Stepping outside...

I'm sitting at my desk at home, my kids are still at school, the bags are packed and the boarding passes are in my bag. My heart is already racing, and I haven't even driven out of the driveway! At some point last summer or fall, I can't remember which, I felt extreme excitement over the idea of racing the Oceanside 70.3.  I was ( am ) stale from racing many of the same events year after year.  This one caught my eye and  I registered. Just like that.  Done.  My 2013 started to take shape and it is clearing going to be one full of adventure.  I am stepping way way outside my comfort zone. Oceanside 70.3 on Saturday, a quick turnaround to a training camp in TX, and the back to the Lonestar state for the Ironman in May. (did you hear my voice shaking?? ) 

If you read this blog, you know I'm a New England girl.  I love all 4 seasons, including winter. Maine is never boring that way.  And this winter, we were blessed with lots of great fat white cold snow to play in and ski on!  What's the point? I am about to swim in the ocean, Bike ( OUTSIDE!)  56 miles, and top it off with a little half marathon. ( That part I have covered.)  OHMYGOSH!!!!  I'm staring out the window at white! It's only 40 degrees ( but really, that's kind of warm for us these days... ) and I have only been outside on my bike TWO Times!!!!

Yup... I've only been outside on my bike, two times. Yet,  I have pedaled for hours and hours. I've worked damn hard and I've put in some good training... but it feels very very odd to be heading to a race where it's warm and sunny when there's snow on the ground and ice on the lakes where I am. 

Time for me to put on the blinders and fly outta here. Once we land in the warm sunny land of Southern California (where, interestingly, I lived as a 22 year old fresh out of college. Triathlon wasn't even a sport I talked about yet... if it had been, I might not have returned to Maine! So good thing they kept it a secret from me while I was there.), it will be easy for me to fall into my zone. 

I'm excited to race.I really am. I think I'm ready to go push my limits and have a great day.  But I'd be lying if I didn't admit total nerves right now. However, I  have faith in my experience and my strength and so my plan is to just get out there and do what I do! 

  

Two more hours and we're off!!!  

scenes from Oceanside, CA 70.3 

The pier

swim start 

overlooking the run route 

I can't make up my mind!!!

I am sitting here in a complete flux. I have no idea what to do.

I'm racing Ironman Texas. In May.

The problem is, I live in Maine. This time of year, it's part snowy, part cold, part rainy, back to snow, with lots and lots of sand on the roads. Spring can be nice but it's also very unpredictable.

Texas, is hot. Period. At least it is to a Maine girl.

What on earth was I thinking??? Actually.. .I know what I was thinking and I'll get back to that later. I did this for a reason.

So there's this camp.... In Texas.  It's two weeks after my 70.3 race in Oceanside. It's on the Ironman course and run by a coach who lives ON the IM course. She knows the ins and outs of the event.

At camp, we would ride 112 miles on the course ( and a run and a massage and a talk ) and the next day run 3 hrs on the course ( and a ride and  a massage and a swim and talk on T1 and T2.)

Hmm..... it's a Long long way to go for a 2 day camp.  Travelling that far with a bike, isn't easy nor is it free. Ugh... plane ticket shopping is not fun. at. all.

the short summary:

pros--
two + days ( I'd go on Thurs) of solid training in heat and sun ( just like the race)
two + days of Training on the race course I'm hoping to nail but have never laid eyes on and never talked to anyone who has done the event.
two + days of hard training without worrying about rain or snow or cold temps... you just never know here in April

cons--
packing my bike and traveling with my bike and then having to reBuild that bike Alone!!!
expense--what is the Deal with the airlines these days!!???
travel and the stress of that alone.. it's tiring.

I can't decide.
I've been staring at various flight choices over and over for two days now. Scrolling between kayak.com, priceline.com, travelocity, southwest.com. Messing with different dates, different airports, different times of day, round trip vs one way... and I'm going Crazy!!!

Any advice??

should I stay or should I go..............????


But all that aside----
Happy Happy Birthday to my little man Nick!!!!!!!!!!! You're a true gift to us!!!!!!!!!!

What's up??

It's winter in Maine... This is the time of year that some Mainers get antsy. "Come on Spring! Enough is enough!"  Things like that... 

Honestly.. it sort of drives me crazy.  I mean... it IS only February. We Do live in the most Northeastern State of the U.S. Snow sports and recreation are a huge part of Maine's tourism industry and there are numerous businesses that rely on snowy weather to put meals on their table in July. 

