Well, it’s come down to this.  Our 10 week training program is over.

I was a little worried about enrolling in this program.  I wasn’t used to running on hills.  The runs were in Troy and I would have to deal with the 5 pm traffic. Would everyone be faster than me? Would I enjoy it? What if I couldn’t do the Saturday runs?

• Yes, there were hills.  I ran up some and walked up some.  But I got better.  They didn’t kill me.
• I succeeded in getting to Prospect Park and RPI on time with minimal problems.
• The runners were super nice.  Yes, some were faster, some were slower.  But you were never left behind.
• I looked forward to my weekly group runs.  I even went to them on my normal rest day (after my 10 mile race and 15K race on the previous day.)
• Monday’s runs were more important.  They included drills and speed work.  Saturday runs were for distance and I usually ran more on my own. So I didn’t miss much only going on Mondays.

Even before I know how I will do on this 10K race, I can talk about the benefits of the program.

• Meet new runners. New friends. Great conversations (about running, of course.)
• New places to run –Prospect Park, around RPI, bike path near Knickerbocker Arena
• Speed drills – I never do them on my own.
• Hills – yes, they are necessary if you want to get faster and stronger.
• Motivation – it’s more motivating to run with others.
• Great coach (not to mention that he was young and cute.)

I am already planning to sign up for this training group challenge again as it is offered for the Freihofer Run for Women this spring.

Now the race…

It’s a big one…. it will be crowded.

The race starts at 8 am so it will be cold. Hopefully the streets will be cleared from the Wednesday snowstorm.

Since Troy is hilly,  I assume that the race will be too and you run over the Green Island Bridge and back.  That’s all I know.

Our coach says to divide the race into thirds – first 1/3 – start out strong, second 1/3 – ease back, last 1/3 – kick into high gear. We’ll see about that.  I do not have the stamina to run the whole 6 miles but I’ll do my best.

Race Goals:

A. PR (under 58:28)
B. Finish under 1 hour
C. Finish under 1:04:54
D. Finish happy and uninjured

Whatever the results, it should be a fun time and I am looking forward to running it with my training group (followed by a big dinner!!)

Happy Running! Are you running a Turkey Trot this year?