I had decided to do 12K's of Christmas Holiday Run a couple of months ago when my Mom started asking what runs she could do to stay motivated.. I knew it was hilly but that was about all I knew. So my Mom & I signed up for the 12k and Kyle and Sam signed up for the 5k to race against each other for bragging rights...
The race did not start till 9:30a so I got to sleep in till 7a and we met up at my Mom's office around 8:30a so that there was plenty of time to warm up and use the restroom ect.
Kyle, Sam and I headed out on a warm up run along the water front. I could tell my legs did not feel fast and even more annoying my shoes felt slippery on the wet pavement (worst thing ever on a hilly course). I immediately got to hot with my gloves on and then realized I was wearing way to much - I did not need a vest and wished I had wore shorts instead of capris. Of course as soon as we finished the warm up run it started raining and got a bit colder so I decided to put my vest back on... It was pleasantly surprised I saw a bunch of people from the team and other friends all of which I did not know would be there.
I lined up and Col & Bman found me then Cathleen. Almost as soon as the race started I could tell my legs were not interested in racing and they all ran away from me up the hill. Within the first 5 min or so I was over heating and could not take a deep breath at all. Sooo I slowed down and tried to take a deep breath but I really struggled. Saying that I looked at my garmin and I had run a 7:59 mile - just a little faster than I had wanted esp with a hill.
Needless to say I was SO happy when I saw Jerry around the 2nd mile so I tossed my vest and wished I could have tossed my capris as well.
The rest of the 12k's I mainly focused on just getting done. My legs and lungs did not feel right. I struggled even on the downhills to pick up my leg speed - which was not helped by the slippery shoes. My pace slowed on the long uphill climb and I just tried to manage it. I started pouring water on my head to help with over heating and at the one water station I grabbed 2 cups of water and dumped them on my head. I think the volunteers were a bit shocked but I was so hot.
I remember looking at my garmin again at the 6k mark and it said :31 and realized that Kyle & Sam were long done and I was so jealous. I tried my best to push the pace a bit on the last 3k back to the finish but it was just not happening. As i came into the finish I heard Kyle and Sam cheering and gave them the disappointed face... but I was so happy to just be done so I could try and breath.
The final stats
gun time: 1:03:39
chip time: 1:03:28
pace: 8:31
overall place: 324 out of 1180
division place: 21 out of 146
gender place: 127 out of 744
splits per mile
1 07:59
2 7:49
3 9:15
4 9:08
5 8:09
6 8:37
7 8:34
last .47 3:55
Avg Heart Rate 181 bpm
Max Heart Rate 189 bpm (mile 3 & finish)
Elevation profile
After I finished I found out that Sam beat Kyle in the 5k by about :40 seconds. Saying that they were both crazy fast. Sam came in 7th overall and Kyle was 10th overall. My guess is that this will not be the last time they race each other... lol
A little while later we watched my Mom finish the 12k's - she finished in 1:20:11 - faster than she expected :) I am so proud of her for sticking with the running thing. I know she is more excited about Belly Dancing but I love that she runs.
Overall I am fine with my time but very disappointed with how my body felt on the run - yes I understand it is a race and a hilly one at that but still my legs should not have felt heavy and so slow. I am hoping that I get some answers about the breathing issues on Wed when I go see a doctor (made the appointment last month). I will also be looking at what I am eating and when ect.
It still was a great way to celebrate the holidays with friends and family :)
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