April 2011

Total Distance: 415.3 KM/258.07 mi (a new PR over March)

Highest Weekly Mileage: 105 KM/65 mi (Week 16)

# Runs: 30

# Doubles: 5

# Non-Run Workouts: 0

# Rest days: 5 (1 unplanned - sick)

Races: Martian Marathon, Spring Thaw 5K, Uxbridge Half

Favourite Run: Martian Marathon hands down - great event, nice weather and I ran the best race of my life!

Most Hardcore Run: Spring Thaw 5K - it may have been short, but the most miserable race weather EVER

Book of the Month: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (This is the 2nd book in a young adult trilogy. Yes, young adult. I have no shame.)

Song of the Month: Pearl - Katy Perry 

Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: making plans with hubs for all the JUNK FOOD we intend to eat after May 15th

Obsession of the Month: hand sanitizer

Indulgence of the Month: Cadbury Mini Eggs

Drink of the Month: waterwaterwaterwaterwater

Current Wish-List: perfect weather on May 15th - too much to ask??

Current Need: control of my appetite! I am always hungry.

Triumph of the Month: Marathon PR of 3:46 on a glorified training run

Current Bane of my Existence: the wind! I swear it is windy every day 

Current Blessings: the time, resources and ability to reach my goals for this training cycle, and those who continue to support me

Current Excitement: race season is in full swing; this will be my third weekend in a row with a race!

Current Goal: 10K PR tomorrow and marathon PR in 2 weeks

Foto Friday

Uxbridge Race Pics

I totally passed these guys in the woods:

Finishing:

Podium:

 

Have a great weekend!

Three Things Thursday

1. Yesterday I received some goodies in the mail!

First up, my much anticipated age-group award from the Martian Marathon:

Practicing for May 15th...

What's your best martini recipe?

I also got my medal for placing first in my age group at the Spring Thaw 5K:

And last but not least, Candice at I Have Run sent me this "RUNNERD" sticker for all of my runnerd-ing out during our drive to Michigan.  

Thanks Candice!

2. We've had our first taste of muggy mornings around here. Let the sweat-fest begin! During my run this morning I had a moment of insanity courage and actually tied my shirt around my waist, running in my sports bra. Apologies to the handful of people who had to witness my white fleshy tummy in person; luckily it was still dark and there weren't many people out.

Coming soon to the cover of Runners World!

 

3. Sporting Life 10K is this Sunday. So far, Nolan's Dream Chasers have collectively raised $4,920 for Camp Oochigeas. Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored me: Patricia, Vladimir, Richelle, Jennifer, Barb, Paula, Kenny, Michael, Jen, Juliana, Kevin, Kelly and Becky!

There's still time to donate and enter my fundraiser giveaway!

I've participated for the past three years and definitely look forward to this event every year. It's draws a massive crowd with all the fun that goes along with it, including entertainment every mile. It's a point-to-point FAST downhill course and definitely the place to PR.

Goals:

A: Sub-45:00
B: Sub-47:00 to beat my "unofficial" PR set during a training run in February
C: Sub-47:59 to beat my "official" PR from SL10K 2009

 

Tired

I'm in my final week of big training, following two weeks with mileage PRs, serious workouts and even races. There's no doubt that I'm tired at this point, but in a way I feel like it's a reward for all the hard work. I'm getting the results I want and with each tough workout that I push through, I can feel myself getting closer to that finish line.

And it's not only the training - it sometimes feels like all I do is eat, sleep, work, run, repeat. While I love running and everything that goes along with it, it can get exhausting. Staying on top of the nutrition, keeping up with the laundry, updating training logs and communicating with my pseudo-coaches... I love all of these things (except maybe the laundry), but it's tiring.

But don't you worry, I realize there's a bit more work to be done and I know I can do it. I still have to finish off this last big week, and then two weeks of taper in which I will be slacking off much less than I have in the past. We're into the home stretch, but we're not quite there yet.

Speaking of tiring... yesterday I had a double workout for "Twosday". And not just any double, but two of the same workout. At first I worried it might be a little boring - silly me, I should know by now that hubs' workouts are anything but boring!

