Awesome 80's 10k and Rock 'n' Roll Half

Wow, 2013 is taking off fast!  I am already two races behind on my updates.  I ran the Awesome 80's 10k on January 12th and it was, as advertised, awesome!  I convinced my husband to run the race with me and he, in typical Adam fashion, did no training for the race, but was ready to go and run anyway on race day. 

Awesome 80's!

It was a cold morning--very cold by Arizona standards, but it felt very nice to be running in it after things got started.  The race was relatively small, which was great.  There wasn't a mad rush to pick up race numbers on race morning and the crowd at the starting line was very manageable even though both the 10k and 5k started at the same time and ran the same course. 

The course was flat and easy.  The 10k was two loops of the 5k course.  Adam kept pushing the pace with this long legs and we finished in 1:00.48--a PR for me.  It was a good run and I felt great afterwards.  I would highly recommend this case in the future--it was fun and relaxed.  My only hesitation in recommending it is that if more people sign up in the future it may get too crazy and crowded.  :)

This past Sunday I ran the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon.  It was my 4th time running one of the P.F. Chang's races--my third time running the 1/2.  I wasn't really excited to run this race again because it has gotten increasingly more crowded and crazy each year, but I wanted to try the newly revamped 1/2 course, so I sucked it up and signed up. 

The girls were ready to rock!

As it is every year, the expo was a madhouse.  I had signed the girls up for the kid's run on Saturday, so I had to go on Friday after work so I got the double whammy of expo insanity and downtown traffic.  The girls had a blast at the kids' run--lots of entertainment and nice, fun running experience.  I would sign them up for this again in the future. 

For my race, things were a little more hectic and rushed.  Adam and the girls dropped me off at the starting line, which was nice because parking looked like a nightmare.  I arrived around 7:15 at the starting area.  The race was scheduled to start at 7:50 so I had plenty of time to use the port-a-potty and get set...or so I thought.  The first thing I did was jump in the port-a-potty line...which was pretty much the whole pre-race time period.  Just after I stepped out of the port-a-potty, they started the National Anthem and then the race. 


I usually like to eat an energy bar or something before the race and I had brought some salt sticks to use as well, but I didn't have water with me (there's usually plenty at the start).  I didn't have time to look for water, so I figured I'd just take the first salt stick at the first water break, which is usually just after the first mile.  I was in corral 9 and we started about 12 minutes after the first corral, which made me wish I had looked for water and then just got back in the corral, but oh well. 

Another RNR Down!

Things started out well.  I was maintaining a pace that felt comfortable and was on par with what I had run the Awesome 80's 10k.  Around mile 7, I started to get hot and very thirsty.  I was anxiously looking for the next water stop around every corner.  When I finally got there, I took my salt stick and ate a bit of my power bar.  I think I ate the power bar too late in the race, because from mile 8 to the finish I just kept fading.  I was tired and my feet were super hot.  I had debated between running my Newtons (which I'd worn for the 80's run) and my old Brooks and went with the Brooks since I was still worried about the lack of distance I'd run in the Newtons.  I should have worn the Newtons. 

Also, I think the hills in the 2nd half of the course really took a toll on me.  No doubt about it, I was under trained for the race.  Reflecting back--the only real running I've done since IM have been a 5k in December and 2 10ks in January...so that shouldn't have surprised me. All in all, the Rock 'n' Roll race series is getting a bit tiresome.  The races have been really crowded and the expo is always a huge ordeal.  And, there's nothing that exciting about the races (other than the cool medals) after you've done a couple.  The race fees are always really high too...so this might be my last RNR for awhile. 

I will definitely be getting more miles in before Ragnar in February!!  I also need to get back on my bike, though I have been less than excited about that prospect since IM.  I am hoping Kate and Annette share their adventures/misadventures on getting back on the bike yesterday. 

Next up:  Runner's Den Road Races in Feb.

Polar Dash 2013

This race update is a bit late, but here it is! I started off the new year with what's becoming a chilly new tradition. I headed to St. Paul for the Polar Dash 10k. Last year, Danie and I ran this and decided it was not a great idea. Somehow, after a year, we could no longer remember anything but the fun!

We were able to recruit a bigger group of friends to join us. Among the group were a number of 10k newbies. It was so much fun running with a group of friends without a care about the pace. And, one of my friends who had planned to finish her first 5k that day--decided to make it her first 10k instead!!

We polished it off with a fantastic lunch at one of my favorite St. Paul haunts.

Coming up--Awesome 80's 10k and PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon.