This race sucked for many reasons but I’ll get into that later in this post.

The race started at 8:30  at the Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa about 40 minutes away from my house. This nice local race usually has about 300 runners. There’s no parking lot but it is easy to find parking on the street.  There are bathrooms in the museum which is always a plus.

I’ve done this race 4 times before. I’ve always enjoyed it.

• 2009 – 31:04
• 2010 – 29:49
• 2012 – 30:58
• 2014 – 28:25

I know that you walk up a hill to start the race and you finish running down this hill. Couldn’t be any better than that.

So I was pretty excited all week to run this race.  Do I hear PR possibility??

But silly me is taking advantage 100% of my unemployment status.   This is how my week went:

Sat – hilly hilly 10k, a walk
Sun – a run, 2 hikes
Mon – a run, a hard hike
Tues – tennis twice
Wed – a run, a walk
Thurs – tennis, a run
Fri – tennis (3 hrs)

Do you see the word rest there? Nope.  Me neither.

To make things worse, I woke up Saturday am with an upset stomach. I ate a little and took my tea with me and made my way to the race.

I got there early enough to find a close spot and use the rest room (in the museum).  The weather was great – high 60’s – the best weather we’ve had for running this summer.

I was disappointed to not see many friends there.  I did see one lady that I know but hung out with 2 older guys. (One is in his 80’s and the other in his 60’s who is pretty fast.)

I felt nauseous and couldn’t even get a GU down. But I still had high hopes for the race.

This time I didn’t forget to start my Garmin but I put it on too lose and so it turned to where I couldn’t see my pace.  (Probably not a bad thing.)

I looked for my friend at the start. I thought he could pace me because he is slightly faster than me. But I couldn’t find him so I had to go at it alone.

The first mile was a gradual uphill but nothing steep.  I was going to try to hold back but my legs felt like lead so I didn’t need to worry about that.

I was hoping to run the whole thing but around halfway at the water stop, I was sick to my stomach and out of breath so I stopped and walked for a while.

Mile 2 seemed to be flat but every time I tried to speed up, I felt nauseous and out of breath so I walked again and again. I knew I had to give up on hopes of a PR and just finish the race.

I knew there was that downhill at the finish but I found myself walking AGAIN, right before it.

Finally I got to the steep downhill, I wish I was confident enough to go all out but I was afraid of falling flat on my face so I held back. And then my hat blew off and got stuck in my scrunchie.  I gave up trying to put my hat back on and held it in my hand. But it was hard to sprint with a hat in your hand so I just threw it to the side.

Then I saw the clock.  It was 28:xx and I ran as fast as I could.

I crossed at 28:33.

I was NOT happy.

I immediately saw my friend who was waiting for me.  He was worried because I was way ahead of him and then he saw me bonk and he finished ahead of me.  He was also very disappointed in his time so we walked to get my hat and commiserated together.

Well, at least I won my age group.

And it was more useful that last week’s muffin.

Splits:

mile 1 –  9:05
mile 2 – 9:24
mile 3 – 9:05
.14 -7:03

I hate to be a Debbie Downer because those paces aren’t bad.  But you don’t get many opportunities to race with this weather and a course with a downhill finish.

I decided after to race to bag my plan to go to the Zim Smith Bike Path to run 7 more miles.  (A LSD in preparation for my Sept. 18 Half.)

Instead I called my hubby to tell him that I was coming up to the lake. My hubby had a friend along so we had to play tour guide before heading to the bay to hang out with our friends.

The best part was that my hubby’s friend likes to hike so I had a partner to try and find Shelving Rock Falls.

Unfortunately, I did not feel well all day and when they decided to go out to dinner in town, I left to drive home.

I’m already over my race performance.  It is what it is.  I’ve glad to be healthy enough to run. There will be other 5ks and there will be other bad races. (Maybe even some good ones 🙂 )

Since it is Sunday, I am linking with Ilka and Angela for the Sunday Fitness and Food Linkup.

Happy Running! Any racing plans this weekend? Ever suck on a race that should have been a PR?

Last Week: 

• Monday –  Another trip to NYC with two friends on a steamy day.  We went on a history/eating tour of Nolita  (Northern Little Italy).  It was a lot of fun and boy was the food good.  Then we took a tour of the Tenement Museum which was very interesting.

• Tuesday – I skipped my AM tennis in favor of a run.  It wasn’t great but I needed to burn off of some calories.  I did play tennis in the evening.

• Wednesday –  Went for a walk and out to lunch with my BFF.  Spent hours catching up and then I met Alyssa for a run.  I haven’t run this well in a while.  We are a good match because we push each other.

• Thursday – I played tennis early in the am and then had a hair appointment.  I went for a short run in between the two.

• Friday – Lots of gardening today which tired me out. So no tennis, no walking, no running. But since I was hosting mah jongg I had to shop and clean.

• Saturday – Very hot day and I ran a 5k. Even stopped on the way home to drag myself through 3 more miles.

• Sunday – Spent the whole day on the water. (Except for a long hike on land along the lake. Had to get my 10k steps.)

17 miles done with 4 runs and 3 rest days.

