND JEN! I feel like I've known Krista and Renee for roughly a million years, but we've never actually met in person, which is weird, I guess. Jen and I met up in Vegas a few years back, and she's so sweet and awesome, she would've been even more awesome if she had come and talked to me at Curly's Pub when I was eating at the bar all by my lonesome for my first marathon, but whatevs, I've totally forgiven her for that (#stillholdingagrudge).

I've always felt like I belong in Wisconsin (or Oregon, if we're being completely honest), and prior to landing my current job at my dream South Dakota library, I was constantly following Wisconsin library job postings. I'd like to think that if I someday get my wish and end up in Packers country, I'll get to run with these girls (and watch many Packers games whilst drinking Spotted Cow and eating cheese curds, yes I am 20 lbs. heavier in this scenario, thanks for asking!) as much as I'd want, aka all the time.

Krista is going to dominate the full and is sweet enough to let me crash at her place and be my "host" for the weekend. She's also NaNoWriMo-ing so there may be moments of writing furiously while I'm there. There's also talks of visiting a newly remodeled library, be still my beating heart! (P.S. Ask me post-race what my finishing prediction time is for K-bug, I don't want to jinx anything, but I'm pretty sure I'm right!)

Jen and Renee are going to be spectators extraordinaire, and I've already put in a bazillion requests to Renee, they are as follows:

1) Jordy Nelson
2) Your garmin, in the event it's a cloudy day and my battery dies asap
3) Spotted Cow beer (preferably snuck in to the post-race finishers chute. The post-race beer selection is less than appealing. Bonus points for dixie cups of it along the course...just sayin'....)

I think that was it! Just a small list... NBD.

I've also analyzed the course map and written down mile markers that I plan to "suggest" that they cheer at. I'M BOSSY THIS IS WHAT I DO. But really I did it with them in mind as well, I wanted them to be at spots that I *think* would be easy to see us quickly at another spot on the course as well. We'll see since they obviously know the area a lot better than I do. I'm just looking forward to having race spectators on the course for a full this has never happened before!! 

Ok, that's enough race obsessing.

No wait! It isn't. I have a cold. That should be neat. It was knocking on my immune systems door last week and I finally came down with it on Saturday, basically thought I was dying. I said, that's cool, make yourself at home for 72 hours, and then you're out on your ass, cold. Well, unless this cold is TERRIBLE AT MATH, it has severely overstayed its welcome. Thank goodness I'm not in PR shape, or I'd be freaking the eff out.

Ok, now THAT'S enough race obsessing. On to the pics!

The 10k race I did 2 weekends ago posted 500 photos to their facebook page this week. I decided to pan through them to see if I could spot a flash of green. Even better than a green frog were these two:

I die of preciousness.

Even more so if Kyle had been dressed as a storm trooper or darth vader or something.

You can almost see the "Go Mom Go #teamgreen" Conversation bubble hovering over their heads, right??!?!?

This one was shortly after the start, and I look fast, which is neat. This was certainly the portion when I was all "Wheeee sub 7 pace is super eeeeeeeasy!" lolz.

And then you might end up letting Pi beat you to the finish because of that sub 7 pace start. But in my defense, this chick passed me around mile 4, and I reeled her in big time that last mile and a half. She's actually the reason I hit sub 7 paces at the finish. Competitive Jeri FTW (except not the win, obvs.)

And this is just all sorts of LOLZ. Running hard is hard, you guys....

Race Report: Trick or Treat Trail Run 10k

I woke up Saturday morning after going to bed way too late for a race eve.  Luckily the race wasn't scheduled to start until 10am.  I ate breakfast and did my hip exercises, foam rolling, stretching, hip flexor stretches, and finally woke up Kyle and Ollie to head to the race start.  I did a half mile warm up with some striders and then it was time to start.

I was the only one wearing shorts and a tank, so I win that category I guess.  I started toward the front because NO ONE was going up to the front.  It was weird.  There were probably 3 girls at the front front, otherwise no one was even close to the start.  The race is chip timed, but it's gun chip timed (does that even make sense?) so I didn't want a ton of extra time from starting at the back.  Also, there were a TON of runners, and a skinny path to race on.

