Life has been busy so sorry for the delayed race recap. Here we go...Saturday was a beautiful day to run. No wind, not too hot and the sun was out. I felt ready to go yet at the same time had the usual nervousness and anxiety of "what the heck are you doing?!"
The race started and as I already knew from our training run the first hill is the worst. I was a little worried about whether running the course was a good or bad thing but I now understand why we did it...because I basically went on autopilot (my legs that is). My only battle really was mental....to stay focused, strong and tough.
I really surprised myself as usually hills are my nemesis, however I ran strong and attacked the hills and they really weren't a problem. I ran up every hill with the exception of .2 miles of the last hill. It felt great to race past people as I ran up the hills...some people even stopped at the bottom of inclines to walk up and that made me run even faster.
This race I really pushed myself more than I've ever done before. I have always been scared to go all out - fearing that I'd run out of gas and not be able to finish. But I decided that this time I was going to go for it and see what happens. I only walked one time (the .2 miles up the last hill) - note that I do allow myself to walk when I drink my Gatorade at the water stations to the garbage can.
Overall, I felt good. I definitely was more winded than normal the last 2 miles and was breathing hard. And once I entered the stadium I was determined to sprint to the finish line. I was exhausted when I finished, but a good exhausted. It also was special to have my family there cheering me on - thanks guys...I love you!
I was very pleased with my 2:10:47 time...especially since it was a warm day and because it was a hilly course. That made me think that my sub-2 hour half marathon goal may be possible after all one day - on a flat course of course! We'll see.
As for what's next....the plan was to do the half marathon on June 5th (in less than 2 weeks). Right now I'm thinking about changing up to the 10k. My focus this summer is going to be on speed. I want to run faster and train with that in mind. So my thinking is to focus on racing the 10k on June 5th as fast as I can. I'll let you know what I decide.
Here are some race photos:
Photo #1 - I'm surprised to see my family meet me around mile 11....I didn't expect to see them until the finish line. Good thing I was running and not walking, right? :-)
Photo #2 - Sprinting to the finish line...that was a long lap around that track!
Photo #3: After catching my breath, I managed to smile with my medal!
Photo #4: My family (minus my dad who was taking the photo) that came out to support me! My sister-in-law, mother, brother, nephew, niece and two daughters (one daughter is hiding her face with the sign)!
Happy Running,
Suzanne
The race started and as I already knew from our training run the first hill is the worst. I was a little worried about whether running the course was a good or bad thing but I now understand why we did it...because I basically went on autopilot (my legs that is). My only battle really was mental....to stay focused, strong and tough.
I really surprised myself as usually hills are my nemesis, however I ran strong and attacked the hills and they really weren't a problem. I ran up every hill with the exception of .2 miles of the last hill. It felt great to race past people as I ran up the hills...some people even stopped at the bottom of inclines to walk up and that made me run even faster.
This race I really pushed myself more than I've ever done before. I have always been scared to go all out - fearing that I'd run out of gas and not be able to finish. But I decided that this time I was going to go for it and see what happens. I only walked one time (the .2 miles up the last hill) - note that I do allow myself to walk when I drink my Gatorade at the water stations to the garbage can.
Overall, I felt good. I definitely was more winded than normal the last 2 miles and was breathing hard. And once I entered the stadium I was determined to sprint to the finish line. I was exhausted when I finished, but a good exhausted. It also was special to have my family there cheering me on - thanks guys...I love you!
I was very pleased with my 2:10:47 time...especially since it was a warm day and because it was a hilly course. That made me think that my sub-2 hour half marathon goal may be possible after all one day - on a flat course of course! We'll see.
As for what's next....the plan was to do the half marathon on June 5th (in less than 2 weeks). Right now I'm thinking about changing up to the 10k. My focus this summer is going to be on speed. I want to run faster and train with that in mind. So my thinking is to focus on racing the 10k on June 5th as fast as I can. I'll let you know what I decide.
Here are some race photos:
Photo #1 - I'm surprised to see my family meet me around mile 11....I didn't expect to see them until the finish line. Good thing I was running and not walking, right? :-)
Photo #2 - Sprinting to the finish line...that was a long lap around that track!
Photo #3: After catching my breath, I managed to smile with my medal!
Photo #4: My family (minus my dad who was taking the photo) that came out to support me! My sister-in-law, mother, brother, nephew, niece and two daughters (one daughter is hiding her face with the sign)!
Happy Running,
Suzanne
