So many races to choose from this weekend but I chose this one.

Not for the course but simply because it was on Sunday and my tennis friend (the one who started me running) was going to do the race and we hardly ever run together.

I am familiar with the course.  I used to run in this park quite often.  It is pretty but hilly.  What I do not like about this race is the fact that you repeat the loop. I always want to done after the first time around.

I ran a race on this course a few years ago and my time was 28:16. So I guess that was the time I was aiming for. The big difference is that I didn’t have any half marathons on the schedule that fall. I ran one a week ago. I also have another in 2 weeks!!  That meant that I needed to add more miles after the race.

I woke up not in the mood to race.

I had a very frustrating Saturday. I had planned to help out a friend and proctor the LSATs, then drive to a former professor’s house to help her with her computer and then in the evening, go to the movies with friends.

I didn’t realize that I would be proctoring special accommodations and that I would be there for 7 1/2 hours. At that point, I wasn’t sure that I would have enough time to visit the professor and get to the movies.  So I postponed the visit until Sunday.

I had thought about going up to the lake on Sunday after the race but now that wouldn’t be possible.

Anyway, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Finally we had some cooler weather.  When I left my house, it was in the 40s but with bright sunshine. I refuse to dress as if summer is over.  I’ll be wearing those capris and tights for many many months.  So I shivered in a skirt and wore a jacket over my short sleeve shirt until the start of the race. (I almost wore a tank.)

I parked about 1/2 mile away and ran slowly to the start.

When I arrived, I got a text that my friend had decided to bail on the race.  I was disappointed but I immediately found some runners that I knew. I also ran into some people that I used to work with.

We hung out and chatted for a while. It warmed up quickly and I shed my jacket.

It was soon time to start but we realized that we were at the finish line not the start.

So we walked up a hill to the start.

I should mention that this race was run for the high school booster club.  So there were a lot of kids running the race.

The start was tricky….trying to run around the kids plus not getting run over by any.  I knew right away that this was not going to be a good race.  I was running as fast as I could and I was not moving.  My first mile is usually in the 8’s but it was 9:22.  Yikes!

I love the course.  It is very pretty especially when you run around the lake. And this time, the second loop didn’t even bother me. But there are hills. I was determined not to walk.  I even passed the water stops.

I was not getting any faster so I finally gave up and walked during the 3rd mile. Luckily the finish was after a downhill so I sprinted as fast as I could so I would not finish over 29 minutes. And I crossed at 28:39.

Splits:

mile 1: 9:22
mile 2: 9:24
mile 3: 9:21
.1 – 6:50

28:36 (Garmin time)

Tom and Sherry had already finished so we hung out and got some food while waiting for the results.

 

It seemed to take forever but I guess it was worth the wait since we all won.

I came in first, got my medal and had to rush off.

It was much later than I realized so I had to run back to my car. I rushed to Best Buy to pick up something I had on order and then stopped on my way home to run.  I had already run 1/2 mile to and from the race so I needed to run 5-7 more miles…. in a half  hour. Ha ha ha!!

I got in two miles and called it a day.  6 interrupted miles for my last long run….it will have to do.

I was able to get to the professor’s house and help her.  It took no time at all (if I had known, I could have done it on Saturday.) Then I went grocery shopping, weeded and finished the laundry.

I was sad to miss out on a beautiful boating day.  There may not be many more this season.

Next weekend, I get to do it all over again.

A Saturday 5K and hopefully some extra miles to prepare for my October 9 half marathon. And I am leaving Sunday open for boating.

And since it’s Tuesday, I’m linking up with these wonderful ladies:

Erika @ MCM Mama Runs, Marcia @ Marcia’s Healthy Slice and Patty @ My no-guilt life! 

for

Today’s topic is The most challenging aspect of running right now is _______.

My answer is FITTING IT ALL IN!!!!

Family, friends, work, housekeeping, training runs, races, tennis, gym (yes, order here matters).

I don’t know how you working moms do it.  I just have to take care of myself (My hubby is pretty self sufficient) and I struggle everyday to fit in my runs and not neglect the rest of my life.  In the scheme of things, running is not a priority. But I do want to train adequately for my races.

Any advice, you superwomen?

The second most challenging thing (because I can never stick to one thing) is improving BOTH my 5k and my half marathon times.

When I race and train long, I run slower, of course.  I haven’t figured out how to get faster on those short races.  But I don’t want to give up half marathons.  So the answer may be that I can’t run faster 5ks and faster half marathons at the same time.

Any advice?

Happy Running! What challenges you the most in your running?