Today Nanette and I ran in the Swamp Stomp Half Marathon in Lake Charles, LA. This was my second half marathon and Nanette's third half marathon, so we are still relatively new to this distance. We chose this half because it is so close to home (about a 45 min drive). There were about 150 participants, so it was a pretty small race. But we liked the small size of the race, and we loved the course. It was a two loop course that went in and out of streets in a country club neighborhood. Because there were a lot of turn-arounds, you could see the people ahead and behind you at lots of different points along the course. It was neat being able to cheer each other on and be cheered on as we passed each other on the course. We both put in personal best times, so that was pretty exciting as well. As you can see in the pictures, it was a cold day (according to Southeast Texas standards anyway). Although the forecast predicted it to warm up it never did. That was a good thing while we were running, but after we stopped it was so cold! After the race they served gumbo. That would normally be one of the last things I could stomach after running 13.1 miles as fast as I can; however, the warmth of the gumbo was a nice way to warm up after the race. Anyway, below are a few pictures from the race.
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Running. Show all posts
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Sea Rim Striders 5K Run at Tyrrell Park
I couldn't let Nanette have all the fun, so I had to sneak in and add my own post. I can't think of any funny stories or amazing things we have done as a family, so I'll just tell you about our Saturday that started at a very early 6 am and a very chilly 50 degrees....
The Sea Rim Striders running club held a 5K Fun Run at Tyrrell Park this morning. Even though this wasn't a "big" race, this is the first time this year Nanette and I were able to benchmark our recent training efforts. Our training has been pretty consistent since the beginning of the year, but there just haven't been many local events to compete in. Even the run this morning was just a Fun Run. No awards, no age groups, just you against the clock for your own satisfaction.
Usually, Nanette and I take turns pushing Bowman and Drew in the jogging stroller. Now that we have Claire, we are still trying to figure out whether we should each run with a stroller or whether we should trade off who gets to run each race. Thankfully we had a better option this morning. Our neice was kind enough to come to the race and watch all three children while we ran.
The weather was perfect...sunny, cool, no noticable wind. I felt strong. I wanted to see just how close I could get to my PR (Personal Record) of 21:39. I've felt so good during my recent workouts that I actually believed that I could set a new PR this morning. But not wanting to be too disappointed if I didn't I set a primary goal of breaking 22:00, and a secondary goal of PRing.
When the race started, I just tried to settle into a comfortably hard pace. My plan was to run right at a 6:55 for each mile, then kick it in for the last quarter mile. I kept watching my Garmin to make sure I wasn't starting off too fast. I was seeing 8:45... 8:32... 7:55... and I thought, "come on! pick it up!", then I watched as my pace kept dropping 7:05... 6:55...6:32... 6:10. "Whoa! slow down!" I finally settled into about a 6:50 pace for the rest of the mile. I was starting to feel it in my legs, but I felt like I was still holding back quite a bit. Mile 1 split: 6:57. Right on target! Things continued to feel good. I was at the right pace and it felt like I could hold it for quite a while. Then at the turn around point, right around 1.5 miles, I felt a side stitch starting. OK, I know how to deal with these. Change my breathing... I was able to fight it off for a while, but now my pace had dropped a little. Mile 2 split: 7:01. By this time I was starting to hurt. My legs felt heavy, my side stitch was getting worse. I kept looking at my Garmin...7:10...7:15. "Just hold on for one more mile..." Finally, I rounded the last turn, and I could see the finish line in sight. Mile 3 split: 7:18... PR was gone for sure, but I kept pushing. I could hear someone right behind me. That kept me pushing hard til the very end.
As I crossed the finish line, my kids were right there. Bo and Drew were cheering for Daddy. I ended up finishing with a time of 21:54. No PR... but I did make it in my goal time, and it is my third fastest 5K ever! Man, I was so excited for the rest of the day. It felt so good to put in a great time like that!
I took a second to catch my breath, then the kids and I cheered as Nanette crossed the finish line. I could tell by the look on her face that she also had a tough 3rd mile, but she did great. Especially when taking into account our little 5 month old Claire.
The Sea Rim Striders running club held a 5K Fun Run at Tyrrell Park this morning. Even though this wasn't a "big" race, this is the first time this year Nanette and I were able to benchmark our recent training efforts. Our training has been pretty consistent since the beginning of the year, but there just haven't been many local events to compete in. Even the run this morning was just a Fun Run. No awards, no age groups, just you against the clock for your own satisfaction.
Usually, Nanette and I take turns pushing Bowman and Drew in the jogging stroller. Now that we have Claire, we are still trying to figure out whether we should each run with a stroller or whether we should trade off who gets to run each race. Thankfully we had a better option this morning. Our neice was kind enough to come to the race and watch all three children while we ran.
The weather was perfect...sunny, cool, no noticable wind. I felt strong. I wanted to see just how close I could get to my PR (Personal Record) of 21:39. I've felt so good during my recent workouts that I actually believed that I could set a new PR this morning. But not wanting to be too disappointed if I didn't I set a primary goal of breaking 22:00, and a secondary goal of PRing.
When the race started, I just tried to settle into a comfortably hard pace. My plan was to run right at a 6:55 for each mile, then kick it in for the last quarter mile. I kept watching my Garmin to make sure I wasn't starting off too fast. I was seeing 8:45... 8:32... 7:55... and I thought, "come on! pick it up!", then I watched as my pace kept dropping 7:05... 6:55...6:32... 6:10. "Whoa! slow down!" I finally settled into about a 6:50 pace for the rest of the mile. I was starting to feel it in my legs, but I felt like I was still holding back quite a bit. Mile 1 split: 6:57. Right on target! Things continued to feel good. I was at the right pace and it felt like I could hold it for quite a while. Then at the turn around point, right around 1.5 miles, I felt a side stitch starting. OK, I know how to deal with these. Change my breathing... I was able to fight it off for a while, but now my pace had dropped a little. Mile 2 split: 7:01. By this time I was starting to hurt. My legs felt heavy, my side stitch was getting worse. I kept looking at my Garmin...7:10...7:15. "Just hold on for one more mile..." Finally, I rounded the last turn, and I could see the finish line in sight. Mile 3 split: 7:18... PR was gone for sure, but I kept pushing. I could hear someone right behind me. That kept me pushing hard til the very end.
As I crossed the finish line, my kids were right there. Bo and Drew were cheering for Daddy. I ended up finishing with a time of 21:54. No PR... but I did make it in my goal time, and it is my third fastest 5K ever! Man, I was so excited for the rest of the day. It felt so good to put in a great time like that!
I took a second to catch my breath, then the kids and I cheered as Nanette crossed the finish line. I could tell by the look on her face that she also had a tough 3rd mile, but she did great. Especially when taking into account our little 5 month old Claire.
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