Besides, quitcha belly achin..... I think my Dad used to say something along those lines. Or maybe, it was Mom. Either way, there was low tolerance for whining and complaining around my house.  

I know it can be cold, I know it can be windy and harsh, I know shoveling can be hard and driving is slower... but really.... there are also 101 fun things to do in the snow. So go do them. :) 

Last weekend, we did just that.  ( Well.. we do it every weekend but last weekend was particularly snowy and particularly fun.) A few little shots of my gang. 

I decided to break the mold of my typical Tri Season and sign up for some EARLY early season races. Hmm.... I'm starting to wonder what I was 'on' when I decided that.
Because... it's the EVE of March 1st. And, California's 70.3 Athlete Guide arrived a few days ago.
= Heart palpitations!!!! seriously.. my heart skipped a few beats.

Scary. Why is it scary? Well... as I started this blog, it's Winter in Maine. And I DO love winter. I do. I love it. We have fun. The snow is great. I never growl if it snows.
That being said.....
I can Not ride my bike outside. And it's highly likely I will not before I travel out west on 3/27.
uh oh.....

well.... I think I'll be ok. Right? Someone, tell me I'll be ok. This is new territory for me.

Otherwise... training is going well. Better each week... step by step. I have bad workouts sprinkled in there but overall, I'm feeling stronger on the bike, faster on the roads with less effort and in the pool.... not too bad.  It's coming along. I need to keep the faith, remember where I've been and have confidence in what I can do.

4 hrs on the trainer tomorrow!!!!!
Work now & it pays off on race day.
I just keep remembering that. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right.

43! My magic number ( A race report.... )

CAPE ELIZABETH 10 MILE ROAD RACE 2013 

 I turned 43 last month. I don't  like that number. Not sure why.... it just sounds... old. It sounds...... or rather it doesn't sound , like what I am. It doesn't sound like what I FEEL. I don't feel, nor do I want to feel, 43. Whatever that is!!  I've never been here before!!  But when I was younger, 43 sounded... grown up. It just sounded like a grown up adult and honestly, I kind of feel like a young kid. With grown up responsibilities.. so I know I'm a grown up adult. Can I be both?
I digress...

Hmm...
It can be a trick. Sure, there are many things I am dealing with physically that make each year harder than the last. But mentally.. it's an ongoing game. A battle...

I'm getting older... there's no way I can faster. Oh, she's at least 10 years younger than I am. She will definitely start beating me now. I must be losing muscle mass. My time has passed.... those days are gone... this might be it...sigh... or maybe not... maybe I still have "it"... do I? "  

A few more things go along with that. Those are my light hearted benign thoughts.  I had another post written ( in my head, I store a lot of them up there that never see print) about getting 'old ' and getting real.
Onward!

Today's Race Report--- 
The Cape 10 miler. That's what I always called it.  It's actually Maine Running Company's MidWinter Classic.  Or something like that....

I started running this race a LONG time ago. That's why I call it the Cape 10 miler... I think it used to be called that. I ran it back in college... or right after college at least. ( I haven't done it Every year since... but many of them for sure. ) My Mother and I ran it together one time. We have pictures somewhere and have laughed at our old school running gear. I know at least one of those years I wore a GIANT cotton sweatshirt that would fit my husband. So glad all that has changed.  Although I did see a kid wearing a 'wool' sweater today... ? He was ahead of us though!

_____

I can't remember ever going into this race feeling confident and sure that I was ready to run the goal race pace I had decided on.
It can be a tough time of year to run fast! My race season typically ends late fall, I take a break and then ease back into training.
This year isn't all that different except I am racing a Half Ironman in two months. Less than two months actually. (gulp...) 
That means I have been training and I was ready to run 10 miles today.  But I still lacked 100% confidence in my speed for that distance. During training runs, doing 5 min at my goal pace threw me into a tizzy. 3 x 5 min and I was ready to cry mercy.  But.... yesterday I ran a bit and the pace felt easy peasy... my easy pace was faster....  ok... game on. Let's go after this.

 My goal was to break 1:09. Just because I like breaking big numbers like that. A few years ago, I broke 1:10 for the first time.  Last year, somehow, I knocked it down to 1:09:32 by chasing my husband Mark the whole way.  2012 was a PR that I was happy with except, I absolutely crumbled physically and mentally during the last few  miles last year. It was pathetic. Sure, a PR, and at the end of the day, I am always always happy with that.  Yet I was determined to run this race smarter. And, faster.

On to the race
9:45 a.m. and Off we go...

