Category: race

Race: Capital City Stampede 10K

Place: Frankfort, Kentucky

Date: June 15, 2013

Time: 45:31

Welcome to the third and final race of the Frankfort Trifecta Run/Walk Series for 2013.  And…it’s new.  Yep…new.  Prior to this, the final race was the Activate America 5 Miler.  Well, that changed this year.  Frankfort, Kentucky hasn’t had a 10K race since the 1980s.  And I was just really excited that the miles were expanded.  I love a good 10K race.  It’s a fun, yet still challenging distance to run.

I won’t lie.  During the week prior to this, I wasn’t on a training program, so I was just running some miles in the morning at whatever distance and pace I felt like.  For much of that week, I focused on the 10K distance (6.2 miles…for you non-runners reading this), hoping to turn in a better time than my current PR, which I set at the Rodes City Run in Louisville back in March…while battling bronchitis.  You might remember that blog.

But, I digress.  The fact of the matter was, I was pushing myself as hard as I dared and coming up short each time.  My PR of 47:40 for a 10K distance stood…and my practice runs were frustrating the hell out of me as I tried to best it.  I gave in.  I was running in the early morning while it was dark and humid and flat.  And I just couldn’t best it.  The following week I was adhering to my first week of Chicago Marathon Training, so I was content with the fact that I would just have to go into this race with a clear head and just focus on the run itself.  So, marathon training began, and I was more focused on my pace, my distance, my speed work than the upcoming 10K.  Although I knew it was there.  I flip-flopped two training days to make them fit the schedule better.  The long run of 9 miles I would have clocked on Saturday was moved to Wednesday, and my 6 mile run was bumped to Saturday, as that would be my 10K race day.  It worked.  It fit.  I was pleased.

Fast forward to Saturday morning.  My head was definitely not in the game.  I had a lot going on and my mind was just not focusing on one thing.  I found myself starting something that morning, then moving onto something else without finishing what I had started.  Not just once…but numerous times.  I had to go through a mental checklist in my head as I dressed for the race (it was going to be in the 60s that morning, so I thought a running skirt and a singlet would be perfect), got snacks, water and Gatorade together for afterwards.  I had to remember to grab my banana to eat closer to race time so I wouldn’t be starving, since my breakfast would be consumed before 6 a.m. and the race was to start at 8 a.m.  I had to make coffee, and got halfway through that before I started doing something else…then went back to it…then got distracted…then finally got the pot brewing…and it finished up just as my roommate was getting up for breakfast.  Which, doesn’t work, as she can’t drink hot coffee but doesn’t like cold coffee.  So, really, ideally, her coffee needs to be sitting out for a good 15-20 minutes in order for it to be perfect for her.  I failed to do that on race morning, which is not the morning to screw that up.  I finished packing my change of clothes and regular shoes, downed my breakfast, and then we hit the road.

For some reason, we underestimated the time it would take to get to Frankfort from our apartment.  Which…is weird as we have made this drive so many times we could probably do it in our sleep.  I had one request, and that was to stop off at the Kroger in Frankfort so that I could use the bathroom before we got to the race.  We pulled into that Kroger at 7:15 a.m.  I already should have been eating my banana at this point, but I hadn’t even touched it yet.  Cathy dropped me off and I hurried inside to use a flushing toilet (I am a princess!), then hustled back out to the car to climb in and make our way to the new Capitol building.  I started to finally eat my banana while Cathy took to noshing on one of the protein bars we brought as she drove.  Except, unknown to us at the time, there was a bike race going on and we had to wait for some bikers to clear the way before we could make the turn to head toward the Capitol.  Cathy was aggravated as now we were really behind, and that just stressed me out more than I already was.  So…I started crying.  No help, but it happened.

We finally made the turn and got the car parked.  Cathy grabbed the sign and we headed down to the new Capitol building, where at the bottom of the stairs, volunteers were working Packet Pick-up and on the other side Registration for anyone who waited to sign up or just felt like running or walking that morning.  The 10K race also had an offered 2 mile walk.