We started and I felt good and fast.  I settled in to a comfortably hard pace pretty easy on.  Jenn wanted me to run without my garmin because she's convinced I'm faster than I think I am (spoiler:  I'm not) so I compromised by ignoring my watch for the first while.  My first mile clocked at 8:32.  Oops.  After consulting my garmin info, my max pace was 6:39.  LOLZ.  Pacing, I haz none.

I could feel my legs slowing and getting heavier during mile one, so I wasn't surprised when mile two was slower, but I wasn't expected to run it that slow.  Mile 2 was 8:58.

Mile three and four stunk.  My legs felt like poo, and I kept getting passed.  During mile three I started to see the leaders fly by going the opposite direction since it was an out and back.  I kept myself busy counting chicks to see what place I was in.  At the turn around, I was 26, which is my lucky number.  Wahoo!  Before too long I was 31.  Womp.  Mile 3 was 9:01, Mile 4 was 9:07.

I finally got my mind straight the final two miles and realized I only had about 20 minutes left of hard running to do, and if I didn't kick it in, I was going to run slower than I did in June, when I was just getting back in to running.  I started slowly picking off the gals that had passed me in mile 4.  Mile 5 was 8:59.

The final mile I just tried to haul as best as I could, and I was really invigorated by catching up to people (as terrible as that sounds).  I forget how nice it is to race in a race, that extra little competitive edge really helps the final miles when you're just ready to be DONE.  Mile 6 was 8:49.

I had started to run "all out" or as all out as I could muster at about 5.7 because I thought I could run a 4 minute half mile to finish close to 55 minutes.  There were a few more girls I was chasing down that had passed me in miles 3 and 4, so I kept them in my sights.  My final .24 was 1:48 for a 7:27 pace, and a max pace of 6:40.

My final time was 55:17 for an average pace of 8:51.

This was about 25 seconds faster than the 10k I did in June, and a slighter lower HR, but higher max HR, which is interesting.  I definitely kept my mind during this race, which is a huge win for me, as I usually give up when my goal time is out of reach.  But it also shows my extreme lack of speed work for the last 4 months.  So many LSD runs.  It'll be nice to crush this 10k time this spring after I add speed back to my newfound endurance.  WHOOP!

Race Review:  I would highly recommend this race to anyone considering doing it.  It was cheap, $35 for the early bird sign up, came with a tech T, had 5k and 10k options, race loot for winners, costume contests with various categories, EVERYONE dressed up (which was awesome, I'm a sucker for costumes!), well run, well organized, great treats post-race.  It was great!

Official Results

Trick or Treat Trail Run

RACE STANDINGS

Overall Place

55/136

Gender Place

23/91

Age Place

4/22

Bib Number

307

Gender

F

Age

29

Start Time

10:02:39.243

Split 1

0

Split 2

0

Split 3

0

Split 4

0

Elapsed

00:55:17.724

Trick or Treat Trail Run 10k Goals

Tomorrow I'm running my 2nd 10k of 2013.  My first one was in June and was my first race of 2013.  Whoa.  For that race, I had hoped to run sub-9 miles, and I ran a 55:40 for a pace of 8:57.  I have run a LOT of miles since June, but very few speedy ones.  With my injury prone body, I can either do lots o' miles or speed, both and my legs fall off.  Since I was super out of shape I focused on miles.

So my goal for tomorrow's 10k will be..... ???

• Sub 53.  This is pretty unlikely unless I have some hidden speed tucked away somewhere.
• Sub 54.  This is probably a better goal time.  8:43 pace sounds decently hard but not impossible.
• Sub 55.  This was actually my A goal for June, dodging the flooding in the middle of the road caused me to suck at running tangents, and probably caused the extra 40 seconds.  Or so I'm telling myself.

I'm still debating wearing a costume for the race.  I've always wanted to dress as a banana for a race.  

Any costume suggestions that are still easy to run in??