Tails & Trails 10k Race Recap

Yesterday, I ran the Tails & Trails 10k. This is my 3rd race in 3 weeks, and 3rd 10k this year. (Can we say race addiction?)  I got in a few good runs this week after the Heart & Sole 10k last weekend, including one in 29 degree, up hill Maryland while on travel for work. I hardly ever run back to back days, but with the Glass Slipper Challenge coming up next weekend, I decided I should do some back to back days and I did twice this week, including Friday night, before this race saturday morning. 

The Tails & Trails 10k was another small-ish local race (not as small as last week though) also held in Clermont. It was held at Lake Hiawatha Preserve, which I had never been to before, and went a little ways along Lake Minneola and then on the South Lake Trail. They had a 5k and a 10k going on and started the 10k 15 minutes earlier than the 5k. They took us 10kers a little different path (along the lake) than the 5kers and we merged around 1.5 milers with the 5k course and we ran the same course until the 5kers turned around and us 10kers kept going until our turn around. I didn't particularly like how they had us merging as this race had a decent amount of kids running the 5k and it was hard to maneuver around them during the merge. Once we got past the initial merge, it was fine, but I do wish they had done it a little differently. I do know the course changed since last year as there was a section of the 10k that was apparently "dangerous" but not sure what that was or if the merging was affected by that since I didn't run it last year. Other than that one small complaint, they put on a great event and the rest of the course was great. It was mostly shaded and the weather was once again chilly at the start (around 50 degrees), but perfect once we got going. It actually did start to feel a little warm in the sunny section of the course, but that didn't last too long. 

I don't know if it was because I ran the night before or what, but my legs definitely felt tired during this race. I ran 3/:45 intervals and definitely went out too fast to start and overall this run felt "tough". I knew I wasn't going to PR but still wanted to finish under an hour so pushed myself to at least make that happen. We had a large MRTT turnout for this race and because of how the course went (the merging and the out and back), we got to see each other a few times while running. It's always so nice to encourage each other along the way! 

After the race, several of us MRTT ladies (and two kiddos) placed so we all stuck around for the awards. We really dominated the results board with the top 3 female finishers overall, I took 2nd in 30-34, another took 3rd in 45-49, and two others took 1st and 2nd in 35-39 all for the 10k and then 2nd place overall in the 5k and two of the kids placed in their 5k age groups as well! It really was an incredible day for racing for us! 

This is my 3rd official award I've received for placing, guess it's time to put up a shelf above my medals and display them properly! I never, in a million years, ever thought I'd be fast enough to place in a race. I was always happy with just racing against "myself" and trying to improve my pace and PR, but placing really does take the Runner's High to an all new level! I know in larger races my pace wouldn't even come close to pacing, but I love the small local races in general, less congested courses, better race causes, etc and if I have a chance at placing, it makes it even better. 

My Stats:

Official Chip Time: 59:32 (overall pace of 9:37)

Place: 41 of 129 finishers

Place: 23 of the 85 Women Finishers

Place: 2 of 13 in my Women’s Age Division (30-34)

1st 5k Split: 29:51

2nd 5k Split: 29:52

My RunKeeper stats (which accounts for the zigzagging, weaving, etc.):

6.25 miles in 59:33 (overall pace of 9:32)

Mile Splits:

Mile 1: 8:54 

Mile 2: 9:23

Mile 3: 9:37

Mile 4: 10:08 (where I stopped to refill my water bottle)

Mile 5: 9:44

Mile 6: 9:41

0.25: 8:51

Heart and Sole 10k Race Recap

Last weekend,  I ran the Heart and Sole 10k. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel since I had only ran ONE mile all week after the Celebration Half. I had been hurting pretty bad Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday was still pretty sore but did one mile and it felt pretty tough but I didn't hurt. I took the rest of the week off and woke up Saturday morning feeling great and ready to run! 

Pre- Race Selfie

This race was a 5k and 10k supporting the Central Florida Dreamplex, which is a fitness and recreation center for special needs children. Several of the Mommas in my chapter of MRTT work really closely with this organization (and helped organize this race) and I was so happy to be able to run a race to support them. Several of our MRTT Mommas (and their families) also volunteered at one of the water stops along the course. It's always nice to see people volunteering at the water stops, but especially nice when they are people you know, specifically calling out your name when they cheer you on and taking in action pictures! 