I went to get my packet.  That was easy and stress-free.  Thank goodness.  Moving up the steps, I got my bib pinned on and tucked the rest of the stuff in the bag into Cathy’s clear backpack.  We walked back down the steps and started to move around some to loosen up the limbs.  We had less time to stretch and warmup now that we were running behind, but it didn’t mean it couldn’t get done.  I noticed that Cool Comfort had their tent up and remembered that an announcement was sent out that Cool Comfort would have the Frankfort Trifecta series shirts at the race…so I went to pick mine up.  They handed it over and I tucked that one into Cathy’s backpack as well.

It was then I realized I didn’t have my phone, so we made our way back to the car to retrieve it.  While walking that way, I had my Garmin start looking for satellites because it sometimes takes awhile in Frankfort to locate them.  By the time I retrieved my phone, I had already started crying about being so forgetful that day and then managed to calm myself down some.  I was a complete mess that morning.

Doing my best to get my head where it needed to be, I began doing some of my usual stretches.  I needed to let my demons go and focus on something I was passionate about.  Something that always made me feel free.  No matter what happened out on that course, I was just going to go out for a run.  I was coming into this race as the third female overall in the open category for the entire racing series.  While that did put a little bit of pressure on me, at that point, I was even thinking about that.  As I said…my mind was elsewhere, and I was just going to have fun.  That’s why I run anyway.  If I set out to PR and run hard at every race, I would burn myself out.  I get up every morning and I participate in races because I love to run.  Not because I feel I need to…or because I want to lose weight…but because I want to.  And I think that separates me from a lot of my peers in the running community at times.

The start time was getting close, so Cathy gave me a hug and told me to have fun.  I gave her a nod, took a breath, and went to stand with the runners who were beginning to line up with the pace signs.  I stood between the 6 minute mile and the 8 minute mile as I normally do.  As I was standing there, Linda Word, the woman who was behind me at the Pro.Active For Life 5K, came over to talk with me.  We joked about all of the speed demons who were up at the front of the start.  It was just the conversation I needed to get my head where I needed to be.  So, thank you, Linda.  You helped without even knowing it.  She said she was going to slide back further in the pace groups and I noticed that we were being shuffled forward.  I inched up slowly…and could hear very, very muffled announcements going on.  Then I heard the starting gun guy say something about being ready.  And without any sort of notice, the starting horn went off and we runners were caught unaware and unprepared for the most part.  Suddenly, I was running.

Linda was just ahead of me as we came down the hill from the Capitol building.  I ran next to her for a moment and heard her say that she forgot to start her music.  It didn’t seem to hurt her any though.  I love running with people like Linda…because as we were making our turns and our run through the streets, she took a moment to thank the police officers who were out there diverting traffic and keeping us safe on the course.  These volunteers should be thanked and I know I do it every now and again, but I should be more conscious of it.  It’s a great reminder to take a moment and thank those who help make these races possible.  Linda did it every chance she had.  And that…is awesome.

As this was a new race distance for Frankfort…this was also a relatively new race course.  There were parts of it that were definitely familiar, but much of it was different.  I made it through the first mile and reminded myself to slow the pace down just a little…without sacrificing too much, because I still had a long way to go…and I know that Frankfort has these long, slow hills.  I also knew that there was one massive hill at the very end of the race, and I hoped to be able to get up that without being slowed down too much.

At around Mile 2.5, the runners were able to run past the Capitol building again.  This was very fun because this meant the spectators were down there cheering you on.  I saw Cathy holding my sign and heard her screaming at me, “GO TWIN!  YOU’RE KILLING IT!  GO MY SON!”  The last line there is something we joke about thanks to Jamie Oliver.  Chef jokes, for the win!  I breezed past, laughing now and turned onto the route that we used for the 5 mile run that this race previously did.  Nice.  So, with that uplifting cheering, I headed onto the long stretch of road that would eventually take us to the turn around point.  We now were encountering walkers out on the 2 mile walk, which was good because a lot of them would send out words of encouragement as we ran by.  And the race volunteers at the mile markers…they were awesome as well.

