Another Week, Another Race

Training is moving along nicely.

I did miss a three mile run this week.  My PF started to act up after a beach day right before The Blessing and I just wanted to make sure I felt better before I ran again.

I had a nice three mile run on Tuesday, just me at an average pace.  It was a really nice morning and I enjoyed the time by myself.

On Thursday, I met the girls and the Narragansett Running Association and we headed out for five miles.

As soon as we started, I knew I was running too fast.  I didn't stop though and paid for it later.  After two miles, I knew I had to slow down.  I did, but mile 3 and 4 were a bit tough. I felt ok in mile five, but I was really happy to be finished!

Beth and I, and a group from the NRA headed to Plum Point Bistro for a beer and a bite. This was my first time really hanging out with the group and I had a great time.  They kept me out longer than I would of liked but it was fun and I look forward to the next time!

Friday and Saturday we headed to a friends house who happens to have a pool.  We spent most of our time in the pool and it was lovely.  Now, I don't really know how to swim, but I did get a nice little workout in by just being in the pool for so many hours.  I can see why swimming is a great way to cross train.  Now, how to convince Mr. RWM that we need a pool...

This brings me to Sunday.  Race day!

I decided last week to race Run 4 Kerri.  I was told it was a nice one and I wanted to check it out. It is a great cause as it honors a beautiful young runner whose life was cut short her first year of college after she contracted Bacteria Meningitis.

I, of course, posted on FB that I was doing it and would anyone like to join me.  Yay, I got one taker. Bridget!

We got there with plenty of time to spare.  Parking was easy. We picked up our shirts and numbers and got a fun bag filled with advertisements and coupons.  We dropped everything back at the car and still had 30 minutes to wait.

The time went by quickly and with about 10 minutes to go, we walked to the start line. Today, there were 729 runners.  It was a beautiful day!

The start.

Now, I had a goal for this race and it wasn't just to finish.  My best four mile time was 44:01, or so I thought.

My goal, first and foremost was to get rid of the one second, but honestly, I wanted to be under 44 minutes. I was pretty sure a 42 or 43 minute race was possible.

I had told Bridget, who is a faster runner than I, what my goal was and she said she would stay with me.  Cool!

The race starts on an uphill but is mostly a flat course.  A couple hills but not the toughest I have seen.  Going out too fast was a concern for both of us and when I looked at my Garmin, it read, 9:17.  I knew we had to slow down.  We hit mile one at 10:26 which was right on target!

The course was beautiful, but it was getting hot.  Mile two was pretty good and I was having fun chatting with Bridget.  We hit that mile marker at 21:xx.

Mile three is where I started to waver.  The sun was really beating down on us and I was having a little trouble with my running skirt.  It's cute but not functional for running.  The shorts kept riding up and made it uncomfortable.

I slowed way, way down and fixed my shorts, walk through a water station and turn my iPod on.  Bridget was just ahead of me.  She looked back and started to slow down for me to catch up, but I told her to go, I was good.

Once I was comfortable again, I was able to find a nice rhythm and I knew a PR was still possible.

I hit the down hill and knew the finish was just around the corner.  I felt great and my speed picked up.  I ran though the chute and heard them announce my name and number.  That was a nice touch for a small race.

I got water, found Bridget and then some shade.  We chatted about our race and had a couple orange slices.  They pulled numbers for a raffle when we were running, so we headed over to the prize wall to discover we both won prizes.

Bridget won a gift certificate to the paint store and I won a tape measure.  It is no ordinary tape measure though. It weights a ton and reaches to 30 feet.  Mr. RWM was happy!

Next stop was the posted times.  I was so happy to see that I had reached my goal and got a new PR.  Official time is 42:55.

I left happy.

Walking into the door of my home, I was hit with a wonderful smell of eggs,  corn beef hash, and toast cooking, not to mention coffee.  I was psyched!  Thanks family! We sat down to a late breakfast together which was a wonderful way to end an already fantastic morning.

When I went to log my miles and add my races to my FB and my blog page, I realized that my best four mile time was 43:01, not 44:01.  I felt a little disappointed that I had only beaten that time by six seconds, but no matter how you look at it, I still beat it!

Bottom line is, I loved this race and will be back.  If you are local, I hope to see you there next year!

15 weeks to Philly!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole