Monday, November 15, 2010

HCA 8K Recap ...

Location: Richmond, VA
Date: 11/13/10
Temperature: 38 degrees
Official Time: 38:54 (7:46 per mile), 3:04 minute PR
Place in Age Group: 13/369
Place in Gender: 90/2344
Overall Place: 385/3743

The Course:

Fast and flat. Out and back.

This 8K course takes a straight shot up Broad St., which has a gentle grade, for the for the first two miles of the course. Just after mile 2, participants turn left and make their way over one block to Grace St., where they head back towards the finish. Runners are greeted with a the only climb of the course at mile four. It is smooth sailing after that, as the course flattens out and turns right onto 3rd street. With less than half a mile to go, runners turn left onto Cary St. and head downhill to the finish line.

(Note: This has been and will continue to be my favorite course in Richmond.)

The Good:

The Course: I love this course. It is PR friendly and easy to navigate. And the downhill finish is KILLER.

My Pace: My goal for this race was to run sub-8 minute miles for the duration of the race. Simple enough. All I would have to do was check my Garmin to see if I was on pace. The only problem was that I didn't want to obsess about my time. And for me, NOT looking at my Garmin is the only way to make that happen. So, I opted to wear my watch, but cover it with my sleeve. Instead of watching the clock, I would listen to my body. If I felt like I could push it, I would. If I needed to back off, I'd do that.

The strategy worked. I hit my goal and I didn't check my watch until the finish. Here are my splits.

Mile 1: 7:44
Mile 2: 7:56
Mile 3: 7:53
Mile 4: 7:50
Last 0.97: 7:30

My Placing: Prior to the race, I looked at last year's standings. I knew if I ran sub-40, I would place well in my age group. But I really didn't think I would finish as well as I did overall. I was 13th out of 369 in my AG, 90th out of 2344 in my gender and 385th out of 3743 overall. Kind of made me feel like a rock star.

My Outfit: Seriously. Do I have style or what?


My Music Selection: For the first time in pretty much FOREVER, I changed my race playlist. And then, I set it to random before I ran. Yet, somehow, the PERFECT songs came on at the PERFECT moments. I was pumped throughout the race and there was a song during every mile that reminded me to push myself.

My Mental Game: I NEVER doubted myself. Even for one second. I felt strong and I knew that if I pushed myself, I would walk away with a PR. Now if I could only do the same thing in the longer distances ...

The Weather: It was 38 degrees at the start of my race. And I dressed perfectly for it. By the end of the race, I was warm, but not overheated. It made holding my pace that much easier.

The Race Length: This race reaffirmed to me that the 8K is my favorite race distance. I love it and wish it was offered more often.

My choice NOT to switch to the marathon: After the stomach bug hit me during the Indianapolis Marathon last month, I considered getting Marathon Redemption at Richmond. And even though I was telling everyone I was sticking to the 8K, I won't lie and tell you that I didn't consider switching races at the expo.

Everything seemed perfect to run the marathon. G would be by my side. The weather was perfect. I was healthy and uninjured. But ultimately, I knew the 8K was the right choice. Not only was I beyond ready for it, running the 8K gave me the opportunity to pace J to the finish of his half marathon and G to the end of her marathon (both of them finished with HUGE PRs. J improved his time by 15 minutes and G cut hers by 37!).

I ended yesterday with 23 miles under my belt and was able to share/shape their race experiences. It was amazing to be there with them and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

The Bad:

Wait. There was no bad.

42 comments:

Keri said...

Congratulations! A 3 min PR is huge, especially in a short race! Look at those splits...so speedy...LOVE the argyle skirt. You DO have style!!

Karen Seal said...

Awesome! Love a race where there's no bad to report! Way to go you rocked it!!! :0)

Kim (Book Worm Runs) said...

Don't you just love when everything comes together and it is just perfect!?! Congrats!! And you are too adorable in that outfit! :)

No said...

Gotta love that outfit! Congrats on your time :)

christina said...

OMG I love that running outfit!

Carly said...

Awesome finish. And admittedly the outfit is quite cute.

Unknown said...

awesome!! congrats on a great race.
And seriously, I don't think I have seen a hotter looking outfit. very, very cool :)

Marlene said...

Awesome recap and congrats on the massive PR! You ran the perfect race!

I can't believe you RACED and still managed to run another 18 miles with G and J. You rock!

Unknown said...

Great job!! You're incredible!

and the outfit is very cute indeed :-)

gba_gf said...

I love you (I'm such a happy "drunk") and I KNOW I wouldn't have rocked out that 37 minute PR without your help. I was never happier than running down that chute next to a pink blur on the left... correct decision made. Next time I will be the Pink blur for you.

Besides, dude, 13th place. Seriously.

One Crazy Penguin said...

Sounds like the stars aligned! Kudos :)

Nathan said...

That's no small PR! I love it when that happens with the music :)

Rae said...

Congrats!! You totally rocked it! And you looked fabulous doing so!

Kurt @ Becoming An Ironman said...

I admit I'm still new to the winter racing (my winter racing has always been in an indoor pool), but I'm not sure I'd call 38 degrees a "good" for running. I still prefer 50-55.

But congratulations either way!!

Lisa said...

Great recap - I could "hear" your joy! Way to go. Naming those Richmond streets made me miss VA all the more - been in that area dozens of times. Congrats on your PR . . . and nice outfit!

Anonymous said...

That's such an awesome time. Congrats!

Laura said...

AWESOME!! Style and a PR...

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

That girl behind you in your photo, is seriously jealous of your style!!

So happy that you loved your race. You did amazing and even better you loved it and looked great doing it! Congratualtions!

misszippy said...

I am laughing at Shelley's comment!

Great job and way to pace it evenly. You made the right choice on races!

dawn @ running the dawn said...

amazing! i've never run an 8k, but you're starting to make me want to try it out.

and way to be there for J and G!!! it makes such a huge difference to have someone join you during the hard miles.

The Hungry Runner Girl said...

Wahoo!! Congrats on accomplishing your goal! You got me wanting to try an 8K race now!! Do you like out and back courses? i really love your running skirt, you are adorable!!

Unknown said...

No bad and no ugly? Sounds like the perfect race to me. Congrats!

Runners Fuel said...

Congrats! Sounds great!!

Elizabeth said...

Congrats on a great PR, love the outfit

MCM Mama said...

Girl, you were smokin' fast and you were smokin' hot in that outfit. Way to rock the 8k AND offer awesome support to J and G. You rock!

Anonymous said...

You should be the runningskirts.com spokesperson!

Amazing race and sounds like a perfect day. Awesome PR... congrats!

Unknown said...

I love that there was no bad! :) Congrats on a great race, a huge PR and looking totally cute on race day (always a plus!)

Becka said...

I absolutely adore your outfit. I wish I could race in something like that without overheating! Hahaha about almost switching... :D

You're my hero, T *\o/*

Anonymous said...

way to go thats awesome! Also your outfit is awesome!

Shawn said...

Great Job TMB. Maybe you just gotta hide the Garmin all the time? Great outfit...like the diamond pattern!

~ Jill said...

Wohoo! Congrats! That is incredible and sounds like a lot of fun.

ajh said...

No Bad = Huge Awesomeness!

Christine said...

Congrats to an awesome race and a huge PR!! Great review. I'm thinking of running the Richmond Marathon next year and it's great to hear you enjoyed it :)

Zaneta @ Runner's Luck said...

What a great race!! :D Congrats on the PR! Love your outfit too! :)
Isn't it awesome when races go so perfect?! :)
Zaneta
http://zanetaruns.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Hi! I just started following your blog (LOVE IT) and I wanted to say congrats and AWESOME racing outfit!!! Can you tell us what you are wearing? I love your skirt!!

Congrats again!!
Megan

Pretend this is real said...

Awesome job! Congrats on the PR!

Jill said...

You never CEASE to AMAZE me, never. I can't believe you ran sub-8's. You are AWESOME! Way to go. You can do anything you set your mind too. Maybe you should set your mind to coming back to SEattle in June? Just saying!

Melissa said...

Congrats honey! You deserve it. You look fantastic in your skirt! So much so in fact, that I ordered the same one today!

Anonymous said...

You rocked that skirt! And the race - but you already knew that. :)

There's no way I would have the guts to put my iPod on random. I'd probably end up with Disney princess songs and Christmas carols in the mix. LOL

Katie A. said...

NICE WORK ROCKSTAR! I'm so happy for you! You killed it! I want to run an 8K!
Loved the skirt, too!
;)

5 Miles Past Empty said...

Awesome job!!!!

And yes, you have some serious fashion skills!

Unknown said...

You ARE a Rock Star! And you looked like one, too!

Congratulations.

Winks & Smiles,
Wifey