Water Station Cheer Ninjas

This was a pretty small race (this is only the 2nd year they've done it and I know their turnout was much better compared to last year)  only 36 runners in the 10k and 113 in the 5k but they put on a great event! They held it at Waterfront park in Clermont, which is one of my favorite racing venues as the lake is so pretty and lets off a nice breeze. It was pretty cold when it started, mid 40's, but once I got going, I warmed up quickly and the weather was perfect!

Sun rise over the lake

I was pretty sure I was getting a PR in this race once I hit the 5k mark, although didn't go into it thinking I would considering how I felt all week. As I was running, I couldn't remember what my PR was for the 10k, and was thinking it was 58:50 so when I was finishing up around 58:30 I thought I had PR'd but turns out my PR was 58:30 so I was a few seconds off. I did stop to tie my shoe TWICE and refill my water bottle once so I'm sure that was all the difference. I really don't understand how sometimes my shoe comes untied multiple times and other times not at all when I swear I tie it the same every time LOL. I wasn't disappointed in my time though, I felt GREAT during the entire run and really enjoyed it. With being such a small race, they used large age group spreads and only gave awards to the 1st place spot in each of the age groups, so even with placing 2nd I didn't get an award. With only 3 ladies in my age group, it doesn't sound as exciting haha but nonetheless still awesome to get 2nd place! 

My Stats:

Official Chip Time: 58:36 (overall pace of 9:27)

Place: 15 of 36 finishers

Place: 9 of the 21 Women Finishers

Place: 2 of 3 in my Women’s Age Division (21-30)

1.55 split: 14:01

5k Split: 29:07

4.65 split: 43:49

My RunKeeper stats (which accounts for the zigzagging, weaving, etc.):

6.28 miles in 58:37 (overall pace of 9:20)

Mile Splits:

Mile 1: 8:50

Mile 2: 9:13

Mile 3: 9:33

Mile 4: 9:31

Mile 5: 9:25

Mile 6: 9:41

0.28: 8:27

Spring Hill Marathon Mania 10k Race Recap

Last weekend, I ran my first race of 2016, the Spring Hill Marathon Mania 10k. Somewhere, a few months ago, I saw a link for it, either a Facebook Sponsored post or maybe it popped up after signing up for another race as “coming up, nearby” or something. Since I grew up in Spring Hill, I figured it would be fun to run a local race. It was called Marathon Mania, and they were hosting a Full, Half and 10k.  I had a feeling it was going to be a small race since it was an inaugural race, and in December I posted on the Event’s Facebook page asking how many participants in the 10k and they said about 25. I joked with my friends that maybe this meant I could age group place, since it was so small and I had been improving.

I slept at my parents the night before the race and picked up my packet that day. I asked again how many participants, they the lady giving out the packets said around 105, for all 3 races. The morning of the race, it was pretty chilly, around 53 degrees, but that is actually my preferred running temperature so I was looking forward to it. I slept horribly at my parents, waking many times. I think because I was sharing a room with EM and didn’t want her to wake when I left for the race my mind was subconsciously not resting well (since that would mean my parents would have had to get up super early to deal with her), so I ended up waking before my alarm and was able to slip out of the house around 6:45, with more than enough time to spare as it took me only 5 minutes to get there. The race left from Anderson Snow Park, which I’m pretty sure didn’t even exist when I left Spring Hill in 2014. It was an out and back along a mostly flat bike trail, which reminded me a lot of the West Orange Trail that I run often. 

I went into the race just trying to PR. My last 10k was back in March of 205 and I knew I had improved my pace significantly since then. My PR was 1:06:56 (from 2/7/15) on a course I knew was short, and my PR before that was 1:07:44. So I knew I wanted to at least set a new PR, with a stretch goal of an hour. I just recently started consistently running my 5k runs under 30 minutes, so figured this would be a good opportunity to try for a 10k under an hour.  I had plenty of time to chit chat with the other runners before the race, since there were very many of us. Most weren’t local runners, which I found surprising. Some were even just on vacation down in Florida and itching for a race and randomly found it. The Full started at 7am, the half at 7:15 and the 10k at 7:30. It started to drizzle right before the start so I’m glad I had my hat in the car which I was able to quickly grab before the start.

When the race started, I ended up taking the female lead, overall 3^rd place. I was running 3/1 intervals and was playing leap frog with the 4^thplace overall guy up (who was running straight through) until right before the turnaround point where he passed me and I never caught back up with him. Around mile 4 or 5, another guy passed me but I was still decently ahead of the 2^nd female. I didn’t have it in me to catch up to get back into top 3 overall, but was more than satisfied with being the 1^st female finisher. On the last mile, another girl was gaining on me, but I gave it my all, and made sure to stay ahead of her. I think I ended finishing about 30 seconds ahead of her, if that. The last 1.5 miles is rained and I was so thankful I grabbed my hat at the beginning. I ended up being the 1^stfemale to finish, and the 5^th person overall.

