Saturday Dec. 19th: Say No To Drugs 5K in Clearwater Race Report
It was a cold (OK it was only 46 degrees) and windy morning. Got up before 5Am to make it to Clearwater early to get registered and ready to run. The race was delayed because there were so many people and they weren't able to get the numbers and packets handed out quickly enough. That's why if you go to a race, make sure to get there early to pickup up your packet and use the bathroom!
Considering the wind and the large bridge we had to cross coming and going, I was pleased with my time of 20:02. Amazingly, I ran almost even mile splits. I won my age group, but have to wait for my award because of a timing error where my timing chip did not get registered.
My wace went well. I started out pretty fast hoping to bank some time before I hit the bridge and the wind. Going up the bridge felt like someone attached a parachute to my back. Hitting the turnaround was nice and I held strong going over the bridge again. After another small hill, hit the wind again to fiinish the third mile. The finish was all down hill and fast!!
Yes, I did beat they guy behind me!!
Saturday Dec 12th: Reindeer Run Race Report
Ran the Reindeer Run 5K at Lake Jovita this morning. Finished 3rd overall in a time of 19:22 which is really good considering the course was fairly hilly with a steep incline to the finish. I managed to stay fairly close to the two leaders until just after the two mile mark where my lack of hill training was taking effect and I had to shut it down a bit and coast to the finish. Officially, I placed 2nd in my age group but should have been first because the race winner was also in my age group and the ones doing the race did the placings wrong so that he also got the age group award as well. They also did the same with the overall female/masters winner got both. Melissa and Robbie are both freinds of mine and I was impressed that Melissa pointed out the fac to the race organiser t that she should not have gotten the masters award and the overall. Robbie didn't even stick around for the age group award. Oh well, the medals were pretty generic. I will have to put something on to even tell what race it came from.
Overall, it was a good race with decent shirts (need to be short sleeve though), good after race refreshments and a challenging course that was accurately distanced..
Considering the number of races around the area this day, the runner turnout was OK with 160 or so participating.
Things that need to be improved at this race is faster completion of scoring. They need a bin for each age group to make for easy scoring. Standard scoring where overall winners do not receive age group awards. Medals with at least the race logo on instead of generic medals that says "Running" on them.
I think if they clean up a couple things, the race could attract more and faster runners.
Dec. 9th: Nasty running weather
Gotta love Florida. It is "Winter" and tonight's weather was a balmy 75 degrees with 92% humidity. Hasn't felt that nasty since late October, early November. Probably could have used a little water on my hour and a half run tonight. My right calf started having some issues near the end. Didn't feel like a cramp, but would get a sharp pain a couple times. Not sure if due to needing some water or an accumulation of all the miles I have been putting in. At least the weather is supposed to cool off a bit tomorrow and get back down to normal. Looking forward to racing Saturday at the Reindeer Run in Lake Jovita.
Dec. 5th: 2 hour run
Had a good 2 hour run today. It was raining this morning so I ended up sleeping in. Got out around 3PM and finished up in time to shower and head out to the Christmas parade.
Was nice and cool. Actually felt cooler than the temperature said. Started out at 60 degrees and ended at 56 degrees with a fairly stiff wind at times.
Using my Garmin, my runs are based on time and heart rate and not distance and pace. I set my hear rate a couple beats higher so I didn't go over 145 which is my aerobic target heart rate.
Ended up with one of my faster training runs. Ran 15.32 miles in just over 2 hours at 7:55/mile and an average heart rate of 145. Perfect!!
For the week, I have put in 55 miles. Would have been more, but had to skip two straight days due to a concert and bad weather. It was probably good to get a little rest in though.
Looking forward to the Lake Jovita Reindeer 5K run next Saturday. Will be interesting to see how my time holds up with the added bonus of hills.
Nov. 27th-What motivates you?
I was on the ChiRunning message board this morning and read a post from a woman who is getting married and wanted to know how to motivate herself to get out and run. She stated that she has only run 3-4 mile per week at the most. I assume she is wanting to lose weight for her wedding.
It got me to thinking about what motivates us to get out to run or do anything.
From reading this lady's post, it seems that if you asked her why she was running, the answer might be something like "I want to lose weight for my wedding" or "I want to look good for my new husband". These are fine reasons except for being external. She would be running to make herself look good for others.
I believe that true motivation can only come from inside you. You must want something for yourself in order to really go after it. It seems that when people start saying that they are doing something like exercise to look good or be healthy for someone else is when it fails. Same goes for smokers. Ever heard someone say that they are quitting because of someone else?
There are times when external reasons can be real motivators but they most times benefit you also. Like, I need money to feed my family or I am raising money in the name of someone close to you for charity.
People have are hard time getting motivated to run. Most people start running to lose weight or get healthy which is great, but tangible results can be tough to see.
For me, running races is the best motivator to get out and run. There is no better motivation than to enter a race and know you either train to run or suffer greatly. Running races is for me and me only. I enjoy it. I love setting goals and trying to accomplish them. I am in almost full control of what happens to me in a race. I love seeing the stronger I get through training, the lower my times get and the more times I win awards. Then there are the times I don't do so well and I have to figure out why and tweak accordingly.
So, figure out what you really want for you, get out and do it!
Nov. 26th-YMCA Gobble Run Race Report
Thanksgiving morning started great by going out to run a race (OK, it was a "Fun Run"). Everyone participated in the Gobble Run at Al Lopez Park in Tampa. The skies were clear and good temperatures. With the Turkey Trot in Clearwater, I was impressed at the good turnout with a few quality runners.
With all the mileage I have been putting in, I wasn't sure how my time would be. I did lay off a little this week.
I started the race feeling strong and was actually holding myself back. I ended up with a 1st mile time of 5:55 (my fastest ever 1st mile split). I was worried that I would pay for that. I kept the 2nd mile comfortable and ran 6:20. I felt good after 2 miles, so I picked up the pace popping off a 6:05 3rd mile. This was my fastest ever 3rd mile and one of the only times I have ever run a faster 3rd mile. I finish with a new new PR of 19:02 which beat my previous best of 19:12 that I did at Saddlebrook 2 weeks before. Between the 5K and 10K runners, I was 8th overall when I finished.
I was bummed that I didn't break the 18 minute barrier. Maybe if it wasn't a fun run, I would have pushed just a bit and gotten it. Getting below 19 minutes is my 5K goal for this year. I have 2 more races to accomplish the goal.
Another happy note, Christopher shattered his PR by almost 4 minutes finishing in 26:20!!
Next race is December 12th for the Reindeer Run 5K at Lake Jovita. This race is supposed to be hilly, so I won't be counting on quite as good a time...but who knows!