Fortunately, my friend who owns a house in Chestertown let me stay in her house so I didn’t have to drive an hour 20 minutes on race morning. .  It is the same house that I spent time in last month with my tennis friends and the one with no water that I was supposed to stay in last weekend.

I took that day off from work on Friday and drove up stopping at the outlets on the way. I pass them by each weekend but never have time to stop so I was excited.  Besides there were new ones – Reebok, Asics, LLBean and many more.  I bought more than I should have but I haven’t had any retail therapy in a while.

Friday evening, I was able to get my race packet, have dinner in town and then sleep in on race morning.

I woke up to colder temps than I expected.

brrrrr

But it was beautiful.

fog over the river

I bundled up and ate my breakfast on the deck.

pre-race meal & a view

As I mentioned, it was cold, I even put the heat on in my car for the first time this year. I was glad that the race didn’t start until 9:30.

I wore my SkirtsSports running skirt (of course).  I opted for short sleeves instead of a tank and brought a jacket to wear until the race started.

I parked in the Grand Union parking lot and walked across the street to wait until the race started.

a previous year’s start

This was a small community race – about 150 in the 5K and less than 75 in the 10K. I got there early enough to use the real restrooms and chat with some runners.

I wound up talking with a runner, Angela, who was running the 10K the day before the Schroon Lake Marathon.  Yes, crazy.  She lived near Bolton Landing so we chatted about the running routes in that area. She has 2 year old twins, loves belly dancing and is an undertaker – very interesting lady. (In fact, I forgot to take my Gu and drink any water before the race because we were talking.)

This was my 2nd time running the 10k. I also ran the 5k once. Both were recovery races.

2013 – post broken ankle

2012 – my pre-skirt era (post ankle surgery)

This year, I was running healthy but with a half marathon in 2 weeks, needing to stay HEALTHY.

My time in this race 2 years ago was 1:06:10.  My 10K PR is 57:03 and my most recent 10K time (on a flat course) was 1:00:39.  So my hope was to finish under 60 minutes but my realistic goal was to finish around 1:02.

Both the 5k and 10K runners start together and then separate.  There was no timing mat at the start so I tried to stand not too far back.

Once I started running, I was no longer cold.  In fact, it was perfect running temperature.

As I mentioned the course is hilly…real hilly.

I wasn’t gunning for a PR so I just took it slow but not too slow.

The hills didn’t seem as bad as the last time I ran it.  I didn’t even walk until the first water stop at around mile 2.5 (halfway for the 5kers). I was hungry at this point and walked for awhile while eating my Gu.

Besides the hills, this was a beautiful course.  You ran through the back roads and it would have been awesome if the foliage was at peak.

Around mile 3, you ran into the 5k runners but actually it was the ones who were walking.  Then you separated again.

I finished the first 5k around 30 minutes.  I was pleased considering how I wasn’t pushing the pace.  I could have run faster but I am used to running on FLAT roads and I didn’t want another injury.  Besides, I wanted to add 5-6 miles to my run after the race.

I tired again around mile 3.5 but didn’t walk as long and didn’t even take any water.

Mile 4 was the only boring part of the course – a LONG uphill on a main road.  This was the hill that I met Heidi 2 years ago. (We became friends and trained for the Love Run Half together in 2014.)

Believe it or not, the hill didn’t feel bad this year. (I must improving.)

The hardest part of the race was mile 4.5-5.5.   Hil after hill after hill.  I think I walked 3 times.

But after that, I got a second wind and felt great until close to the end.

I walked briefly before the turn into the finish line but I gathered my strength and finished strong.

I finished at: 1:10:10 which was not even close to PR but an OK time for me and better than I expected. (I beat my last 10K time.)

I was pleased.  My 2nd half of the race was about the same as the first and I know that I can do better.

My Splits:

• mile 1 – 9:36 (not my usual sub 9)
• mile 2 – 9:46
  
• mile 3 – 10:27 (long walk – water & gu)
• mile 4 – 9:54 (short walk)
• mile 5 – 10:26 (3 walks up those hills)
• mile 6 – 9:25 (tiny walk)
•         .2 – 7:14 (sprint to the finish)

Due to the rolling hills, it seems that my splits were all over the place.

pic from FB 2 years ago

I had some refreshments (all home-made – cookies, fritters, breads, bagels, etc) and stuck around for awards (and it took forever) since there was a chance there would be NO ONE in my age group.

my kind of post-race snack

Actually there were 2 this year so I came in 2nd.

Hooray for AG awards. Another medal to my collection.

I bumped into Angela after the race.  She was shocked at how old I was.  She said that she thought I was 45 at most.  Made my day!!! (She is in her 30s.)

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed this race. I’ll be back next year.

but not another cotton t-shirt…

I had planned to run 5-6 more miles today.  Boy, did I not feel like it.

I told myself that my reward would be lunch in Schroon Lake and maybe a cool purchase at the Expo.

I drove to familiar territory – near my friend’s house and parked my car. I ran/walked admiring the scenery.

As you can see, the leaves are still pretty green.  Just as I was enjoying the scenery, my hubby called.  They had gotten some island sites on Lake George and our friends were going to barbecue .  And he was waiting for me.

changed my shirt & shoes

Of course, I asked if he could wait until I was done.  Well, you know the answer – NO!! So I only got in 2.8 miles and then rushed over the marina. (There would be no lunch in Schroon Lake and no a visit to the expo.)

our view from our picnic table

It was a beautiful day on the lake and maybe our last of the season.

Linda relaxing on a rock

We stayed as long as we could (until the sun was going down below the mountains).  It was quite comfortable if you stayed in the sun.

After we put the boat away, we all headed out for dinner with some other friends.  Luckily it was crowded and we didn’t end up eating until 10 pm (because we ate a big lunch on the island.)

Sunday was an even nicer day weather-wise.  The original plan was to spend it on the lake, of course. But my mother-in-law who turns 90 today, had her party re-scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

Since I only ran 9 miles on Saturday instead of my scheduled 12, I decided to run 3 more in the morning.

they were very slow but still got it done – 12 miles in 3 parts & in 2 days

Then I got cleaned up for the party.

Happy 90th birthday Eva.

I’m linking this one up with Jessica at The Silvah Lining–she hosts a Race Recap linkup every Tuesday. Please head over and linkup a race recap you’ve written, new or old. And check out some of the other posts!

Happy Running! How was your weekend?  Any running or racing?