Mile 1 was easy and fast since it's mostly downhill. I didn't hammer, I was in control, but... I was NOT about to let two ladies I race Tris with get too far from my sight. I could tell they felt smooth and relaxed... oh oh.. I had my work cut out for me!

6:27  to start the day

Mile 2-3 is more interesting with the "Spurwink Hills."  I trained in High School with my XC team on these hills. I remember Mr. Jackson standing on the top yelling to us.. "pump your arms!!"  Those hills were enormous back then.   But now, I live in the Foothills of Western Maine and those hills have shrunk. Thankfully... since there are 3 in a row and they are part of this race course!!

SO up and over we went... quick "spinning" up the hills as Coach Doug advised and then lay down the  power/ strength to get up and over....  6:58 and 6:51 for those two miles.  Mark was right there. But, this year, unlike the last several. I felt like I had the edge on him. ( not that I cared too much if I beat him or not.. but it's how I was gauging myself & how my day was going.

The next mile is flat for a while with a climb up to mile 5. I felt hot!!  I was overdressed. I would Absolutely be throwing my top later to my family when I saw them. 6:47 for  mile 4

Up the hill to  mile 5.. running AWAY if I could from the guy behind me Slapping his feet on the ground. It was driving Mark and I nuts. He sounded like he was wearing flip flops. Funny how sounds are amplified when running in races like that.  Finally found the 1/2 way water stop, grabbed a cup since I had just sucked down a gel, and kept truckin'... Mark and I ... step for step.  6:45 for mile 5

Now the fun begins... the flats at the marsh open up the course to the winds. Cold winds...  and.the long climb starts. It starts with a short but steep hill then a turn to start  a long climb up to the annual cheering spot for my family.  Mile 6--- 6:58   ( last year 7:06)---
The nice boost of 6 kids and my parents!  Thanks Mom, Dad, Tommy, Griffin, Audrey, Nick, Cameron and Jack ( from left to right in the pic w/ Jack down front) !!!!!!!!

 I high fived as many as I could  and made the possible error to throw my jacket and neck warmer. The wind was whipping and my arms that were sweaty under the coat, froze in the air. C'est la vie.. not much I could do! Run faster.... that would get me to warmth sooner.

I said to Mark, "Hey! We don't hurt yet!!! "
He mumbled, a few steps back. "My ass."
I chuckled and told him, "I'm playin' a game! WE DON'T HURT YET!"
"Ohhhh.. okay! I'm with ya!"
:)
I know he was grumbling inside. Haha...
miles 6-8 are tough.. you've gone pretty far but there's a long way to go. A girl in a purple top had passed me on a hill not long ago. I decided that she didn't belong in front of me. I kept my eyes on her back and got ready to make my move.

We are running on a long "deceiving" road by Crescent Beach now... if you drive it, you think it's basically flat or at least downhill. NOPE! It's not. And, when racing a 10 mile race, you feel every little grade. Trust me. The wind was whipping and cold. This race has Certainly seen colder temps and harsher conditions but it was cold out there today. My face was Frozen. And, I had a look on too. I could feel it. I was gritting my teeth. I was squinting my eyes. I was watching my Ave pace like a hawk. To go sub 1:09 I needed an average no more than 6:54.

I was close. I had been hovering around 6:48 but it was at 6:52 now and I didn't have any room to back off. It was time to fight. Now... it was time to hurt.

Miles 7 & 8 were 6:57 and 7:02! Yikes!!! NO! I couldn't afford any mile >7:00.
I had grabbed a cup of Gatorade at 8 , spilled it on my hand, on the front of my white top and am not sure if any actually went in my mouth. Mark was there again. "How do you feel? "
"Great! Time to drop it... "

Tell the brain & tell the body you feel good or... or else. ( Did I actually feel Good?? Hellno! I was digging as deep as I could, I was frozen, my left hamstring hurt, my calf was twinging, I was Tired! My face was Frozen! I was at my Max HR  of 188 and there wasn't anything I wanted to do more than stop running. BUT!  I had TWO more miles to race!!! So no whining allowed!!!!! )   

My teeth were clenched. I was in don't give up now mode. Nothing was going through my brain other than my fight words. ( sorry.. I keep those to myself. :) )
 I hurt. But I wasn't going to miss out on this goal by two seconds! Nope.. not today.
I admit.. there was a minute or two in there that I thought, "Ok, if I drop my pace a bit too much I will Still PR... I am on my way to at Least a low 1:09! and that is Great!! A PR!" But quickly smacked myself back to , "Stop it! You WANT this 1:08! DO IT! NO excuses!"
 Mile 9  6:56
Mark was behind me now. He was close but I was edging him out this year. I can't remember the last time I beat him at this race. Yay... :) I admit, this made me smile. If he was 6 sec ahead of me, that would be totally fine too. But Nick ran up after the race and said, "Who won? Mommy or Daddy?"  I kind of liked hearing, "Mommy." I know.. I'm bad. I never said I wasn't competitive. And, Mark is at peace with that. Thankfully.

I pushed SO HARD right to that finish line. I was razor sharp focused today and being able to do that, felt amazing and rewarding. After struggling with this at my last big race, I found great comfort and happiness knowing  I could dig to that place once again. I finished up with a 6:49
and squeezed out a 1:08:49.  (1st age group, 8th woman OA)

A big fat PR!
 Yes!   And, 43 seconds better than last year!!!
At AGE 43!!!
Ha! My new magic number. Maybe I do like the way it sounds and feels after all.

This is all I need to kick of 2013 on the right note and head to Oceanside 70.3 with new confidence and excitement!

_________________________________________________________

 Here I am with Rockstar TriMoxie Athlete Kim Cole who took 2nd in her 55-60yr age group today!!!!

Three more Rockstar TriMoxie Athletes Kristin Bathe, Katelyn Michaud and Beth Anderson.
Sean Quigley and Leigh Small also ran great races today!

It's 2013!! How did that happen??? Here we go... off on a New Year!   This time of year is both refreshing and overwhelming.  The big holiday season has come and gone and we're all heading down the road to This Season.  There's no more faking it... it's time. Time to get to work and take it seriously. That is, if we want to really knock it out of the park this year.

I just had a birthday. So... I guess that's cool.  I don't like that I'm older and yet, as the cliche says, it Is better than the alternative. And, I do take comfort in the fact that I could basically kick my younger self's arse if given the opportunity.  

My birthday was kind of odd this year.  I left home at 6:30 a.m. being chauffeured by my husband to the Doctor. Then, I spent the next several hours having my mouth reconstructed.  Mmmmmm, oral surgery. I had some periodontal grafting....basically, he took tissue from my palate and sewed it on to the gums on the bottom of my mouth. Just one side. I had this done 15 years ago too. Only then, I had 2 quadrants done at at time ( ultimately all 4) instead of one. I am sore and it hurts, but nothing like last time. Regardless... strange way to spend most of my birthday. I was pumped full of drugs and sent home to lounge in my PJs. That part was nice.  The rest of the day was better though. My kiddos came home and pampered me a bit. They felt sorry for me so I had lost of nice gentle snuggles and hugs and "ooohhhh Mommy does it hurt?"  Not bad for a gaggle of boys!!  They made me a yummy cake with ice cream and some soup for dinner. I was able to eat that so... success. 43 here I come. Ready or not. 

 First up ( for Triathlon) is Oceanside 70.3.  I've never raced out there and have NO idea what to expect but I am in need of new things for my racing at this point.  I want to race new people on new courses.  So off to Cali we go.  From there... I head to Texas.  Ironman Texas is in May and I'm toeing the line. I'm excited. Everyone asks me, why Texas?  Why not!!!  After racing Lake Placid twice and feeling rather fed up with the lack of hospitality from the locals there, I wanted a new venue. I love that it's in May ( although training will be a huge challenge that early in the season up here in Maine) so I can cross that off the list before the kids even get out of school.  ( that's another blog... oh baby are we all busy now with these boys!!!)  My Aunt lives in Houston so it's a great chance to visit her down there instead of up here. That is that! Bring on a challenge!!  From there... who knows. Time will tell.  But, I'm extremely enthused and ready to attack this year and my athletic goals. I have a new coach whom I trust 100% and feel so excited to be working with. I hired Doug Welling  at The Sustainable Athlete a few months ago and I feel so grateful that he has taken me on.  

_____

Moving on from my plan this season, I have a huge blog post written in my head that will take more time than I have right now to write.  I've been stewing about this for months, actually. 

I have become more and more aware of a component in training and race preparation that is holding athletes back.  The Brain Game.  It is HUGE!!!!  I'm on the verge of starting to write this post because I can't hold back now... but I need to stop. 