I hit Mile 3 at what I felt was a good pace, making some strides to pass a few people as I went along.  I was feeling really good here.  My pace felt nice, challenging, but not too hard.  I still had half the distance to cover and I wanted to really finish strong.  As I was making it down to the 4 mile mark, which was about where we would turn around and head back, I saw the race leader run past, followed by quite a few other runners.  Not too far behind them was the first female, and to my surprise, it wasn’t Kendall Hayes, the 11 year-old wonder runner who bests every female in these races in Frankfort.  It was someone else.  Kendall was a bit further back.  But as I made the turn, I realized that I was currently standing in the third place overall female position for the 10K race.  Now with just 2.2 miles remaining.

Where we had to run downhill on the way to the turn around, we now had to run uphill.  I passed up a guy who has been ahead of me for awhile.  He said, “Good job!” as I passed.  It made me smile again.  I had another guy ahead of me, blaring music in his earbuds so loudly that I could hear it.  He and I made it to Mile 5 around the same time.  The volunteer at the station said, “Good job, Karen!” as I went by.  I loved that he personalized that encouragement for me.  I don’t even live in Frankfort and there they were, recognizing me as I ran through their beautiful city.  I did pass the earbud-music-blaring guy on the uphill, determined that I was going to attack these hills.  I made it up that one feeling strong and was directed to run down to the woman in the red shirt before we were now sent up the steepest climb in the race.  Yes.  At around mile 5.5.  I kid you not.  EVIL!

Cathy was standing near the point where we really started to hit the incline.  She saw me coming and was shouting again, “GO TWIN!!  YOU’RE KILLING IT!  IT’S JUST A HILL…GET OVER IT!”  It once again made me laugh and I picked up the pace to really attack that hill.  The first small incline I managed.  But that second one…that one slowed me down.  It hit back.  And it hit hard.  My legs were tired…and they really just didn’t want to work that hard.  But, I pressed on.  The hill might have slowed me down, but it wasn’t going to best me.  Not that day.

When I finally managed to reach the crest, I rounded the corner to run behind the Capitol building.  It was a long stretch and I kept thinking that Mile 6 should be beeping in on my Garmin any moment.  But it didn’t.  I ran down to the volunteer who said just to head down the hill and straight on into the finish line.  And as I was running, he said, “You’re a third female.  Good job.  Keep going!”  Keep going.  I had every intention to keep going.

While it was evil to make us climb a mountain (okay…a hill) so near the end of the race, at least that meant the sprint to the finish line was downhill on the other side.  That more than made up for it.  So, as my feet hit the pavement and I hit that final stretch, I put whatever power and energy I had into each rapid footfall and made my way toward that finish line.  I could see the clock ticking and that clock wasn’t as far along in the time as I anticipated.  I could hear Cathy screaming to “GO!”  I could hear Ronald McDonald making donkey noises.  There’s a story there…trust me.  So, with that sort of motivation…it was just pushing myself to sprint into that finish line and finish strong.  I did.  The volunteers there stopped me at the end, and went to tear the tag on my bib off, managing to rip my entire race bib in the process.  I didn’t care.

I turned around and Cathy immediately gave me a hug, telling me how I killed this race.  I turned back into the mess I was at the beginning of the race and just became this blubbering fool.  It was the first time I ever broke down at the end of a race at the finish line.  And at a 10K of all things.  Cathy moved me to the side and told me to go and grab some water.  So, I did that.  And felt better.  We started walking, moving up the hill that runners were climbing to round the Capitol and make their way to the finish.  We shouted some encouragement to them as we walked around.  We paused to get my victory shot in front of a beautiful backdrop of flowers and water…which was awesome.  Then I retrieved my Gatorade from the cooler in her backpack and began my post-race nutrition plan as it has been laid out for me.  It was a rather warm morning, and I needed to rehydrate from running that race.  Hydration is key to recovery and I’m all about bouncing back quickly.

