Heritage War Eagles Twilight 5K Race Recap

Monday was the 2nd Annual Heritage War Eagles Twilight 5K in Rogers.  This was a nerve-wracking race for me because it is my current 5K PR course from the race in 2009.  I wasn't super confident in my speed ability going into the race so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to run as fast as I wanted.

The weather was a huge improvement over the past few weeks with a cold front that dropped the temps into the 80's-90's versus highs in the 100 degree mark.  The race starts at 7:30 PM and is held to raise funds for the high school's cross country team. Race registration was super easy and the Rush Running team was out in full force for the race.  It was a pretty cool sight to watch the team head out together for a warm-up...the R jerseys just look so cool when we're all together!

Check out all the R jerseys! The Rush Running team represents!

The race has a downhill start and finish with a few minor inclines throughout.  There are some turns on the course but lots of long straightaways too.  I made an effort to not watch my mile splits and instead just try to hold on to my pace as long as possible.  I developed a side-stitch just after the first mile but was able to mostly ignore it until the very end.  I took walk breaks as I went through the water stops just to get the water in and take deep breaths...sadly it didn't help the stitch dissipate.

Just passing mile 1 1/2

The race has a great finish with a lap on the high school track.  The track is one of the nicest tracks, super bouncy and soft! I hit the track just behind my brother-in-law and had great motivation to pick up my speed and try to catch up to him.  Heading into the final turn I shouted out to him that I was getting close.  As we came off that last turn, we were together and working hard to finish.  I didn't notice the race clock on the scoreboard and had no clue of my time until coming out of that final turn.  The clock was still in the 27 minute range and I realized my time would be a lot better than I expected. 

Sprinting to the finish...Scott my brother-in-law in blue, his friend Matt, and me.

We sprinted to the finish and ended up with a time of 27:58 versus my PR from last year of 27:47.  Not bad for how I felt leading up to the race.  It was so much fun to hit the track and hear so many friends and teammates yelling out encouragement to me.  My sister had cheered to catch the boys (her husband and his friend!) Altogether another fun race and I'm really proud of myself. I'm also super proud of Scott and his friend Matt.  They are training for a 10K on Labor Day and improved their 5K time by several minutes from a few weeks ago. 

Post race and happy to be done!

Last year this race was super memorable...for my PR performances as well as the weather delay.  The original date of the race had crazy storms.  Because it is a school sponsored event, they had to postpone it a week due to lightning and storms.  The Rush Running team didn't get to enjoy the delay...we still had to put in a workout.  Mike had us do a 2 mile time trial in the rain and lightning with the aroma of the Tyson chicken plant keeping us company.  It was one of those workouts that you look back on and ask yourself what were you thinking! Then a week later, we returned to the school and I ended up with my PR performance.  I was really glad that we didn't have to contend with crazy weather or extra time trials this year!

Punishment for Sleeping In

Well, this morning my alarm went off and I just couldn't make myself actually get up.  It was dark outside at 5:15 and I just wasn't feeling it.  The group run was messed up since some were starting at 5:15, some possibly at 6, and others at 7am.  I think I knew I would be running on my own anyway so I took advantage of this and went back to sleep.

I finally got up and moving around 8am but stayed in bed reading a book.  I was regretting skipping my run and eventually convinced myself to just run from my house.  I live in a very hilly area that has two-lane roads with very little shoulders.  I usually avoid running from my house for safety but I do have a loop that seems to keep me on less-traveled roads.  I chugged a glass of water and ate some fruit snacks and got ready to head out.  I thought about doing my four-mile loop and then coming back to the house for more water but decided to carry water anyway so I could play it by ear.  I took a Camelbak podium bottle with me and figured that would be enough if I didn't gulp on water!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much shade I encountered along the route.  This helped a lot but I still had to face my Triple H Punishment...Heat, Humidity, and HILLS!!! It was about 9:45 when I started and the temps were definitely warm.  The air was sticky with only an occasional breeze.  The hills, well they were everywhere that I went! I got to the 2 mile point and had a choice to make...turn back to home or continue on and force myself to get the mileage in.  You see, I had a sneaking suspicion that if I returned home I wouldn't actually go do the second loop. 

