June Bug Running

[OakLeaf]

Good job TrekDianna! In my book it's still racing if you're racing against the clock. And you ARE competing against other people too, if your goal is not to come last! C'mon, if the only people who entered races were the ones with a shot at the overall win, there'd be ten people in each race and they'd call it the Olympics. If you're lining up with the intention of running harder than you would or even could in a solo training run, then AFAIC you have every right to race and call it racing.

That's just me, who will never have a shot at an overall win of anything unless I'm the only one who shows up. But even elite runners have goal races, and then races that they compete in as tune-ups for their goal races.

I'm doing a 5-miler tomorrow. Never done that distance before. It's the 40th running of this race and it claims to be the oldest continuous foot race in the area. Should be fun. And if it pours down rain, that helps with the law of averages when it comes time for my next long race, right?

[TrekDianna]

Good job TrekDianna! In my book it's still racing if you're racing against the clock. And you ARE competing against other people too, if your goal is not to come last! C'mon, if the only people who entered races were the ones with a shot at the overall win, there'd be ten people in each race and they'd call it the Olympics. If you're lining up with the intention of running harder than you would or even could in a solo training run, then AFAIC you have every right to race and call it racing.

That's just me, who will never have a shot at an overall win of anything unless I'm the only one who shows up. But even elite runners have goal races, and then races that they compete in as tune-ups for their goal races.

I'm doing a 5-miler tomorrow. Never done that distance before. It's the 40th running of this race and it claims to be the oldest continuous foot race in the area. Should be fun. And if it pours down rain, that helps with the law of averages when it comes time for my next long race, right?

Well, ok but I think it's fun to beat my own time. I did get a compliment from an older gentleman who was running near me most of the course. He commented when we were done that he tried to pace himself with me, but I ran faster uphill and that it pushed him to do so also.

I was impressed that there was a woman in her 80s and it was her first 5k.

I love running in the rain and I prefer the trails to the road.

Good luck with your 5 miler. I am interested to hear how it was. I signed up for an 8k at the end of next month.

[skhill]

Good job TrekDianna!

It's looking like rain for our big 10k tomorrow morning, and I'm kinda glad. My PR in the half-marathon and 5k both came in downpours. I don't really LIKE running in rain, and that's what helps. I remember late in both races speeding up so I could get to the finish and somewhere dry. Best finishing kicks ever!

This will be my 5th time doing this race and I'd really really like to knock 10 minutes of my original time. That'd mean 50:59. Not impossible; that's around an 8:10 pace and I expect to do 5ks faster than that these days. But it's more than a minute faster than my current best 10k. So we'll see. It'll be fun no mater what!

The 91 year old woman who has been the oldest competitor at this race for much of the past decade isn't running this year. Not because she's ill or injured; she's been too busy as an Alzheimer's advocate and organizer to train the way she'd like the last few months. She's promising to be back next year! Oh, and she's never been the last finisher overall. An amazing lady!

[VeganBikeChick]

Started my running up again. It's the most consistent thing I've done for the past 2 years, even if I take a month off now and then. Did a 2.8 mi loop today and on Tuesday, walk/run combo since I'm not up to full running with my 6 week hiatus. 96% humidity felt yuck, even though the temp was only mid 60's. It's really helping my depression, which is a nice bonus.

[OakLeaf]

Cool VBC! You know, at my last appointment, my DO asked me why I like running. I spouted off something about it being meditative, and he nodded and mentioned the rhythmic coordination of breath and movement, which I hadn't thought about it in those terms before - but that's definitely something you don't get from cycling. So it makes sense that it would help depression in ways that other outdoor aerobic activity doesn't.

But I like competition too. Won my AG today, which I'm pretty happy about since it was my first try at 5 miles. I thought I was going to have to stop and puke twice in the last kilometer, but I managed to keep going. I'm pretty sure second place in my AG was someone I followed for most of the race and passed in the last mile or so - I had a 16 second gap. Didn't get rained on, which I could've used the cooling - I took a cup of water at the 3 mile aid station and poured all of it down the back of my shirt.

ETA: @TrekDianna, in terms of the comparison to a 5k, it's a little hard to tell since I'm only just getting back into the shorter races, and doing them AS my speedwork for the longer events, not as goal races, and without any other speedwork - but my average pace in the 5 miler was 4 sec/mile slower than I ran the 5k in June, and I was definitely closer to my limit this time. The courses were similar, in fact they started at the same place, so it's a pretty good comparison in terms of terrain - it was more humid this time but about the same temperature.

How'd your 10k go, skhill? Anyone else race today? Should we start a July thread?

[skhill]

Good going on the 5 miler, OakLeaf!

My race was not good. My right calf was really tight as I biked to the race, then it loosened up as I warmed up. It started drizzling as the race started, and continued throughout the race-- never all that hard, it was actually pretty nice. But I started way too far back in the field, surrounded by much slower folks, and as I was weaving my way through the crowd, my calf started tightening up again. After a couple miles it was getting pretty painful so I stopped to stretch and walk it off for a while. Ended up having to do that several times over the rest of the race, so a good time was out of the question. The final mile was my best, just a little tight, but I didn't try to crank up the speed. I finished in 57:11, but at least I finished. And it's been raining pretty much non-stop since then, yuck. But one of my best running buddies went in to the race hoping for 1:06:00, just under his old PR, and he did way better than that, in 1:04:30ish, and that was fun to see. And the woman in my age group that I'm always keeping an eye out for, as she's usually just a few seconds faster than me, also had a bad day. Faster than me, but no where near what she's capable of either.

Better luck next year!

[TrekDianna]

But I like competition too. Won my AG today, which I'm pretty happy about since it was my first try at 5 miles. I thought I was going to have to stop and puke twice in the last kilometer, but I managed to keep going. I'm pretty sure second place in my AG was someone I followed for most of the race and passed in the last mile or so - I had a 16 second gap. Didn't get rained on, which I could've used the cooling - I took a cup of water at the 3 mile aid station and poured all of it down the back of my shirt.

ETA: @TrekDianna, in terms of the comparison to a 5k, it's a little hard to tell since I'm only just getting back into the shorter races, and doing them AS my speedwork for the longer events, not as goal races, and without any other speedwork - but my average pace in the 5 miler was 4 sec/mile slower than I ran the 5k in June, and I was definitely closer to my limit this time. The courses were similar, in fact they started at the same place, so it's a pretty good comparison in terms of terrain - it was more humid this time but about the same temperature.

Nice! Congrats on winning your AG!

I think my 8k does part of the 5k course - that will be familiar, at least I won't be surprised this time with the hill that faces me when I go around the first corner. My regular running trail has the first 2 miles at a steady uphill that's not much of a hill, but even slows me down on my MTB. I think running that every other day is good for me - at least that's what I tell myself.