What a Beautiful Day....

Sunday was a beautiful day. The sun was out and the temperatures were warm. It was 73 degrees in Memphis on Sunday. It was also a perfect day for the final race of the Winter Cross Country Series, which happened to be a 10K race through Shelby Farms! It was nice to run in shorts and a tri top once again!

The race started out like any other race. I had a goal time and I had no idea where I was going. The map they allowed us to download was very confusing. Look at this:
Not the easiest thing to figure out is it? Since I was unsure of the route, I decided to let some of the other guys take the lead and I would just follow them! J

Anyways, I really felt good for about the first two miles of the race, I was maintaining a solid 8:15 pace and I was feeling good about it. I got to about mile marker 4 on the map above before the terrain really started getting to me. It was up and down the entire way, very few flat surfaces for us to run. As I was passing that marker, I could see the leaders coming back my way and I thought, Wow, I am not that far behind them, but what I did not know was that here was a turn which took us around the amphitheater. So imagine my disappointment when I realized, "Yeah, they are far ahead of me!" The second loop got us running into a headwind that was strong. Before I left the house, I saw a wind advisory flash up telling us to secure any loose outdoor equipment you may have outside, so Yeah, it was windy. I was disappointed that I walked through the aid stations, but I tried to keep them short and sweet.

See that last little off-shoot to the finish line? When I came down that shoot, some old lady had just passed me, and I said No way Granny! (I didn't really say it) and I could see the clock ticking ahead. I saw that it was around 56:45 when I was entering the finishing chute and I emptied the tank. I had a goal of 54 minutes, but I wasn't going to make it, so I decided I was going to beat 57 minutes. So I went hard, and actually finished it in a sprint. My Garmin had me at a 5:27 pace that last stretch and my watch had me at 56:58. They recorded my time at 57 minutes, but as you can see, I have proof!
I finish 15^th in my AG and 120^th overall out of a field of 345 people. It was good, and I was happy. I think running this series has definitely helped my running and I look forward to the road series this summer.

Valentine's Day 10K

Well first off, and let me get this out of the way, I DID NOT hit my 48 minute goal. My time was 50:29, which was good enough to grab 8th in my Age Group. I am happy with it. Here it my race report:

Mile 1- 7:27
I started off way to fast. The first .3 mile of it my GPS said I was at a 6:20 mile, which I knew was way to fast for me and decided to slow it down and run at a pace I could continue to run at. A buddy of mine, Daniel, also ran the race with me and we knew better than trying to run in the 6 minute pace. The first mile is always the hardest for me, but once I got through it, I was feeling good. We had a big hill to get up in the first mile, but it was not that bad.

Mile 2- 7:44
Right on schedule. I was happy with this pace and was planning on maintaining this pace for the rest of the race. I was not really tired or struggling, but still feeling good and running relaxed.

Mile 3- 8:48
This was a really hilly portion of the run, which I was not prepared for. The reason I was not prepared for it is because when I was out driving the course, I drove it backwards, so all the downhills I expected were actually uphills! I was still feeling good at mile 3 and was at 24 minutes, so I still had hope. My buddy had dropped back a bit and I was pacing off anyone I could.

Mile 4- 7:57
I knew I needed to get back on track, so I pushed it on mile 4 and was surprised I was under 8 minutes. I still had a shot at the 48 minute mark and wanted to stay sub 8:00 the rest of the way.

Mile 5- 8:34
More hills. I was at 40:32 at this point and still had my shot, but I was struggling on the hills. I had to start picking out mini points on the route as my goal. "just get to the mailbox, or the next light" trying to trick myself into maintaining a pace. It didn't work, but I tried.

Mile 6- 8:25
Another disappointing mile for me, but again it was uphill for the most part. I met up with a guy with about .5 miles left and asked if I could pace off him. It was nice to have him in front of me, so thanks guy, whoever you are. As I hit the marker for mile 6, my older boys were standing there. Jake was taking pictures and Jared was yelling for me. Nothing fires you up more than to have your sons cheering you on. Jared yelled he was going to race me to the finish line with about 100 yds to go. That was all I needed and started to empty out the tank. The guy I was pacing with started cheering me on, which helped, and I beat Jared to line! LOL




Overall, I was OK with my time. I still have a goal to shoot for and I will get under 48 minutes. Some things I learned from this race:
1. I need to run more hills.
2. It was an iPod legal race, and was happy to learn that I do not need my iPod to run a race, but I did kinda miss it.
3. I learned that I have grown as a runner and did not get sucked into running the fastest I could right out of the gate, guess I am maturing a bit. (as a runner only)
4. This is my first top 10 placing in a race. I have finished as high as 11th, but never int he top 10.
5. I appreciate everyone in blogland that cheered me on with the comments on here, you guys that post are one of the reasons I was able to push it at the end. Accountability is sometimes overrated, but it is nice.
6. I have a great family. My boys are awesome and my wife is super. Last thing she said to me was "You are going to do great, you have trained for this and are ready", then she said she wanted a sub 7 mile at the end! LOL

Sorry Baby, I tried, but it is nice to see her at the finish line.