This was my 4th time running this 10K race and my first time NOT being part of the Turkey Trot Challenge training group (They changed their meeting day from Mondays to Tuesdays.)

I really enjoyed this race my first time I ran it in 2014 (in spite of the snowstorm) so now I look forward to this race every year.

happy because it was and still is my 10K PR (check out all the snow!)

Then in 2015, I decided to run both races – the 10K and then the 5k.  Why not? I was already dressed and ready to run.

The weather was a lot better and I had a blast even though my finish times were not the greatest.

So last year again I ran BOTH Races. I did better in both, as well.

The course was the same again this year.

I picked up my bib on Wednesday after work so I didn’t have to rush on race morning.

But I did want to arrive early to get parking. I parked in the bowling alley parking as I did in previous years and walked a few blocks to the Atrium where I could wait indoors for the race to begin.

I checked my jacket and 5K bib since I wouldn’t need them until after the race.

pic from last year

This year it was very cold – in the 20s when I arrived and only predicted to be in the 30s.  I was hoping the sun would come out but I was undecided on how many layers to wear. I get hot when I run and I HATE to be overdressed.

So at the last minute, I decided to shed my light jacket and just wear a long sleeved shirt with my race shirt over it. I also added my DIY arm warmers, a warmer hat and gloves.

This was taken before I realized that I was wearing the 5k bib (they weren’t marked but everyone else’s was yellow LOL)

I chatted with members of the training group and some other friends until it was time to brave the cold.

inside the Atrium – photo from the TU

The 10K started at 8 am followed by the kid’s one mile race and a one mile walk and then at 10 am the most popular event, the 5K.

Laurie and I squeezed into the crowd at the 9 minute pace group although we knew that we would be left in the dust.

My plan for the race was to not to start out too fast and to run at an even pace and to save some for the last mile.

For some reason, this race seemed a lot more crowded than last year. For my pace, it never thinned out. I was running in a crowd the whole race.  At the beginning, I would barely move.

a pic from a previous year

The course is pretty flat. You run over the Green Island bridge twice near the beginning and then run through Troy before you turn around and run back.

Though I had not done any speed work since May (Freihofer training group runs) and I “trained” for three half marathon this fall, my legs felt pretty strong…not PR strong but better than during my last half marathon.

The sun did come out and I felt perfectly dressed. I rolled down my arm warmers and even took off my gloves during the last few miles.

There was a some crowd support. (Much more for the 5k.) There were even guys handing out bottles of beer and a bakery was handing out donuts.

There were quite a few water stops. I skipped the first and third one but I was dying for a drink by the second one and walked for a bit to catch my breath (It seems so much harder to breathe when it is cold out.)

Timing clocks were placed at every mile. I didn’t have to look at my watch to know that I was too slow to PR. I wasn’t sure if I would even finish under one hour.

Finally I could see the finish in the distance. I wanted to at least sprint through the finish line. Holly was on the side line cheering me on but I had a hard mustering up any real speed.

I tried to cross under 58 minutes but did not but my chip time was 57:42.

Not a PR but really a decent time and faster than last year so I was happy.

I got my medal, drank some chocolate protein milk, had a bagel and then checked the results.

10K Splits:

mile 1 –  9:14
mile 2 –  9:10
mile 3 –  9:18
mile 4 –  9:24 (water stop)
mile 5 – 9:14
mile 6 – 9:14
.25 –  8:22

57:42

I was surprised about my splits.  They were more even than I’ve ever had before.  My last mile was as fast as my first. 🙂

There were some speedy older ladies in this race.  The winner of my age group ran it 48 minutes.  A 72 year old lady ran it in 55 minutes.

chip time = 57:42

This year, like the previous two years, I signed up to run a second race, the 5k about an hour later.

So I walked back to the Atrium. Boy, was it crowded… More than five thousand runners squeezed into a small building.

I just wanted to find my friends and rest my weary legs.

I had already picked up my bib but I needed to get it from my checked bag and ditched my arm warmers.

