The Last Run was actually my last run of 2016.

This is a very popular local race. In fact, it always sells out (at 1900). The race starts with fireworks and then you run uphill, around the lights in the park and it ends with a downhill.

Here are some pics from a previous year:

One year, I ran this race in the rain.  Another year, in a blizzard.  Last year, it was cold and windy.

last year

I was hoping for better weather this year. But we ended up with the coldest weather we’ve experienced this year.

back in 2010 – I have that jacket in many colors

I normally pickup my bib & shirt beforehand to save time on race night but this year, I just forgot.

for years, we got windbreakers, then we got shirts with a logo – now this??

Of course, I debated about what to wear… I like to look festive. But it was COLD.  I hate to overdress but how to stay warm and also be comfortable???

I decided to leave my car at my yoga place at work (I hate that crowded parking garage) and walk the mile or so to the race start. I wore an extra coat (that would ditch before the race) and I was still cold. At least we get to wait inside.

As I mentioned, it is a popular race and I bumped into all sorts of people that I knew– runners from my turkey trot training group, runners from work, runners from tennis and FB friends.

me & Mary Pat (my tennis pal who started me running)

We chatted until it was time to head out.

I lost MP but found Holly (my AG rival from my turkey trot group). We waited outside together and admired everyone’s crazy costumes.

from the TU

Then all of a sudden the fireworks began.

The fireworks were great but we were FREEZING and anxious for the race to begin.

About 10 minutes late, it finally did.  Holly took off like a bat, as usual.  I knew that I could not keep up.  My legs were so stiff and it was cold.  I had a hard time breathing.  I felt like I was running fast but as I passed mile one at 9:46.  I obviously was not.

The race started with an uphill, went through the city before we entered the park. It was very very crowded at first and I was always running with many other costumed runner throughout the whole race.

courtesy of the Times Union (last year)

My legs continued to feel really sluggish. I think it was all that standing around in the cold and starting at 5 pm (I have much more energy to run in the morning.) And maybe I was tired from having run 20 miles between Sat and Mon. Who knows?

from the TU

The hills didn’t help.  Why do I not remember how hilly it was?  It didn’t bother me in previous years but this year, I struggled. I even walked up them.

So I just resigned myself to just run and enjoy the lights.  And I did!! I love this race!!!

I took these pics the other day when I ran through the park

The whole time I was running, I kept looking at the ground trying to avoid cracks and uneven pavement and keeping an eye out for potholes (I did fall during this race several years ago.)

Finally around mile 3, my hands and feet warmed up and I felt like I could run at a decent speed.  (Too little, too late LOL)

Eventually we left the park and ran downhill to the finish. I wanted to finish fast but was still  hesitant to run at top speed …in the dark.

It was dark so I couldn’t see my Garmin but I knew by the timing clocks that this would be my slowest 5k of the year.

I barely finished under 30 minutes.  Officially I finished at 29:43. 

done!

Two years, I was 3rd in my AG.  This year, I was 5th. (Even if I had a great race, I wouldn’t have placed. Darn those fast old women!)

Splits:

mile 1- 9:46
mile 2 – 10:01
mile 3 – 9:07
.15 – 7:42

So not an amazing finish time but such a fun race.  Sometimes, you just have to “finish fun” if you can’t “finish fast.”

So my year of racing has come to an end. 42 races!!

Looking forward to an even better 2017.

Since today is 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

Happy Running?  How was your weekend? Did you run in a holiday race?

This was my 3rd time running this 10K and my third time being part of the Turkey Trot Challenge training group.

I really enjoyed this race my first time 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 last year, 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 great.

post 10k and before the 5k

The course was the same again this year.

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

short sleeve tech shirt but unisex so even S is too big

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

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

At least this year, it hadn’t snowed the night before. Plus the predicted rain/sleet didn’t happen :). It was cold and cloudy in the 30’s but no wind. And of course, you had to be careful not to overdress because you will get too warm.

long sleeve shirt under my jacket and yes, I was too warm.

I chatted with members of my 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 & a one mile walk and then at 10 am the most popular event, the 5K.

Last year, I had problems with my Garmin so I made sure to turn it on early. I squeezed into the crowd at the 9 minute pace group with Susan and Joan from my training group. I knew Susan from way back.  I used to play tennis with her and her husband on Sunday mornings.  It turns out that her daughter sang the national anthem and her husband was the race announcer.

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. (You’ll see that I didn’t keep to that plan…)

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. My legs never seemed to get going. I just couldn’t run fast today.

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.

There was a some crowd support. (More for the 5k.) There were even guys handing out bottles of beer.

I saw an old tennis friend who was volunteering and I high fived her twice.  A former student (and runner/blogger) passed me by. That was cool since we have never run the same race before.

There were quite a few water stops. I skipped the first one and even the second but I questioned my judgment because I was dying for a drink by the 3rd one.

Timing clocks were placed at every mile. I didn’t have to look at my watch to know that I was slow and had NO chance of a PR. I wasn’t sure that I could even finish under 1 hour.

Finally, I stopped to walk at the last water stop. It was a little after mile 4. I walked for a while. I thought about taking a GU to give me some energy but since my stomach felt off the whole race, as well, I changed my mind.

This walk gave me a second wind but it didn’t last.  As soon as I passed the photographers, I started to walk.  I wanted to at least sprint through the finish line. Unfortunately some of my friends were watching and yelled at me to stop walking and run.

As usual, it seemed to take forever to run the last .2 miles….

But as soon as I saw the finish line, I gave it everything I had (which wasn’t much at this point) & I crossed under 58 minutes!! (My chip time was 57:51.)

Not a PR but really a decent time and faster than last year so I tried not to get too bummed about it.

10K Splits:

mile 1 –  8:54
mile 2 –  9:15
mile 3 –  9:14
mile 4 –  9:41
mile 5 – 9:17
mile 6 – 9:17
.22 –  8:30

57:51

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

doing a power pose for our friend Dr. Tom

So I got some food (and some chocolate milk) though I wasn’t really hungry and then checked out the results.

Nope. No age group award.  Those old ladies are still speedy.

So I walked back to the Atrium. Boy, was it crowded… 5 thousand or more 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 I was so sweaty that I wanted to change my clothes. (However, I decided just to ditch my gloves and my jacket and add a another shirt.)

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

This was the second 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.  I was hoping to come in under 30 minutes but I wasn’t sure that was possible. I didn’t want to push it since I had a half marathon to run in a little over a week.

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.  I was regretting leaving my gloves behind and taking off my jacket.

Before I knew it, the race was over. I actually stopped to walk at the same point as in the 10K.  I wanted to pass the photographers yet have enough energy to run across the finish line.

I crossed around 32 minutes which was 30:57 chip time. (Faster than last year so a course PR!)

I got 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 5k!!!

5K Splits:

mile 1 – 10:03
mile 2 – 10:02
mile 3 – 9:49
.14 –  8:02

30:58

Gee…look at that…negative splits!!

So not to be a Debbie Downer…

The Good:

• The weather – not too hot or too cold. If the sun came out, it would have been too warm. It was 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 1:28:46 which is a PR.
• Good preparation for my half marathon in 10 days
• 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 I didn’t wear compression socks.)

The Bad:

• my 10K time – considering I was in a training group for this race and I ran this course the past two years, I wanted to have finished faster!!
• 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 – the last 5k at the Stockeadathon 15k was faster and there were huge hills
• I ran the first 5k of the 10k too fast and I should have known better.

Overall, I enjoyed the races. I am glad that I ran them. I think I will do both next year too.

Starbucks, what else?

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

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?