First time running 10Ks on consecutive days. I'll give it my best and be happy with whatever happens. This is a quality event, very well organized at a great price with a no T-shirt option. Some overlap of this course with the Puddle Jump on the Chehalis Western Trail. Same course as the Race Against Crime, where I ran a 35:58 a few months ago. Too bad I ran hard yesterday.
Start - Rain shower when I arrived, but now the sun is out. It is bright and reflecting off the wet roads, so I grab my sunglasses and go for my warm up run. Legs feel OK, not 100%. Just a little less spring in my step than yesterday. But I warm up well and should be able to race alright. Five minutes prior to the start there is a huge beautiful double rainbow ahead where we will run. Sun is behind us, very dark cloud and rainbow ahead of us. Larger race than yesterday and some real fast runners here. I do not want to go out too fast, so I lined up with a couple of rows of people in front of me, but only a second or two from the start line. Right on time we are released to run.
Mile 0.2 - Heavy rain shower starts. Maybe a little hail mixed in. No strong wind, but a real downpour. Guess I won't need the sunglasses, I push them up on my head. Shoes get a little soggy and rivers of storm water run down the curb.
Mile 0.4 - Feeling boxed in and wanting to go faster. I have to go off to the side to get around a couple of people. Now I have room to run my own race.
Mile 0.75 - Club Oly volunteers at a couple of road crossings. Thanks guys!!
Mile 1 - On to the trail where I was racing yesterday. Rain has let up and maybe even stopped, but it is dripping off the leaves that remain overhanging the trail. More wet leaves on the ground than yesterday. Pass a couple of people and pleased to see that I am running the same pace as yesterday.
Mile 2.8 - Course is out and back, but has a small lollipop where we go around Horizons Elementary School. I coin a new term as I see the lead runners come toward me; I got "lollipopped". Pass a guy that I was behind for a while and settle in right behind another runner.
Mile 3.3 - Around the school and back on the trail. Pull even with the guy ahead of me and we run together for a while, picking up the pace just a bit. Eventually I pull ahead and then pass another runner. I expect to slow at any time now, but so far no one has caught me.
Mile 4.5 - Merge with the 5K runners, who started about 15 minutes later than us. They are running slower than us, but not by a whole lot. We are directed onto the sidewalk and I have to work my way around those who are running two abreast.
Mile 5 - Now I feel tired. Got to push hard for just another mile.
Mile 5.2 - Tammy Herzog sighting
Mile 5.7 - Little out and back on a side road. Sun is out and shining brightly off the road. I lower my sunglasses but they are all wet and fogged up so I do not keep them on. Try to just look at the road at my feet while taking the tangent of the curve as best I can. At the turn around I see a guy pushing a stroller not far behind me. This will be my motivation; I do not want to get "strollered".
Mile 6.1 - Have been trying to kick it in for the finish for a while now, but I have nothing left. I will finish with the same pace as yesterday and that is awesome. And no one passed me the entire race. Then out of nowhere the stroller guy comes flying past me and beats me by a second or two. I tried to match him but just could not do it. Still so pleased with how the run went.
45:37 (personal course record)
19th of over 80 4th of at least 9 in age group
Race #216 10K#29 Turn Back the Clock#2 3rd time on this course
*****
Start - Rain shower when I arrived, but now the sun is out. It is bright and reflecting off the wet roads, so I grab my sunglasses and go for my warm up run. Legs feel OK, not 100%. Just a little less spring in my step than yesterday. But I warm up well and should be able to race alright. Five minutes prior to the start there is a huge beautiful double rainbow ahead where we will run. Sun is behind us, very dark cloud and rainbow ahead of us. Larger race than yesterday and some real fast runners here. I do not want to go out too fast, so I lined up with a couple of rows of people in front of me, but only a second or two from the start line. Right on time we are released to run.
Mile 0.2 - Heavy rain shower starts. Maybe a little hail mixed in. No strong wind, but a real downpour. Guess I won't need the sunglasses, I push them up on my head. Shoes get a little soggy and rivers of storm water run down the curb.
Mile 0.4 - Feeling boxed in and wanting to go faster. I have to go off to the side to get around a couple of people. Now I have room to run my own race.
Mile 0.75 - Club Oly volunteers at a couple of road crossings. Thanks guys!!
Mile 1 - On to the trail where I was racing yesterday. Rain has let up and maybe even stopped, but it is dripping off the leaves that remain overhanging the trail. More wet leaves on the ground than yesterday. Pass a couple of people and pleased to see that I am running the same pace as yesterday.
Mile 2.8 - Course is out and back, but has a small lollipop where we go around Horizons Elementary School. I coin a new term as I see the lead runners come toward me; I got "lollipopped". Pass a guy that I was behind for a while and settle in right behind another runner.
Mile 3.3 - Around the school and back on the trail. Pull even with the guy ahead of me and we run together for a while, picking up the pace just a bit. Eventually I pull ahead and then pass another runner. I expect to slow at any time now, but so far no one has caught me.
Mile 4.5 - Merge with the 5K runners, who started about 15 minutes later than us. They are running slower than us, but not by a whole lot. We are directed onto the sidewalk and I have to work my way around those who are running two abreast.
Mile 5 - Now I feel tired. Got to push hard for just another mile.
Mile 5.2 - Tammy Herzog sighting
Mile 5.7 - Little out and back on a side road. Sun is out and shining brightly off the road. I lower my sunglasses but they are all wet and fogged up so I do not keep them on. Try to just look at the road at my feet while taking the tangent of the curve as best I can. At the turn around I see a guy pushing a stroller not far behind me. This will be my motivation; I do not want to get "strollered".
Mile 6.1 - Have been trying to kick it in for the finish for a while now, but I have nothing left. I will finish with the same pace as yesterday and that is awesome. And no one passed me the entire race. Then out of nowhere the stroller guy comes flying past me and beats me by a second or two. I tried to match him but just could not do it. Still so pleased with how the run went.
45:37 (personal course record)
19th of over 80 4th of at least 9 in age group
Race #216 10K#29 Turn Back the Clock#2 3rd time on this course
*****
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