They had two fuel stations on the course, so we passed them 4 times for the 10k, and they had more than enough water and other snacks. I only stopped once to fill my water bottle, but considering how few participants the race had, I was very impressed with that. 

When I first arrived that morning, I noticed they only had trophies for 1^st -3^rd place, and only one set, so I figured that meant they only were giving awards out to overall top 3, not genders. I decided to wait around for awards anyways, which I am glad I did, because they ended up stating they weren’t expecting the turn out (a lot of last minute sign ups) and they were going to give the trophies to the top 3 females and then mail trophies to the top 3 men.  None of the age groups were large enough to do top 3 (they said they would only do age group awards if they had at least 5 people in the group). The post-race logistics were kind of drawn out and we waited FOREVER for them to do awards, but I was happy to get to chat with the other runners of the race. They had coffee and pancakes and other goodies for the post-race refreshments, but I just drank the coffee since it was so cold. I definitely froze during that wait. Between sweat, rain, the temperature dropping, and not having a jacket in the car, the waiting in the cold really sucked, but was so worth it to get to stand in the 1^st place spot on the podium. I only ever placed (age-group) one other time and missed my podium shot so I was NOT missing the opportunity again. I did want to add, another girl, started the race late, like many minutes after the rest of us as she arrived really late, so she was technically the last finisher. Her chip time was about 29 seconds faster than mine, so she technically was faster, however, since she wasn’t the 1^st finisher, I was still given the award. I didn’t find out about this until a few minutes before the awards and was bummed to hear I didn’t really come in 1^st, but apparently chip time is for age group placing and actual finish order is for overall, so I technically still count for 1st.  Even though it was a tiny race, I still thoroughly enjoyed the course and the run, I’m sure placing helped that as well. If they do it again next year, I’d definitely run again!

The runner’s high is an incredible thing, but is exponential better when you set a personal record and place! This was such an amazing start to my 2016 running year!

My Stats:

Official Chip Time: 58:30 (overall pace of 9:26)

Place: 5 of 22 finishers

Place: 1 of the 14 Women Finishers

My RunKeeper stats:

6.24 miles in 58:35 (overall pace of 9:24)

Mile Splits:

Mile 1: 8:57

Mile 2: 9:05

Mile 3: 9:47

Mile 4: 9:28

Mile 5: 9:55 (stopped to fill my water bottle here)

Mile 6: 9.27

.24 mile: 8:09 (final sprint!)

Winter Park Road Race 10k + 2 Miler Distance Dare Recap

Two weekends ago, I ran the Winter Park Road Race 10k + 2 Miler Distance Dare. This was my worst race last year, probably because I was about 8 weeks pregnant and hadn’t been running a lot/was feeling sick and fatigued but so far this year, it was also my worst race and I can assure you I am not pregnant again!

MRTT Mommas

Before the race, I was actually able to meet up with my MRTT Running group (I’m usually running late and miss the meet-up), and there were several chapters represented! During the meet up, I was able to find my friend Meredith, and we ran the 2 miler together. We ran a nice, easy pace and chatted the whole way. We ran the first mile straight through and then started 2/1 intervals during the 2^nd mile.  She was meeting up with a different friend for the 10k and I was on a hunt to find a bathroom between the 2 Miler and the 10k so we separated after the 2 miler. I unfortunately only had about 6 minutes between races so I wasn’t able to find a bathroom and started the 10k with really needing to pee. Luckily I was able to find a no-line porta-potty during mile 2 so it wasn’t too bad and didn’t really affect my time (not that it was great regardless of the stop). The one good thing about this course is it goes through Winter Park and there are quite a few houses under construction along the course so there are plenty of random porta-pottys for us runners.

I had a terrible stomachache/cramps during the 10k which made it just miserable to run. I kept thinking to myself, well I can just walk the rest, but then I’d think, but the more I walk the longer it’ll take to get home and showered. Plus we had plans later that morning so I knew I needed to get home as quickly as possible. It was super humid out too so it felt a lot warmer than it was. The last few races I have run in have had beautiful running weather so the humidity on this one really sucked. 