I did find my tennis friend and we hung out until it was time to line up.

I know it’s bad luck to wear the race shirt but this was a fun race so I didn’t care.

This was the third time that I had run the 5k race.  It was just an out and back course and you didn’t run over the bridge at all.

Finally it was time to get into the starting area. You were supposed to line up by color but we just squeezed in anywhere we fit.

pic from a previous year

Of course, my legs were tired from having already run 6.2 miles (at race pace) so all I wanted to do was finish.  My  stomach was also queasy from the milk and the bagel. I was hoping to come in under 30 minutes but I wasn’t sure that was possible.

The 5k is the fun race.  Many runners are dressed in costume.  Many families were running together.  There were walkers, etc. Everyone was there to have a good time.

photo from the TU

It was so crowded that I had no problem slowing down in the beginning. Like the previous race, it was crowded the whole race.

And my legs were not cooperating. They wanted to run slow. And so I did. And it seemed to be colder.  The wind had picked up and the sun went in and out.

Before I knew it, the race was over. (After a 10k, 5k seems so short.)

I crossed around 31 minutes which was 30:10 chip time. (Faster than the past two years so a course PR!)

I got my medal (the same as for the 10K), some more chocolate milk and then went back to the Atrium to get my bag and meet my tennis friend.  We had planned to go out for coffee after the race.

No chance of an award in this race either.

5K Splits:

mile 1 – 9:39
mile 2 – 9:50
mile 3 – 9:35
.14 –  8:28

30:10

Gee…look at that..my last mile was the fastest. That never happens.

But they were way slower than my 10k splits!!! (Just like a 15k race would have been. LOL)

chip time = 30:10

The Good:

• The weather – the sun made the cold temps bearable. It was actually perfect running weather.
• Race organization – considering the number of runners, it was very well organized.
• Race location – place to stay warm indoors with indoor bathroom and bag check
• Chocolate Milk at the finish
• Medals for both the 10k and the 5k
• 15K PR – each of my race times were disappointing but if you add them together, it was 1:27:52 which is a PR.
• My spits were pretty even.
• I got my long run for the week done and I don’t have to do it on the weekend.
• Running 9.3 miles lets me eat more Thanksgiving food
• Knowing lots of runners.  Racing is fun with friends.
• NO PAIN…no blisters…lower back and feet felt great. Thumbs up to my Nikes! (and compression socks.)

The Bad:

• my 10K time – Besides the crowd, it’s a flat enough course to PR on.  It is my 10k PR (from 2014).
• post race refreshments – I would have liked pizza or soup or cookies but at least they had bagels this year
• same medal for both the 5k and the 10k (if you run both, you have 2 of the same medals)
• unisex tee shirts (in my case, 2 shirts that don’t fit)
• my 5k time – my slowest of the year.

Overall, I enjoyed the races. I am glad that I ran them. I think I will do both next year too. I was 7th in my age group for both races and next year, I will be in the next age group.  (I would have won an award this year if I were 65.)

After the race(s), we went out for coffee and we debriefed about our races.

don’t you love the Starbucks cup?

Then later that evening, I ate back all the calories that I had burned off.

Today I am linking up with a Sunday Fitness and Food Linkup hosted by Ilka from Ilka’s Blog and Angela from Marathons & Motivation

Happy Running! Did you run off that turkey?

October 14, 2017 – 9:30 am Saratoga Springs. NY

I ran this race for the past three years and really enjoyed it (even 2014 in the rain.) Apparently I always wear the same shirt too.

My 10K PR is 57:03 and as you can see, I was close last year but not in 2015.  Who knew what would happen this year??

I was very tempted to switch to the 5k course which is flat. The 10k course continues from the 5k and there are several big hills.

I may have switched so I could try for a 5k PR but without any speed drills, it seemed unlikely that this would happen anyway.

The race takes place in Saratoga State Park which is a beautiful place to run especially in the fall.

The weather in the fall is very unpredictable. It could be warm and then it could be cold.