Let' me just say this.  You can run. You can swim. You can bike and you can do planks until you're blue in the face.  But if you don't figure out how to keep your Head on... and stay tough and focused and mentally Stubborn when it comes to achieving your goals, you will not do it. You can't. If you set high goals, do the training physically, and then waiver... game over.
I believe this with all my heart. I've seen it and I've experienced it. All my life.  

You make it happen or you let the chance slip by because you faltered. Your choice.  

More to come  on this one.......

Interrupted....

Last week was so busy. My kids had a snow day on Monday and that threw me for a loop. Monday is one of my super high powered work 'til I drop dont' stop to eat days. But with high high energy boys home, productivity suffers. It was my son's birthday week so the last two days of the week were over loaded with party errands, baking cakes for parties and cupcakes for the class and of course shopping. Birthday shopping and Christmas shopping. I had appointments and after school activities to shuffle them to. We all know the drill.... it's just life.  By Friday,  I was really tired. I even  started to make a cake... threw in the mix, the butter, and 3 eggs. Next... I put the beater in and started it up. HOLD on... the eggs. They were still whole. Whole entire eggs. Slow down Momma...

I shopped for goodies all morning to make a fun albeit crazy party for my now 11 year old that night. I had been in the kitchen for nearly 3 hours putting together silly food challenges/ games/ making another cake when the random TV show in the background cut out to the Breaking news.

I watched the news unfold. Each minute it was worse.

My body grew numb. I was sick to my stomach. My frenetic motions around the kitchen came to a hault. I was paralyzed. Stuck. Life changed for me at that moment.

I have kids. I have elementary school aged kids. I have worked in schools. I have friends who are teachers. This is too close.
________________

I had been a bit 'nervous' to host 15 boys  and 1 little girl ( love her for joining these guys...!) for a birthday party. How chaotic would my home be that night?
As of 1p.m. on Monday... it no longer mattered. Bring them to my house now and let the noise ring through us.  I wanted kids to surround me.

Firday afternoon, it took all I could not to pick those boys up early that day. I wanted them Home with me. I needed them. But, that would be confusing and upsetting to them. So, instead, I busied myself as best I could, washed my face and tried to gather my own emotions.

Once I finally got them back, Nick, my 8 year old said, "Mommy, WHY are you squeezing me SO hard??" He loved it. He said it with a smile and squeezed me back.  Lucky lucky me...

It's the saddest thing I have ever known in my life. There have been other horrific events, of course. But I am a Mom and this is so real to me. The fact that I can picture it all... is what makes the unimaginable, imaginable. My kids practice lock downs. Do they pay attention? Can I ask them? Will it scare them? Do they do any good? Where would they go if this happened? Are their classrooms in a vulnerable spot? I hate that these thoughts are in my brain now...

None of us know the answers. None of us know how to stop this from happening.  In my head, it's multi-faceted but I only know of One thing I can do.

Sure, we have guns that are way too high powered and fast for the every day citizen,  there's mental illness, insanity, psychosis, and evil. There are too many medications, chemicals in our foods and environment. There are absurdly inappropriate video games that are desensitizing people from reality.  We have technology everywhere that allows already introverted people to withdraw into a life behind a screen.

Who knows... that's just a bit of it right?

But what can I do? All I know is I this. I can make sure my kids know they are loved. They are awesome. They are special and they are worth every single bit of my attention. I vow to be more patient, to listen more, to always put Down what I am doing or look away from my 'screen' to hear them and answer them and talk to them. I vow to hear their concerns and to watch their behaviors. I vow to teach and show them how to be kind and thoughtful of others and to do for others as they would have done to them.I vow to give them something good to take away from every single day and Never ever let them go to bed thinking anything other than we, their parents, think they are the most incredibly awesome people on earth. That is my goal.
I vow to slow down and savor all the moments that are easy to let slip by.
You just never know.

Jingle Bell 5K Race report

Even though it's still 2012, I started the new season yesterday with what is likely to become an annual family event. 

My gang of 5 ran the race last December and this year we recruited my brother's gang of 5 to join us!  I have a handful of fun pictures but this googlechrome is telling me I've reached my max of photo uploads. (I am bothering to write this in case anyone knows how to help me fix that problem...??? )  I might get one photo in here later.... 

When life is super busy and during the work week we are all up and out of our house by either 4 a.m. or 7 a.m., getting up early on a Sunday isn't always welcome.  And yet... things like this are worth it. We went through the routine Sunday morning, ate our oatmeal or bagels and grabbed coffee and headed on our 60 min ride to Freeport.  