AM: 12K with 10K [faster than] MRP
PM: 12K with 10K [faster than] MRP

I was up at 4:30 for the first run and it was a mild but rainy morning. I had a hard time forcing myself out the door, but it was pretty nice once I got going - except for the puddles and snails everywhere (which I could not see in the dark). *splash* *crunch*

My legs always feel heavy and slow at that hour and it took a long time to get going. The warm-up was extremely slow, which is fine, but my legs would not wake-up until about half way through the workout portion. Normally on these MRP workouts I find my pace slipping into the "too fast" zone when I don't pay attention and I have to reel it in; this time it would creep slower and slower and I had to focus on keeping the pace and momentum. I had to work for it; this is the kind of experience I need for race day, right?

Goal: 5:00-5:10/KM (MRP is 5:13)

5:07 - 5:08 - 5:07 - 5:07 - 5:07
5:05 - 5:05 - 5:04 - 5:03 - 5:01
avg: 5:04/KM (8:09/mi)

After work I was having some deja vu as I headed out to repeat the workout. This time hubs joined me for the first half as he wrapped up his miles for the day. I felt extremely sluggish starting out, but settled into the pace a little more easily this time.

5:06 - 5:05 - 5:09 - 5:04 - 5:01
5:02 - 5:00 - 5:01 - 5:00 - 4:56
avg: 5:02/KM (8:06/mi)

If there's one thing I am getting a good handle on, it's pushing that [faster than] MRP when tired... and I can't think of a better way to prepare for a marathon.

So the moral of the story is: I'm tired, but that's okay!

Week 16

With the second of my final three big weeks successfully completed, the home stretch is finally in sight. I can hardly believe it's been 16 weeks, nor can I believe the mileage and workouts that I've been able to handle. I am so grateful that my body has been holding up, and for all the support that I've had along the way. Not much longer now!



Monday - rest


Tuesday - 24K with 3x(800[5KRP]-1600[10KRP]-3200[MRP])

Whatchmacallit Workout

24.0KM (14.9mi) - 2:02:28 - 5:06/KM (8:13/mi)

Wednesday - 13K recovery

Nice and easy Wednesday night run with the usual group. Juliana and I stuck together and kept each other in line pace-wise, while chatting and getting all caught up on things. The time flew by.

13.2KM (8.2mi) - 1:17:47 - 5:54/KM (9:29/mi)



Thursday - 15K with 4 x 2000 at descending pace

It was clinic night and I adjusted my schedule so I could stick with the group for some speed work. First we got to hear lots of great stories from the Boston crew - I am so thrilled for all of my friends and it has been quite a thrill having even a small role in all the excitement.

Then it was on to the workout! The plan was to start our first interval at MRP, increasing by about 10s/KM with each subsequent interval. I hung with my pace group for the entire workout - until the last kilometre when I took off like a rocket chasing the faster pace group up ahead. :)

5:09 - 5:12
4:59 - 4:59
4:45 - 4:45
4:32 - 3:59*

*fastest kilometre I have ever clocked!

15.1KM (9.4 mi) - 1:18:58 - 5:13/KM (8:25/mi)



Friday - 8K recovery

It was sooo nice to have Good Friday off work and my day started with a much-needed sleep-in! After a slow start to the day, I eventually made my way over to the park for a nice and easy run. It was a beautiful morning! My legs were pretty pooped and I had no problem keeping the pace slow.

8.0KM (5.0 mi) - 48:42 - 6:05/KM (9:48/mi)



Saturday - Uxbridge Half Marathon + 11K warm-up, 26K at MRP

Uxbridge "Run for the Diamond" Half Marathon Race Report

11.0KM (6.8mi) - 1:03:12 - 5:45/KM (9:15/mi)

21.1KM (13.1mi) - 1:46:19 - 5:02/KM (8:07/mi)

 
 
 

















Sunday - 12K recovery
 
I had some recovery miles on deck to wrap up my mileage for the week, and decided to break it into two shorter runs. My legs were feeling surprisingly good after Saturday's race. I hit the neighbourhood streets and kept comfortable for both runs.

In between the runs I set up a water station for my buddies who were out tackling their long run. I had lots of water, gatorade, fresh oranges (apparently the "best tasting oranges ever!") and some candy. Having been on the receiving end of these little goodie stations on a long run, I know just how refreshing it is so I was happy to give back when I had the opportunity.

 
12.5KM (7.8mi) - 1:10:57 - 5:41/KM (9:08/mi)
(two runs of 6K and 6.5, but I forgot to reset so it recorded as one)
 
 
 
Total Week 16 Mileage: 105 KM (65.2mi)
Total time: 9:28:13
Average pace: 5:25/KM (8:43/mi)
 
3 weeks til Mississauga Marathon!