This Week:  

• Monday – 4 mile run, hiking in the Adirondacks
• Tuesday – work at the bar exam, rest, theatre in the park
• Wednesday – country club tennis, 4 mile run with a friend
• Thursday –  rest, work at the bar exam
• Friday –  work at the bar exam, 3 mile run, mah jongg
• Saturday – rest, boating or garage sale
• Sunday – 5k race + 4 more miles, boating

Happy Running! How is your running going?  Any races?

This used to be one of my favorite 5ks.  I ran it in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

It’s funny how things have changed. AJH was trying to convince me to run a longer race.  Since then I have completed 20 half marathons.

My 5k time back in 2010 was 29:34.

After 5 years, I ran this 5k again last year.  And my time was 28:41. So things haven’t changed that much.

The course had changed for 2015. I assumed that it would be the same this year.

Here is the new course map:

The race started at 8 am. That meant that I had to get up at 5:30.

This being the opening weekend of the Saratoga Flat Track, believe it or not there was already a lot of traffic at 7 am. I was glad to have left early and found parking in a nearby lot. (I was careful this year to park in the correct lot.  Last year, I almost got towed.)

I picked up my bib and shirt and then went back to my car and watched the horses work out for a bit.

There were about 1000 runners at this race.So I bumped into quite a few familiar faces: Judith, fellow blogger & Skirt Sports Ambassador, Christine, law professor where I used to work, Michele, a former student of mine, Sue who I used to play tennis with among many others.

The weather was quite warm …near 80 at the start and HUMID. So not ideal running conditions.  I wasn’t planning to PR anyway.

Soon we headed to the start. It wasn’t chip-timed but it was too crowded to get closer to the front and I didn’t really want to.

And so we were off.

It seems like everyone was passing me by…because they were.  As usual, my first mile was too fast. My plan was to have negative splits and but it never happened.

It was HOT. It was HUMID.  I tried to run in the shade when there was shade and run the tangents (all 15 of them).  Unlike my last 5k, I only walked at the one water stop at the halfway point.  And as it turned out, my legs were tired and I probably should have walked at each mile.

I spotted a guy I knew who passed me at the water stop.  I tried to keep up with him..in vain but finally crossed the finish line at 28:27.

It was actually a little faster than last year so that’s a plus but slower than two weeks ago when I ran a much hillier 5k.

I searched for my friends but Sue was the only one I could find.

Last year, the refreshments consisted of bagels & chocolate milk. This year, watermelon & bananas. I had several.

They posted the results pretty quickly.  I was shocked that I came in third in my age group.  I guess it depends on who shows up.  (Last year, I was 6th.)

and I got a nice medal.

Besides all the turns, it was a pretty flat course. The race is well-organized. I will do this race again.

Splits:

mile 1- 8:45
mile 2 – 9:22
mile 3 – 9:27
.1 – 7:19

28:23 (Garmin time)

I was not going up to the lake until tomorrow.  So I took advantage of this opportunity to get some more miles in. I drove to Saratoga Spa Park for a change of scenery. It is such as beautiful park but it was 90 degrees now and I was tired.  I walked/ran/walked/ran/stopped to eat/walked/ran..DONE!

Happy Running! How is your running going?  Any races ?

I really wasn’t planning on running a race today.  In fact, I thought that I would spend the day on the lake.

But somehow, I signed up for this race.  I knew someone doing it and since I had been depressed all week (after being laid off from my job), I decided a race would make me feel better.  And it did!!

I ran this race once before but that was 6 years ago.

I remember the course having hills but that was about it. Below is the course map and elevation:

I was really relaxed about this race.  It was very warm and so I had no real goals besides enjoying myself.

I got there early and relaxed.

I sat in the bleachers of this minor league baseball park and used the “real” rest rooms while waiting for every one to arrive.

The race is organized by the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club, a local running organization.

I could not believe how many runners, I saw that I knew.  It was like a running reunion.  We chatted about past races and future races until it was time to head to the start line.

There was no chip  timing so I started pretty close to the front.  The race began in the parking lot and then we ran around the outside of the stadium before heading into the neighborhoods.

I had played tennis four days in a row.  Boy, were my legs feeling it.  My first mile is usually my fastest but not today. I was dragging and soooo thirsty.

Finally there was a water stop around mile 1.5 so I walked a bit. The neighborhoods were rolling hills but nothing too bad until one steep one during the second mile.  I tried to run up it and the legs just weren’t having it. So I walked about half of it.

I finally got into a groove during mile 3.  Maybe because there was a down hill.

We finished the race inside the stadium and I gave it everything.  I really wanted to finish under 29 minutes.

And I did  – 28:47!

Everyone whom I talked to before the race seemed to have a good race. Some finished ahead of me and some after.

I wasn’t hungry right away but eventually I was able to eat a hot dog, banana and cookie while waiting for the awards.

And I did win one – 2nd in my age group.

A pair of wool gloves – how appropriate!?

It was definitely an enjoyable race.  It was the pick me up that I needed.  I may have to add this one back on my races-to-do list.

Splits:
mile 1- 9:10
mile 2 – 9:41
mile 3 – 8:48
.15 –  7:43
             28:47

I even beat my 2010 time of 29:40.

Because I’m crazy like that, I signed up for another 5k for tomorrow.  It’s in Lake George so right after the race, I’ll be heading up to our marina to spend the rest of the day on the boat. Can’t wait!!

Happy Running! How was your weekend?