The problem is that it's December and the weather can be uncooperative. My husband and I growled as we drove over icy covered roads and watched 28 degree rain pour down on us. Ooops... sorry guys. Who wants to run in that! We definitely anticipated trying to race on roads that were slick with black ice and unsafe and also very slow.  I felt bad.  But, we drove on and hoped for the best. 

Of course... I won't leave you hanging .. in the end we were very very happy we did it!!! Here's the short story... after all.. it only takes a few minutes to run a 5K so this race report better not turn into a book! 

We all met at the gym and got all the kids ready with their race numbers. I headed out to warm up. While I was out there I bumped into Jeff ( my younger brother... ) and we shared a moment of, "Yikes, 5Ks hurt! How fast ? Ok..let's help each other along..." I ran off and found a 'secret'  ladies room in a starbucks instead of waiting for 45 people back at the gym. On the way back out, I FLEW into the air and landed on my butt/ hands.. nice. It was ICY!!!  Luckily, the roads were ok. You had to stay where the cars had driven if you could otherwise it was slick but the worst was the sidewalks.  As I found out. 

Time to race... 

I hugged all 6 kids, kissed Mark ( he wanted to run along with Nick to make sure he was ok. Nick's 8 and would have been fine... I kind of think Mark was avoiding the insane sufferfest that 5Ks can become... Don't blame him!! And, I did appreciate that he was with Nick since it was so icy.), and headed to the line with Jeff.  

The started yelled GO with barely any warning ( it was 10:00, so that's really all the warning that's necessary) and we were off.  

I felt good!!! 

Running has Felt very very bad lately. I've been slow. A variety of body parts have hurt me and been sore. When I've tried to pick up the pace and add some speed, I thought I was going to fall down. It has been ALL I could do to run even 60 min at 5K pace lately.... so I wasn't sure what this would bring. 

About 1/4 mile, maybe not that far, probably 1/8 mile down the first road, I peeked at my garmin for kicks. 

5;25 pace. 

Ha! Slooooooooow down nellie. I chuckled out loud. 

I reeled it in. I didn't see Jeff and thought I was ahead of him. The first turn put us on a hill that was pretty slippery. At the end, I nearly ran into a huge puddle but at the last minute managed to jump all the way over it... phew. When I looked up, Jeff was 5 ft in front of me. Oh! There he is.. not sure how he got there. So.. there we stayed... 

mile 1 was 6:08. The guy next to me grumbled out loud, "too fast." 

I knew it was pretty fast but I felt good so I just kept on....

I thought out the kids and wondered how they were.
I waved to Mom and Dad standing on the side of the road. 

And, I kept my eyes on Jeff's back.  

We ran down a hill and around a corner on our way back up that hill and for the last 1.5 mile. Jeff turned and looked behind him, but off to the side. I knew he was looking for me.  Haha... I was there. But too close for him to see me. I wasn't trying to be sneaky ( I admit, I have been sneaky in other race against women, but not yesterday with Jeff) but I was 100% unable to speak since my HR was >190 and it was all I could do to get air. So.. I just ran along and figured I'd either say Hi on my way by :) OR... tell him I was there later.  Time would tell. 

A short bit later... we started passing the runners going in the other direction. I missed my family but we did see Jeff's kids and wife,Leigh. Leigh yelled, "GO Jeff!" and then moments later, "Oh, GO Ange!" I didn't think twice about that but apparently that alerted Jeff to the fact that his big sis was hot on his heels. 

Over the next mile, he put some distance on me... and eventually pulled away with a ~20 sec lead. :) 

The last mile is mostly uphill which is not easy in a 5k! But the last .1 is at least a nice downward slope... 

I ran SO hard, I wondered if I'd throw up. In my book, that's a successful 5K effort. It's an all out 110% go for it race.  But the beauty is that once I crossed the line and walked around for 10-20 sec, I was fine. 

In the end.... 3rd overall woman with  a 20:29 time ( 6:31 pace) I am totally happy with this for this time of year. It's not a 5K PR ( in fact, about 1:15 slower than that!) but it is a 15 sec drop from last year at this race.  I don't expect to be at my fastest right now but I am so happy that my Dec baseline is a bit faster than last year. I can't ask for more than that!!

Of course, I'm a proud Momma to have my kids in there with me too. It's only a matter of time before they all start passing their Mom and Dad.  Cameron was right behind me with a 22:45, Tommy next up 23:46 and Nick and Mark came in at 25 and change. My niece and nephews also ran so so well and strong with their Mom and Jeff crushed it yesterday! 

FUN day!!! 

Now.. back to training for long course...