Uxbridge "Run for the Diamond" Half Marathon Race Report

Well I didn't win the diamond... but I did win some age group bling!

On Saturday I woke up to - what a surprise - wind and rain. After going through the usual morning routine and packing a few wardrobe options, we headed off to Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge. I picked up my packet and then got ready for an extended warm-up.

My plan was to run 11K before the race, with 6K easy and 5K at MRP. Hubs joined me and we set off to explore the quaint little town. We ran a couple of out-and-backs into the "downtown" area, along an old railway trail and finally in a residential neighbourhood. The wind was pretty strong and it rained lightly the entire time, but it still felt quite warm.

11.0KM (6.8mi) - 1:03:12 - 5:45/KM (9:15/mi)
5K MRP at avg pace 5:11/KM (8:20/mi) [goal 5:13/km (8:23/mi) or better]

I made a complete wardrobe change in the car (including shoes and socks) and decided to wear short sleeves, hoping I wouldn't regret it if it was very wet and windy out on the course. We walked back up to the golf club and I made one last potty stop while waiting for the start.

It was a small event so I waited until the last couple of minutes to hand off my jacket to hubs and line up. During the final announcements we were instructed to follow the green flags on the trails and suddenly I had a feeling that I might be in for a bit of a surprise out there.

The course started out on rolling country roads and we quickly spread out as everyone got going. I knew right away that it was going to be pretty quiet out there. I turned up my music, took in the scenery and allowed the first few miles to tick by. I was running MRP perfectly as planned, although I could feel that I was working for it when running uphill and/or into the wind. It continued raining but the temp was mild enough that I felt pretty comfortable.

Around the 5K mark we were suddenly directed down a deep ditch, followed by a sharp climb into the woods. And that's when I knew things were going to get interesting! The next 9K were primarily on wooded trails, unlike anything I have ever "raced" on before. I had to keep a close eye on the flags as well as the footing as I made my way up and down, winding all over the place.

It was impossible to maintain any form of consistent pacing, so I stopped checking the Garmin and focused on keeping a steady effort (and not wiping out in the process).

I would occasionally find myself running behind another runner for a while before eventually passing, but for the most part I felt alone out there. The volunteers were excellent at the aid stations and I made sure to thank everyone, though I was carrying my own water.

Some of the hills were really wearing me out and at times I was tempted to give up slow it down to a comfortable pace. I reminded myself what this should feel like during the marathon and forced myself to imagine what I would do if I was feeling like that with 5, 10 or 15K left to go: keep pushing! (and then I also remembered that thankfully I will not be running my goal marathon in the woods!)

With a third of the race to go, we were finished on the trails and picked up the cart paths of Wooden Sticks Golf Club. This was the section that we had been warned about and I was slightly nervous about what lay ahead, since I had already found the first 14K extremely challenging.

"The last 7K  of the 1/2 marathon and 10K on the golf cart paths are challenging.  It is a rolling course, with the last 2K being the toughest.  There is a final climb to the finish."

I could see for miles looking out over the rolling landscape of the golf course and it was slightly intimidating, but also beautiful. I also hit a wall of wind coming out of the woods, but the course changed direction so frequently that I never had to run straight into it for very long.

I made my way along the marked paths and the climbs were short, but steep. And plentiful. With 5K to go I finally checked my Garmin to see if I was on pace overall, and I was surprised to see that a 1:50 finish was well within reach. I plugged along and found myself pushing a bit harder. I caught up to a couple of guys and tagged along behind for a few minutes before passing. I couldn't believe how lonely it was out there!

Before long I could hear the finish area and found myself tackling that final climb we had been warned of. At this point I knew I was way ahead of my goal, so I relaxed and even walked a couple of paces. I got to the top, made one quick turn and the finish line was pretty much right there.

A lady yelled out to me that I was the 5th female, and I smiled big, but thought "No way!" I spotted hubs [who was taking a video, which I'll post later] and ran it in.

1:46:19

30/221 overall

5/128 females

2/14 F20-29

We were treated to a buffet-lunch in the golf club after the race (which I shared with my supportive and patient sherpa) and of course we stayed for the awards! Since the overall female winner was first in my age group, I was awarded top spot on the podium!

I won a $75 gift cert for a local shoe store.

I got to meet two readers during/after the awards, which was such a nice treat! Hi Jeff and Jennifer!

The sun came out shortly after the race and it warmed up quickly. I was actually grateful for the rainy morning or I would have been pretty toasty out there.