As I sipped on my Gatorade, we decided to make our way back down toward the recovery area.  Runners were still streaming up the hill, so we shouted more words of encouragement to them, letting them know it was all downhill from there.  I don’t know if we helped any.  When we came back to the recovery area, I went to grab a couple of waters because we were going to go settle in on the steps for a little bit and wait for the awards.  While sitting, we had our snack that we packed…Cathy a Luna Bar and for me a thinkThin bar of delicious awesomeness.  We munched and drank some water.  Then I got up and did a few stretches…high kicks…and then settled back down in the shade.  While we were waiting, another runner headed up the steps carrying a pint glass saying that they got it for running in the entire Trifecta.  So, I went down to the table and retrieved mine.  It was a beautiful glass, actually.  After posing with it for a moment, Cathy rolled it up in my race shirt and tucked it into her backpack.

It took about 40 more minutes before results started to get posted at the Packet Pick-Up Tent.  But soon, the papers were being taped down.  I hopped up to go and check on my placement.  And…BAM…confirmed…third female to finish the race.  Awesome!!  I was thrilled.  My chip time didn’t register, however, so my finishing time was based solely on gun time…which sucks because it took me a few seconds to get across that start line.  But this isn’t the first race this has happened on.  They had the sensors pointed one way for walkers, but runners started coming in at the same time and they didn’t have time to flip them the other way for the runners, apparently, so some have chip time…most are just off gun time.  I’d say there is something to fix for next year’s race.  Still, I had a new PR…I was third overall…and I was at least third female in the open women’s category for the entire racing series.  That’s simply amazing.  Afterwards, I found Linda sitting with the Cool Comfort running group.  She introduced me to everyone and they commented on how some of their race bibs got shredded just like mine.  I made a joke about having a Velociraptor jump out on the course at me and they all got a kick out of it.

After a rather long wait…the awards ceremony finally got underway.  Cathy and I moved off the stairs to stand with the other runners who were waiting around.  They did the awards for the Capital City Stampede 10K first.  And they started with the overall men’s winners.  It was the same rogues gallery from the previous races…in the same order, I think.  We had a new female winner at the 10K race…an Erin Harper, who apparently runs trail marathons and ultras too.  Kendall was 2nd.  And I was called for third female overall.  Awesome.  I received this beautiful plaque which is already hanging on the wall.  We all stayed and cheered for the age division winners and were told that the Trifecta awards would be handed out soon.

Soon took a little longer than expected.  In fact, the tents and booths at the finish area were being broken down by the time the microphone was back in hand and the trophies for the entire Frankfort Trifecta were going to be given out.  They decided to start with the Trifecta Overall Female…and the winner for the women was Kendall Hayes.  That brilliant little 11-year-old girl.  She’s going to go to the Olympics one day…and I’m going to be able to say…”I ran with her!”

However, this put a big surprise on me because they moved on to the Open Women’s Division for the entire Frankfort Trifecta…and first place was…ME!  Yes.  They called my name and I stood their stupidly for a moment because I wasn’t expecting that.  But sure enough…me.  I finally moved to retrieve my beautiful trophy, a rearing horse that has a clock built into it.  Gorgeous.  I was in shock.  I couldn’t believe it.

Afterwards, once all the awards were handed out…Cathy and I went to find the Trifecta 2nd and 3rd women open winners and take pictures.  They were in the group of runners I chatted with before the Stampede awards.  Very nice women, all of them.  Very talented runners too.  And with everything wrapping up…it was time to head back to Louisville.

So…the official results of the Capital City Stampede 10K are that I finished with a new 10K PR of 45:31.  WOOHOO!!  That means I took a full 2 minutes off my previous 10K time.  NICE!  I was 20/287 finishers of the 10K run overall.  And, I was the 3rd female finisher overall for that race.  Awesome.

Moving on to the Frankfort Trifecta series itself…I was the winner of the 2013 Trifecta Women’s Open Division.  Which is…awesome.  They stated my time when I went up for my award…but I don’t remember it.  I’ll post the cumulative time whenever that gets posted on the site.  For now…I am just really proud of myself for pushing myself in this series and accomplishing a lot.  I improved by leaps and bounds from the previous year and am very, very proud of this.