I chose to go out another mile or so before turning back.  This put me on a shaded, non-paved road...the only problem was that it was a mile of pretty much downhill grade meaning I would have to run back uphill! I ended up taking a couple walk breaks on the uphill return but overall managed pretty well by just slowing down and focusing on getting the distance in rather than hitting a certain pace.  As I got closer to home, I added on a short loop to get my mileage just under 7 miles for the run.  The pace was slower than I would have liked but it was more important for me to get the distance done and to learn that I can survive heat, humidity, and hills!

Dedicated or Crazy?

The high temp today was right around 100 degrees in Northwest Arkansas.  This means that the temp was still hovering near 100 at 6PM for Rush Hour speed workout on the track.  I'm sure the heat on the track was actually higher! Rush Hour is a free, weekly track workout hosted by Mike Rush of Rush Running.  Below is a group picture of us before the start of tonight's workout.  Can you believe that we actually had people show up tonight for their very first Rush Hour? I was really impressed with the turnout and definitely found strength in everyone doing the workout in the heat tonight. 

Due to the heat, we altered the starting point on the track so that we could be near shade for the rest periods and also so that Mike could hook up a hose to spray people off as they circled the track.  This meant we finished coming off the curve versus ending after the straightaway.  The workout was condensed slightly due to the heat but it still included 2 1/2 miles of speed intervals.  We did 3 x 400 then 800 and did two sets.  We took short rest breaks between each interval and before the second set.  The goal was to sustain 5K pace for the entire workout and to strive towards even splits.

I'm happy to report that I was able to stay within 2 seconds on my splits.  Even better, my splits were closer to an 8:30 pace and my 5K goal pace is usually a 9:00 pace.  I'm not sure how I managed these times since my running partner Anne was late to the workout and wasn't able to run with me tonight.  I suspect I just wanted to get it done!

Centerton Fire Run 5K Race Recap

On Saturday, I participated in the Centerton Fire Run 5K.  This is a smaller 5K that supports the Centerton Volunteer Fire Department.  This was my second year running in the race.  It takes place in a neighborhood and includes several small hills during the race.  The race is also entirely devoid of shade which isn't exactly pleasant when the temps are warm and humid.

Me at the race start (in the R jersey towards the left of center)

Race time was 7:45 AM and the temps were high 70's and high humidity at that time.  About 120 people took part in the 5K and more took part in the mile fun run.  I didn't have very big goals for this race...my goal was just to get back into something more quick than my recent 5K's at the end of sprint triathlons.  I started out with a 9:08 pace for the first mile and while really good for me, I didn't have the confidence to sustain that in both the heat and hilly conditions.  I ended the race with a time of 29:52 which was 2 min. slower than last year but anything under 30 min. is a good 5K for me!  The best part of the race was the downhill finish that included going under a sprinkler (quite a big sprinkler since it was a fire truck!) After the race they turned the hose on full force so AJ dragged me to run through it. 

Here's a shot of the downhill finish and the fire truck sprinkler!

AJ and I running through the downpour!

After the race and awards, AJ and I headed out for an easy bike ride.  AJ had just completed 2 days of RAGBRAI and still kicked my butt on the bike! It was 10AM by the time we started and really hot.  The lesson of the day was to avoid stopping because that is when the heat was most unbearable.

Getting ready to head out on our bikes. 

Moonlight and Sunrise

I had lunch plans today with my team at work and had to move my swim workout to the early morning laps option.  I'll be super honest...I am not a morning person and 5:30 is just super early for me.  I was thinking about work as I drove to the pool and managed to pass by my exit.  I got to the pool and saw only one other swimmer.  I jumped into a lane near the pace clock and was happy that the water wasn't super cold. 

I planned my workout last night to do a ladder workout.  My plan was to start at 100m build to 400m and then work my way back down for a total of 1600m.  To spice things up, I decided to make the last 50m of each ladder rung a sprint build (increasing pace.)  I started with a warm-up of 300m and 200m of drills.  I started on the top of the clock for each ladder rung and got a variety of rest times depending on how I finished the previous one.  I didn't worry too much about the pace but just focused on endurance and building pace at the end of the sets.  I got in 1 1/2 miles of swimming this morning which is pretty great for me. 