It was a great experience overall. I love the feel of small races, especially when they are well-organized with excellent amenities such as this one. I would definitely recommend it (if you're up for a scenic but challenging course!) and I'll probably be back next year. Maybe I'll win the diamond next time!

While I ran quite a bit faster than planned overall and didn't exactly get the steady MRP pacing practice I was hoping for, I know I put in a good solid effort and a strong run for my final 20 miler.

eta: race pics

Three Things Thursday

1. I've updated by Boston Envy post to include links to race reports (or parts of race reports/preliminary check-ins) and will continue to update as they become available. If you're looking for some inspiration, it's a good place to start! Do you have a Boston Marathon race report that I should add to the list? Please let me know!

(Aron's photo)

2. This deserves special mention: a great big congratulations to Steph over at Steph's 50 Marathon Challenge for completing her 50-state quest at Boston!

3. On Saturday I'm running the Uxbridge "Run for the Diamond" Half Marathon. All participants will be entered in a draw to win a diamond worth $5000 - hence the name. The race takes place at Wooden Sticks Golf Course Club, heading out along country roads, then venturing into the Countryside Preserve Trail System and finally finishing up on the cart paths.

An email came out from the race director yesterday stating:

"The last 7K  of the 1/2 marathon and 10K on the golf cart paths are challenging.  It is a rolling course, with the last 2K being the toughest.  There is a final climb to the finish."

Ouch!! My plan/goal is to run about 11K before to put in 20 miles for the day (I have a habit of doing this), running the half marathon as well as 5K of the warm-up at goal marathon pace (26K/16mi total MRP). I'm expecting it to be a challenge, especially at the tail end of the half given the warning above. My ultimate goal, of course, is to practice some pacing and finish strong win the diamond.

Happy Easter and have a great long weekend!

Whatchmacallit Workout

Remember this workout from a few weeks ago? I called it the "triple threat" and then Lindsay re-named it "the marlene" when she tackled it. Hubs calls it "fatigue fighter." Either way, it's a crazy workout and it just got bigger.

The original workout:

800 @ 5KRP - 1600 @ 10KRP - 3200 @ MRP [back to back!]
1000 recovery
3200 @ MRP - 1600 @ 10KRP - 800 @ 5KRP [back to back!]

The BIGGER vesion:
 
800 @ 5KRP - 1600 @ 10KRP - 3200 @ MRP [back to back!]
1000 recovery
3200 @ MRP - 1600 @ 10KRP - 800 @ 5KRP [back to back!]
1000 recovery
800 @ 5KRP - 1600 @ 10KRP - 3200 @ MRP [back to back!]

Question: When you are running a workout based on race paces, do you use your goal pace or your PR pace? I've been using my 5K and 10K goal paces, mostly because I felt my PRs were outdated and not in line with my current ability. (Of course, my 5K PR is no longer outdated!)

This was also going to be my longest continuous medium-long run of this training cycle, since I've been running them in two-a-days. 15 miles on a Tuesday night... only slightly overwhelming.

I headed to the park after work and things were off to a great start: my beloved port-o-potty is finally back! We will be getting to know each other very well in the coming months.

I took a quick peak at my cheat-sheet:

Translation:

After a nice warm-up around the park, it was time to get going.

It was a struggle to get through each of the 800 & 1600 repeats, but the MRP 3200's came easily. Good thing I don't have to run a marathon at 5K or 10K pace. :) My legs just didn't seem to want to move fast. I did the best I could, though I admittedly hit pause for a breather after the second 1600 and third 800. Overall, it was just a loooong workout and I was tired.

I got caught in a lovely hail storm during the last few miles and boogied back to the car. Snapped a quick pic and headed home for an ice bath and late dinner. I was pooped.



24.0KM (14.9mi) - 2:02:28 - 5:06/KM (8:13/mi)

Boston Envy

What a day yesterday! With records broken and a memorable finish in both the mens' and womens' races, it was a truly exciting day at the Boston Marathon. I was glued to my computer and not getting very much work done as I followed along all morning and into the afternoon.

More than anything, though, I was interested in tracking all of my friends who were out there having the time of their lives and showing us what it's all about.