This is the second time I’ve done this race/distance dare event and both times I had bad experiences (mostly because of how I was feeling though, not because of the race itself). The 2-miler was so crowded and full of people who had zero running etiquette. This is pretty common for shorter runs and this old sold out, so it was very congested. It’s a good starter race for people who aren’t quite ready for a 5k and I only run that in addition to the 10k because it comes with a medal. I actually do really enjoy the course of both (minus the brick paver roads). There are a lot of nice things to look at (golf course, lakes, parks, mansions, etc.) and it’s mostly shaded. They do a great post-race party and always give out a nice wine glass to participants (plus the medal for the 10k). Track Shack does put on good events, although they are pretty much selling out all their races lately (good for them obviously) but it also means they are pretty crowded events. I always get sucked into this particular race because it’s a distance dare and it has medals, but I don’t think I’ll participate next year. Although, I say that now, knowing me, I’ll probably change my mind when it comes around haha.

My 2 Miler Stats:

Official Chip Time: 24:55 (overall pace of 12:14)

Place: 760 of 1037 Finishers

Place: 452 of the 671 Women Finishers

Place: 57 of 84 in my Women’s Age Division (25-29)

My RunKeeper stats:

2.04 miles in 24:55 (overall pace of 12:14) <- wow I don’t think my RunKeeper time has EVER been the exact same as my chip

Fastest Mile: #1 at 11:39

Slowest Mile: #2 at 12:53

My 10k Stats:

Official Chip Time: 1:15:27 (overall pace of 12:08) 

Place: 1914 of 3013 Finishers

Place: 1111 of the 2007 Women Finishers

Place: 160 of 281 in my Women’s Age Division (25-29)

My RunKeeper stats:

6.30 miles in 1:15:00 (overall pace of 11:54) <- I started it late

Fastest Mile: #3 at 11:24

Slowest Mile: #5 at 12:34 

Distance Dare Stats (they had limited stats, added together the two times & showed placement for gender): 

Official Chip Time: 1:40:35
Place: 272 of 462 Women Finishers

and the commemorative wine glass

Winter Garden 10k Race Recap

Last weekend, I ran the Winter Garden Valentine’s Day 10k. It was once again a chilly morning for a run, but I’m growing to really love the 40-50 degree temperature range for running. 

I loved that this race is local and only a short drive from home. It meant I didn’t have to get up super early. The race started at 7:30, I left my house at 7 and was parked and meeting up with the MRTT Mommas by 7:15. I really wish Tri-n-Run would host more races that had medals as I love how close to home the races are. They host a decent amount, but normally don’t do the medals, and you know me, I’m a sucker for a medal. 

Moms Run This Town

My only complaint about the race was it was a timed race, but they didn’t have a starting mat. This meant that everyone’s start time for the race was based on the gun time vs. the time they actually crossed the start line. Granted it was a small race, so there weren’t all that many runners, but when trying to get a PR, even the few seconds it took me to cross the start line made a difference (and prevented me from getting my PR by seconds!). I just don’t understand why they go through the hassle of chipping the race if they aren’t going to have a start mat as well.

Anyways, the course was wonderful! We ran through Winter Garden and along side Lake Apopka.  They had 3 or 4 water stops, which is perfect for a 10k (and were nicely spaced out so that when my bottle was empty I could refill it at the last water stop). They didn’t have any formal entertainment (that I recall, apparently being on business travel for 5 days post race has done a number to my memory!), not even a school band or anything, which surprised me. I don’t necessarily “need” it for a race, but it is always nice and encouraging. A (very) few residents were outside cheering us on, but that was really it until you got to the finish line. You’d think with it being a local race, there would have been some local organizations supporting the runners along the way.

According to my RunKeeper, I did get a PR, but according to the official race results, I did not. That’s two races in a row where the chipping has messed up PRs for me (well last week it worked opposite as it gave me a PR, but I can’t honestly count a course that was that short). This was only the 3^rd year they’ve done this race, so I’m hoping next year maybe they’ll do the start mat. Overall, I enjoyed the run and plan to do it again next year (well, if they have a medal again!)

My Stats:

Official Chip Time: 1:07:46 (overall pace of 10:56)

Place: 232 of the 365 Finishers

Place: 129 of the 225 Women Finishers

Place: 16 of 23 in my Women’s Age Division (25-29)

My RunKeeper stats (which accounts for the zigzagging):

6.33 miles in 1:07:40 (overall pace of 10:42)

Fastest Mile #1: 10:27 pace

Slowest Mile #5: 11:06 pace

East Orange County Kiwanis Run for the Kids Race Recap

This weekend, I ran the 5^th Annual East Orange County Kiwanis Run for the Kids, Distance Dare Event. I participated in their 5k event back in 2011 and when I saw they were offering a Distance Dare event WITH medals, I decided I’d sign up again. I knew it would be a rather small event based on the location, which I prefer to larger races, but wasn’t expecting it to be THIS small. I think based on the results, there were only about 100 people participating between the 2 races. Regardless though, they did put on a decent event.  

