an amazing likeness
Despite a recent cold stretch and a few snow squalls; spring rains and the sun getting stronger are taking their toll on winter. Mud and brown grass have emerged from under their quilt of snow, absorbed the sun's warmth and pushed the snow back to only those areas deep in the woods. Ice out is happening on rivers and lakes, and we're entering spring flood season as the snowpack melts. Stepped out from a meeting yesterday to stretch my legs and noticed some trees were budding and a few hardy daffodils poking up. Spring has...sprung in New England.
Another weekend of race plans is here and it's a great mix this week....half marathon, a Boston Marathon, 5K and 5 miles.
Wishing all our racers good luck, gentle breezes and outstanding pride in your accomplishments of getting the start line, running the miles and breaking the (imaginary) tape at the end.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Good luck to all who are racing this weekend and especially those who are running Boston.
Ron's PRs 5K 24:14 (12/07/2013); Half Marathon 1:53:33 (5/26/2013)
Good luck everyone, I hope you have great races!
BOSTON STRONG!
Run, Walk, Crawl, just Finish.
HF # 1189
Good luck everyone!
Former Bad Ass
Good luck!
Damaris
Nice poetry Milktruck
Thanks - I'll take every ounce of luck you are giving!
Good racing to everyone and enjoy the weekend!
Ready, go.
Lump Off
Cookie Dash Update
This was a super flat course and my plan was to run 8:30 miles for a 26:30 finish. I lined up around the middle (600) runners to keep myself from going out too fast. I wanted to ease into the pace and then just hold it.
Garmin Splits: 8:34, 8:29, 8:24, (.23 mile) 1:51
Total: 27:19
Usually, my Garmin measures around 3.15 for a 5k so even though I did not hit 26;30, I was so pleased with my pacing. I had a plan and executed it and the race evolved as I wanted. Mile 1 felt good mile 2 was a little harder mile 3 was tough at the end I felt horrible. Perfect! This whole 'training' stuff seems to work.
I have another 5k in a few weeks and if all goes well, I may go for something a little faster, maybe 8;20s.
The cookie assortment post-race was a sight to behold (so many cookies!!!) but....cookies following a 5k proved to be completely unappealing for me.
Nice job, Superbunny.
Great Job Superbunny!
SB, very nice! I would have ate more cookies than I needed, lol.
Nice job Superbunny.
Nice mix of races this weekend, for sure! Patriot's Day must be a bigger deal on the east coast, I don't think we'd even know about it out west if it weren't for Boston. Out here, I can tell that it's spring because the dogs are eating all of the grass, daffodils, and even the few tulips that tried to come up. Saw some lovely irises out today, though!
superbunny- Congrats! Super even pacing for that one! That's too bad about the cookies, it sounded good just reading about it. I kind of do the same thing with post-race food. I tell myself I'm going to get some, then get to the finish line and nothing really looks good except for maybe an orange wedge. Now if there was a post-race spread two hours later, watch out!
Good luck to those who still have races this weekend! Fleet feet!
Saturday morning was an absolutely beautiful morning for running! I have lived in Louisville for my entire life, and I've watched and cheered numerous times, but this was my first time running in the Derby Festival miniMarathon.
Recently rated #26 on Running USA's list of U.S. Largest Half Marathons by the number of finishers (11,485), this year 11,592 runners finished the Derby Festival miniMarathon. This does not include the 2,029 runners who finished the Derby Festival Marathon, which shares portions of the miniMarathon course.
My goal for this race was to finish in 2:15:00, or less. For the first 10K, I was on pace to finish 2:14:12. However, I struggled for much of the second half of the race and finished 2:20:05. Although this still equates to a HM PR for me (I've only run 1 previous HM), I really thought that I was ready to hit 2:15:00. My struggles were mostly related to pain in my toes and energy levels. I have not experienced any pain or discomfort before, so I was unsure how and why it occurred. I'll have to review my nutrition schedule and make adjustments in the future. I think that I've been so concerned about stomach pain/discomfort/issues, that I've held back in both my pre-race meals as well as during the race itself.
Highlights along the course included: running through Downtown Louisville, Central Park, St. James Court, Churchill Downs, University of Louisville, and finishing at Waterfront Park. Entering Churchill Downs and taking a lap around the infield, while horses are on the track training for the Kentucky Derby was an amazing experience, even for someone who has been to Churchill Downs countless number of times and has attended the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby.
I love my hometown, and to finally experience it through the eyes of a runner in the miniMarathon, I love it even more! If you've ever considered the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon/miniMarathon and have questions, let me know! I'd be more than happy to answer them!
woohoo Superbunny!
buckindb - sorry you didn't get the time you wanted but you clearly had a great time!
First or last...it's the same finish line
HF #4362