Throughout the workout I had a fun experience...as I swam down the pool I would see the moon as I took a breath.  After I hit the turn and returned back to the start, I would see the sunrise taking place.  It was quite fun and peaceful at the same time.  This was the smallest group that I have seen at the pool with just 4 of us there for the morning laps.  Everyone did their own workouts but we chatted at the end once the sun was up.  Overall, it isn't too bad a way to start the day (and I really should take advantage of it since the outdoor pool will close in 6 weeks or so.)

Shark Sprint Triathlon Race Recap

Today marked my one-year anniversary in the sport of Triathlon! Last year, the Shark Sprint Triathlon was my very first triathlon and today I returned to the race full of nerves and anticipation.  I couldn't wait to see how much I had improved over this first year.

A new addition to the race this year was the Olympic distance.  This added a bit of dead time in the morning for those of us doing the Sprint distance.  There was only one transition area so it was closed at 6:45 in time for the start of the Olympic race at 7:00 but over an hour before my race would start at 8:00.  I felt a lot of stress in transition because the bike next to mine kept angling into my rear derailleur.  I asked the guy to try to prop his bag to hold the bike straight on the rack but he really didn't want to do that.  In fact, he seemed bothered that I took that space.  HELLO, the racks are two sided and meant to be shared!

I had decided to race in the Athena division on Friday and heard conflicting announcements regarding which swim wave I should be in.  I went up to one of the timing crew to ask for clarification before the first waves of the sprint started.  Imagine my surprise, when he asked if I was my sister Lindsey's sister! The timing company for the race was from Oklahoma City and my nephew is friends with the children of Kevin on the timing crew. Such a small world sometimes!

The swim course was set up similar to a rectangle.  It was a HUGE improvement over last year's layout.  I had a great swim and caught up to some of the men from the wave before ours.  I almost swam into the dock near the swim exit but sighted just in time to see that I was about to hit it.  Close call! I moved into transition and saw that my friend AJ was just ahead of me.  I wished her luck on the bike and then worked on getting my bikes shoes and gear on. 

The bike course is full of rolling hills and the first 4 miles are mainly uphill.  I saw my friend Kyla on the bike course...she had another commitment and could only stop by for the start of the race.  I tried to pass more people than passed me.  I made sure to drink and eat a couple gel chews on the bike.  Around mile 10, is one of the largest hills that I have ever ridden.  It is long and steep and in general sucks! I stayed positive and worked my way up it slow and steady.  The last 4 miles rocked and were mostly downhill which is way more fun. 

I have been dreading the run for weeks and that probably contributed to my struggles on the run.  It was hot and sunny and my legs just weren't turning over and loosening up.  I had to take walk breaks and hated doing it.  The Rush team worked the water stop which is was at the 1 mile spot on the course so you hit it 2 times.  My second time through got cheering from Mike via the bullhorn.  On a side note...It is surprising that my first sport is my weakest...I have been running for 10 years and only picked up biking and swimming last year.  I haven't trained as strong in the run this summer mainly because of the high heat we have had.  I'm going to fix that before my late season triathlons!

Me, AJ, and Britt post race!

My overall results were awesome.  My time was 1 hour 41 min. 45 sec. (an improvement of 10 minutes from last year!) I earned first place in the Athena Division and would have placed 3rd in my Age Group.  I think I was 17/51 for women.  It was so much fun to hang out with my friends and see everyone have such awesome races.  AJ got 3rd overall for females and had an awesome race.  Britt did the Olympic distance and got 2nd in her age group. Good times today but now it is time to look to the calendar and make some race plans for August and September. 

Rogue Waves

How do you handle those fun waves that come about after boats go by when you are doing an open water swim? 

Tonight some of us met up at the lake for an open water swim at this weekend's triathlon site.  There wasn't a ton of boat traffic on the lake but of course there was at least one series of waves created from a boat wake.  Somehow I didn't actually hear the boat so the waves really surprised me.  Of course, I forgot that there are generally multiple waves.  The rest of the swim out went quite well and then we turned back for the return trip.  There was quite a bit of wind so the water was a lot choppier but it wasn't too bad. 

After our swim, we laced up our shoes and ran a portion of the run course.  The temps were so much nicer than they will likely be on race day.  We ran to the mile point on the course so ended up with two miles for the night. 

We did a second swim after the run and I encountered some sighting difficulty since the sun was in my eyes for the return trip.  Overall, the lake was great and it was just fun to goof off and have fun with friends...while getting in a good workout!