Congratulations to:

Aron  - race report

Beth - part one, part two

Bethany (and Ryan) - race report

the dawn - race report

Denise - part one, part two

Emily - race report

Emz - race report
 Jill - race report

Kenny - race report
Margs - race report

Meg - race report
Mel - race report
Spike

Steph - race report

And from the Newmarket Running Room Marathon Team, some of my peeps:

John, Lynn, Elaine, Micki, Jayne, Paul, Steve and Jodi!

It was truly inspiring to follow along and absorb just a fraction of the experience. I want to need to will get there one day to have this experience for myself, but for now it is just a thrill to live vicariously through all of the awesome runners named above (and others); I can't wait to continue reading everyone's updates and reports (guess I won't be getting much work done today either).

Of one thing I am certain: I will fight for this. Because someone assures me that it's worth it:  

"all i can say is that it's worth the fight to get here...totally. worth. it!"

Week 15

Week 1 of 3 big ones before taper. It was time to GSD. Unfortunately I was suffering with the lingering effects of a cold, which was mostly just an annoyance with the persistent cough and stuffy head. It didn't interfere with my week too much, thankfully. Now let's hope I can stay healthy through to May 15th!


Monday - rest



Tuesday - 24K 15K [2 workouts] - 4 x 1200 at 5KRP and 10K at 103% MRP 5K easy

Change of Plans/Running Errands














lunch: 10.2KM (6.3mi) - 52:07 - 5:07/KM (8:13/mi)
4 x 1200 at 5KRP: 5:13 - 5:13 - 5:12 - 5:06

eve: 5.7KM (3.5mi) - 32:38 - 5:44/KM (9:13/mi)



Wednesday - 13K recovery

Wednesday night I joined the group and it was another beautiful night with lots of people out in shorts and short sleeves. The route wasn't quite as friendly as I would typically choose for a recovery run, but we kept it nice and slow and the company was excellent as usual.

We had one minor altercation where a disgruntled driver felt the need to honk his horn and yell at the window at us to "get on the sidewalk" even though we were running on a quiet street and sticking to the far left side, out of the way of traffic.

13.1KM (8.1 mi) - 1:17:28 - 5:55/KM (9:31/mi)




Thursday - 16K 24K (2 runs): 4 x 2000 tempo and 10K at 103% MRP

With two workouts for the day, I wanted to spread them out a little more than a lunch run allows, so that meant a 4:30AM wake-up to run my tempo intervals in the morning. I was pretty sleepy, but enjoyed being out in the quiet darkness all by myself. I warmed up extra slowly to give my legs a chance to wake-up, and then it was on to the intervals.

4 x 2000 at tempo pace (goal 4:40/KM) with 500 recoveries.

4:41 - 4:39
4:40 - 4:40
4:39 - 4:39
avg pace 4:40/KM (7:30/mi)

11.3KM (7.0mi) - 1:00:07 - 5:19/KM (8:34/mi)

I hoped that a cold bath after the run would help refresh my legs for their next workout!

After work it was off the clinic where we had MRP to tackle. I was scheduled for 10K at 103% MRP (3% faster than MRP) but the group was only doing 9 and I was already going to be over my planned kilometres for the day so I decided I could cut one.

Target pace: ~5:04/KM

I stuck with a few buddies and we took turns setting the pace, keeping it conversational - until the last one when we decided to blast off and "race" to the finish. I may have cut the workout slightly short, but there was no shortage of overall effort!

Splits: 5:07, 5:07, 5:04, 5:04, 5:07, 5:09, 5:00, 4:43, 4:16 (!!!)
Average pace: 4:58/KM (7:59/mi)

I felt surprisingly good for my second workout of the day, and almost 16 miles total!

14.1KM (8.8mi) - 1:13:37 - 5:13/KM (8:24/mi)



Friday - recovery

I was cold, tired and feeling lazy as I set out for some early morning miles before a 7:30 physio appointment. For some reason I didn't feel like going far from home so I ended up making myself dizzy running a bunch of tiny loops in our neighborhood - just kept it slow and got it done.

4.5KM (2.8mi) - 28:52 - 6:25/KM (10:19/mi)



Saturday - 5K race

Spring Thaw 5K Race Report

warm-up: 4.0KM (2.5mi) - 23:21 - 5:50/KM (9:24/mi)

race: 5.0KM (3.1mi) - 21:34 - 4:19/KM (6:56/mi)

Sunday - 35K with 18K MRP

Having already completed 4 workouts this week, including a 5K race the day before, I had given myself permission to omit the MRP if I wasn't feeling it. It was a pretty miserable morning - lots of wind, cold, snowing sideways at the start. (yes, SNOW) The snow eventually cleared up and the sun came out, but the wind was killer.