The races were out and back on the Cady Way Trail. Since I was doing both the 5k and 10k, I went out and back twice. When I was in college, I live in the apartments that backed up to this trail, and had been on it a few times back then when I used to roller blade for exercise. It was nice to kind of reminisce a little about my time when I lived over on that side of town. My only complaint with Distance Dare events is you have to wait in between each race. This has been the case with all Distance Dare events I have ran as they give other runner/walkers a chance to finish before starting the next leg of the race but also gives my muscles time to tighten back up. I really wish they could make it possible to just continue on to the next race as soon as you finish the first. They had one water stop which you could hit twice for the 5k and then two water stops for the 10k which means four total stops for the 10k which was the perfect amount. (although I didn’t need any until the last stop when my water bottle ran out)

I ran this race with my friend Kelsey. She just started running in January and this was going to be the furthest she had ever ran in one day (she signed up for both the 5k and 10k as well) so I went into the race without really trying for any special times, just was kind of running and making sure she was doing ok. Well she completely impressed me and at times I felt like I was holding her back, she was such a champ! Towards the end of the 10k I told her to go ahead and finish strong as I was struggling a little bit towards the end and she finished about 30 seconds ahead of me. I’m so proud of her and her accomplishment in such a short period of time! I definitely see her with some fast running potential!

Kelsey and I ran the 5k together and then another girl joined us during the 10k. I always say this, but it really is nice to run with others. Having someone to talk to make the time go by so much faster and then it also helps keep up the momentum as you are less likely to take an extra walking interval when you are with others.

I struggled towards the end of the 10k, probably because I’ve been really strict about my diet this past week knowing I had a DietBet weigh in on Saturday morning. I’m proud to say I hit my goal for round 4, but because I didn’t “carb up” the night before the race, I think it played a factor onto my fatigue Saturday morning. Regardless though, I’m happy with my times. I even kind of, sort of, PR’d the 10k. I’m hesitant to “count it” because the course was short. The turnaround point on the 10k just wasn’t out far enough and I was using both my Garmin and Runkeeper and they both measured really short. The Garmin said only 5.92 miles and Runkeeper said 6.05 which is pretty dang short for a 6.2 mile race. That could have been up to another 2ish minutes on my time, hence why I’m hesitant to really call it a PR. A lot of the other runners said their tracking devices came up short as well. My Garmin had low batteries so I’m thinking Runkeeper was probably a little more accurate as it was in line with most of the other people’s measurements. Although, since I did do so well with a light diet the night before and a 5k before, it makes me feel like I can probably try for a PR at my 10k this weekend, so that’s what I’m going to try for! Ironically, my 5k PR was also from the Kiwanis race 4 years ago, and I’m pretty sure that course was a little short too. For chipped races, that’s kind of discouraging though, I feel like they should try to be a little more accurate, especially with an easy out and back course, it’s not THAT hard to make sure you have it measured correctly.

Anyways, the weather was perfect. For a “late” starting race, 8am, you always worry about it getting too warm. (yes, even in February – it’s Florida). Started in the high 40’s/low 50’s and after the 5k was over, I took off my long sleeve shirt and just wore my short sleeve shirt for the  10k and never once felt too cold or too warm.

My Stats:

5k

Official Chip Time: 33:09 (overall pace of 10:40)

Place: 32 of 85 finishers

Place: 14 of 50 Women Finishers

Place: 14 of 30 Distance Dare Finishers

They didn’t break it down by age division

My RunKeeper stats (which accounts for the zigzagging, although there  really wasn’t any in this race since it was so small):

3.14 miles in 32:21 (overall pace of 10:38)

Splits:

Mile 1: 10:26

Mile 2: 10:53

Mile 3: 10:44

.14 Mile: 9.31 

10k

Official Chip Time: 1:06:56 (overall pace of 10:46) <- which would have been awesome if the distance was really 6.2 miles!

Place: 28 of 52 finishers

Place: 14 of 32 Women Finishers

Place: 14 of 30 Distance Dare Finishers

They didn’t break it down by age division

My RunKeeper stats:

6.05 miles in 1:07:09 (overall pace of 11:09)

Fastest Mile #1: 10:22

Slowest Mile #6: 11:22