Run For the Parks Recap

10k Race Results and new PRs
D: 45:42
C: 46:28

On Sunday we had a much needed successful race in DC. PR (Potomac River Runners), which is an amazingly active running store/running club, put on a race, Run For The Parks 10k, through a scenic section of DC's monuments. It was flat, felt fast, and well organized. With the much needed drop in temperature, I was able to push my pace much more than I have in a while.

The morning started off with an Uber (phone-app car service) ride to the start (a great way to not have to carry a wallet to a race). The driver had just taken a woman to the start, who was in a bit of a panic. She needed to be there in "nine minutes". We thought, maybe she was late for volunteering at a water stop, was an elite, or something else. Then I realized, It was the first day of day lights savings, and the Uber driver hadn't set his clock yet! - she probably hopped in the cab, saw his car's clock and panicked.

Instead, we arrived at the race with an uncharacteristically calm C, with plenty of time in our wonderfully warm new sweatshirts and paced around trying to ignore the very cold wind.

C had laid out her race plan for us the day before. 7:24 per mile would break our PR by about 2 minutes, so we were doing 7:24s. Usually we spend a bit more time thinking about pacing options, but, I didn't question it and instead set off at a slightly faster pace (C had taken off at this point, as she tends to do in races).

Right in the first mile, I settled into a comfortable pace that happened to be about 7:08s - 7:20s, with a small group of guys who all had the same pacing in mind. One was a seasoned marathon runner, so I attached myself to him until the half way turn around, when he started to kick in and take off.

In the end, I had a wonderful PR, held a respectable 7:22 pace (for an arbitrarily, morning of the race chosen goal pace of 7:24, I was surprisingly close) and felt wonderful doing it. I found a wonderful focus on this run, to the point, I couldn't tell you a thing about the scenery, but can recount the outfits of almost every person who passed me, and that I passed back....  Like the guy in orange who kept slowing down on the corners....

Me (bright yellow on the right) cheering C (in blue on the left)

C hit a PR too, less than a minute behind me.

Best of all - the race put up the photos on Flickr instead of those ridiculously over-priced sales sites (Great find C!) - so we were actually able to include race photos this time around!

Massanutten

D

After a heck of a season of running (set my PR, finally broke 1:45... twice), I'm into that between training schedule funk, where it's really hard to get motivated.

As C mentioned- the cure for this was not to go to Massanutten resort, for what I thought would be a week of running and biking. After tackling a few of the hills (our goal of a 12 mile run the first morning turned into 7 of the toughest miles I've ever run), I cut my few other runs that week down to 3 miles. Instead I spent the week playing golf, hiking, horse-back riding, and zip-lining, so it wasn't a complete waste.

Today's run (which started way too late) got cut to 6.5 miles because of the heat - but it felt good to get some speed in (yay lack of hills now that I'm back in somerville). 

So in place of inspirational running photos, enjoy a beautiful golf vista and C at the overlook where you can see the hills we were dealing with.

Oh D, This Vacation WILL be Relaxing

C - 3 miles, slow

Trip Goal- find as many smoothies as possible

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So I know D just wrote about all the crazy stuff that we're going to do on our trip, but I still think this trip can and will be relaxing.   For example, I'm trying to plot out most of our running routes ahead of time, so we just have to get out the door and go.  Besides, how are you supposed to relax if you sit in one place with nothing to do all day? :)

One of the places that D and I will be running during our upcoming trip is Vegas.  In fact, we’re supposed to do a 12 mile run while we’re there, and we’re hoping to do it on the Strip.  Insane? Possibly.  Neither of us have been to Vegas before, but at least one blog suggests that we will survive the experience.  I got to work last night following the google maps “walking guy” up and down the strip, trying to figure out how we’ll make the experience 12 miles.  I think I did it, but if D and I end up running in the middle of the desert, Vegas was his crazy idea (love you D!).

A good running route? Photo by Matthew Field, http://www.photography.mattfield.com
(thank you Wikipedia)

However, before we run in Vegas, we need to run 10 miles in Boulder.  We don't know Boulder either.  While it may be a running mecca, it's still not easy to figure out where to run in a new city.  I just sent D a possible route, based on this site, but the route I made is just loopy enough to guarantee we'll get lost.  If anyone knows any great 10 milers in Boulder, let me know.  Otherwise, D, I hope you're looking forward to running a leisurely 10 + at altitude!

Please let it look like this when we're running.  Maybe we'll forget that we're at altitude. . .

 

P.S. Congrats to D's sister and husband!! (and D!) I'm psyched to meeting J.E. this week!!