I ran with my group, adding on a few miles before, and we just cruised through it. I was tired almost the entire time and was happy for the company and no pace pressure. We kept it comfortable and had a quick pit stop that one of our runners had set up at his house - water, gatorade, oranges, gummy bears and cookies! It was so tempting to just stay there and be done with it, but we had 8K to go. I was really happy to finish off my last 35K run of this cycle.

35.0KM (21.75mi) - 3:19:03 - 5:41/KM (9:09/mi)

I was absolutely bagged in the afternoon and had not one but two great naps, only peeling myself off the couch when we needed to get some food. This was a huge week for me, my highest official training week ever so it's no wonder I was so tired, especially since I was still battling the lingering effects of a cold. I went to bed early last night and had a really good sleep, and am feeling refreshed this morning and ready to tackle another big week.

 

Total Week 15 Mileage: 103 KM (64mi)

Total time: 9:28:48

Average pace: 5:31/KM (8:52/mi)

4 weeks to Mississauga Marathon!

Spring Thaw 5K Race Report

Waking up to howling winds and rain pounding the walls is not the best way to start race morning. I knew we were in for some miserable conditions as we drove north to Barrie for the Spring Thaw 5K.

We arrived at Heritage Park to find severe winds and horizontal rain on the waterfront. Tents and signs were blowing all over the place and the poor volunteers were freezing half to death and desperately trying not to let the bibs fly away at race kit pick-up.

Miserable morning on the lake.

We stayed warm and dry in the car for a while before convincing ourselves that it was time to warm-up. We ran a little out and back on the race route and confirmed just how miserable it was. The wind was insane (40 kph/24 mph +) and the rain was just making me cold and grumpy! I was not looking forward to racing!

Yesterday hubs came down with my cold  [I'm still coughing/stuffy] and did the warm-up as a test run, but ultimately decided to sit out the race.

After swapping my jacket, I made a quick stop at the washroom and hubs walked me over to the starting area.

Whose idea was this???

It was a really small event (130 runners) and I lined up pretty close to the front. In 3-2-1 the air horn sounded and we were off.

I took off pretty quick and tried to settle into my pace without tripping on the pint-size runners who seemed to be all around me. Damn, those kids are fast! I glanced at my Garmin after a few hundred metres to see an average under 4:00/KM (6:26/mi) - oops! I reeled it in and continued along the waterfront trail, dodging some puddles but mostly just splashing through them since I was already drenched.

KM 1: 4:18

We turned directly into the wind after the first marker and it was horrible all the way to the half-way turn-around. Seeing my pace was discouraging so I tried not to look at it and just kept the effort going. I caught up to a guy from my training group, Marc, and we chatted briefly.

me: "this sucks"

him: "yep"

KM 2: 4:37

I just concentrated on getting to the turn-around, knowing I would have somewhat of a reprieve from the wind at that point. I was slowly able to get my pace closer to where I wanted it, but I was working hard. I was hanging with Marc and it helped having a bit of company competition. Finally, we hit the turn-around, where we hung a quick 180 and headed down a short hill onto an adjoining path. There was immediate relief from the wind. Phew.

KM 3: 4:22

I got into a groove here, staying beside or slightly behind Marc. I was busting a$$ on the pace and it certainly didn't feel "comfortable", but at this point I knew a PR was well within reach despite earlier doubts. We were still getting hit with the occasional gust of wind from the side and of course the relentless rain. I wanted to thank the volunteers profusely for standing out there for us, but the best I could do was a quick smile and wave.

KM 4: 4:15

Everything was familiar now, from our warm-up and the first part of the race. I was picking off landmarks and knew exactly where the finish line was. Marc had pulled slightly ahead but I worked on chasing him down. During the second half of this kilometre, I was running like I never have. I stopped looking at my watch and just pushed as hard as I could. Finally I could hear and then see the finish line and it was an all out sprint. I caught and passed Marc just steps before the line. [his chip time was 2 seconds faster, so technically I didn't "beat" him - but who's counting? ;)]

KM 5: 4:01 (!!!)

Chip time: 21:34

Pace: 4:19/KM (6:56/mi)

23/130 Overall

4/67 Females

1/12 F20-29

My 5K time was stuck in the 22:30s for two years, so needless to say I was ecstatic with this PR of 1 minute and 1 second. I can't help but wonder what I could have done on a good day...