Not knowing what the weather will do makes it hard to dress. I’m not ready to dress for winter. (I am wearing that skirt as long as I can stand it.)

I planned to wear that same orange race shirt, a skirt and compression socks and then wear a jacket to leave behind and put on after the race.

When I got up it was almost 60 so I changed to a tee shirt but almost tempted to wear a tank one last time (and should have  – it was humid!!!).

This is a very popular race. They usually get about 1500 runners. So I left for the race early in case I had to park where I needed to get a shuttle to the start. The race was to start at 9:30 and I got there at 8:15 am.

I didn’t park in the parking lot near the finish line since it is always so congested.  Instead I parked in one where there were real restrooms and I had to walk to the start. I parked there last year.

As soon as I got out of my car, I realized how humid it was. I wished I had worn a tank.

long sleeved grey tech shirt

I picked up my race a packet, entered my raffle ticket in one of the raffles (this year they were not very tempting).  I also voted for my favorite in the pumpkin decorating contest.

bumping in Dr Tom 2 weeks in a row

Then I chatted with the other runners. There were so many runners that I knew – from other races, from running groups and even the ladies from Wineglass.

Finally it was time for the race to start. Many of the runners were in costume. I thought about it but I was too lazy ( but if I did I would  have looked like Christina above – Wonder Woman).

I lined up with Judith and my running group buddy Holly.  We started not too far back because although it is chip-timed, they give out awards by gun time. (Not that I was going to win one.  There were several runners in my age group at this race that I knew were faster!)

This race for me can be divided into two parts: The first 5K and the second 5k.

Miles 1-3

8:51, 9:17, 8:59

Both the 5k and 10k runners start together and run the same course. So it was very crowded at first. Since I was near the front, everyone was passing me by. I was trying to run fast but my legs just wouldn’t go. Those ladies in my age group, they quickly left me in the dust.

pic from the Gazette

Right at the beginning of mile 2, I passed a young male runner who had collapsed and someone was administering CPR on him.  This really unnerved me.  I slowed down (see my split time above.) (It turns how that they got his heart started and he was taken to the hospital and will be ok.)

The 5k had a few inclines but was basically flat. I didn’t even have to walk.

But it was humid so I stopped at the water stop and walked around mile 1.5.

I love running in this park. It is so pretty.

The 5k ended and my time was just under 28 minutes!!. Crazy! I didn’t feel like I was running that fast.

Of course, that exhausted me and we hadn’t hit the hills yet.

Miles 4-6.2

9:40, 10:07, 9:34, 10:00 (.2)

At this point, I was sweating and the rest of the course was filled with hills. I tried to run up them but was pretty unsuccessful. So I walked many times during the second half of the race … during every hill.

I also stopped and walked at both water stops.

Well, by the end, I had no energy… at all… and the biggest hill was 1/2 mile before the finish line…GRRR!!!

I really wasn’t paying attention to the time on my watch and I walked one last time on the last turn and was shocked to see that the clock said 57:xx!!

I booked it but it was too little, too late, I crossed at 58:09  (58:02 chip time).

Not a PR and not even a course PR.  Not a bad finish time but I ran the race poorly.  My 2nd half was over 2 minutes slower than the first. Yes, it was hillier but I was dragging and let it pull me down and walked more than I probably needed to.

I quickly headed to get food. Priorities! The line was long but moved quickly. There was fruit, bagels, lots of delicious homemade goodies (cookies, apple, pumpkin, zucchini breads, etc.) and hot chocolate. Everything was so good!

It was getting late so I retrieved my checked bag and looked for the race results.

I came in 6th. Looking forward to turning 65 in May.

Though I was almost 2 minutes faster than two years ago when I won an AG award, this year I did not.

I waited around for the awards ceremony because both Holly (in the 5k) and Judith in the 10K got awards.

I also finally found Judy and we chatted for awhile. Jen, Jeri & Chris (the other Wineglass ladies) went out to breakfast.  Pretty tempting but remember I have a half marathon in a month.