I am already looking forward to taking part in this series once again…next year.  Frankfort is one of my favorite places to run.  It does involve a bit of a drive, but the crowds, the other runners, and the atmosphere always make the journey worth it.

Thank you, Frankfort…for giving me the race I needed on Saturday.  You helped me more than you can even imagine.

Race: Run for the Berries 5K

Place: Starlight, Indiana

Date: May 25, 2013

Time: 22:19

There is nothing more satisfying than diving into a bowl of fresh strawberries after a short little 5K race through the ups and downs and twists and turns of Starlight, Indiana.  I should know.  This is the third time that I have endured this race.

There are certain races I would never miss if possible.  The Run For The Berries 5K is one of them.  I mean…it’s at a local strawberry festival.  The fact that it involves strawberries is enough to get me to return time and time again.  After all…strawberries are one of my favorite foods.  I could eat them by the gallon and not get sick of them.  Strawberries are love.  And running for strawberries is pure bliss.

A lot of things were different this year as compared to last year.  For one thing, it was about 25 degrees cooler this year.  Last year, the race kicked off in 72 degree temperatures.  This year, it was 47 degrees on Saturday morning.  Big difference.  Also, packet pick-up wasn’t ready when I arrived.  In fact, I had actually arrived earlier than normal…but getting to the festival was easy this year.  So, I had more time than usual to kill.  The reason packet pick-up wasn’t ready was that the guy who had all the t-shirts and race bibs had to return home for something, so the volunteers were waiting on him.

In the meantime, I figured then was as good a time as any to settle into a chair in the hall where packet pick-up was happening and go ahead and eat the thinkThin Crunch bar that I packed.  No fun to run while hungry, and I had gotten up early and that meant an early breakfast of just cereal and a cup of coffee prior to leaving for the race.  That would be a full 2 hours before the start of the race, and from experience, I knew I’d be hungry if I didn’t pack something else to nosh on.  I wasn’t sure how the Caramel Chocolate Dipped Crunch Bar from thinkThin would do with my stomach before a run, but it was the only one I had that wasn’t primarily chocolate.  I figured it was the safest choice.

I snacked, and just as I finished it up, the man with the t-shirts and race bibs arrived.  As I mentioned last year, this race uses recycled bibs from previous races.  This year…mine was from the 2010 Fast Freddie Five Mile Foot Feast.  Awesome!  I received my t-shirt (they went back to the tech-shirts this year, thank GOD!) and went to let my roomie pin me up.  Once I was properly pinned, I went to duck into the bathroom before heading outside to at least start to acclimate to the cooler temperatures that moved in during the night.  I’d been running in 60 degree weather in the mornings, and now I was back down to the 40s.  I was bitching about it quite loudly and often.  Just ask Cathy.  I do better in the heat, amazingly enough…even if I do tend to wilt.  Cold weather and I do not get along.  So, I did some of my measly cold weather half-ass stretching for a little while, before deciding to finally get a bit more serious about it.  After all, the week prior to this my ankle had been bothering me and that meant slowing down my runs, taking a couple days off, icing and foam rolling.  Even compression socks weren’t helping.  I had to do what was best for me…and that currently means making sure everything is loose and not hurting.  With my first marathon coming up this fall, I do not have time to be injured and that means…I listen to my body.  That also means…I stretch…whether I want to or not.

While stretching, I had the opportunity to hang out with Matthew and Dawn, who I often see at my races.  I love talking with these two.  They have inspired me in my marathon pursuits, whether they know it or not.  Definitely two of the most awesome people I have met through running in this area.  They are so easy to talk to and make me focus more on enjoying my run than trying to outdo someone or something.  They just are so encouraging and just so much fun to be around.  Ah, I love how my circle of friends has grown since I took up running…and how many great people with different goals and different pursuits I have met along the way.

With race time approaching, it was time to head to the starting line.  This run is not chip timed.  Most of the races put on by this group are not.  I wish they would be though…but I can see how this would definitely be easier to deal with.  Still…there is something I appreciate about chip timing.  Anyway…the starting line for the Run For The Berries 5K is a green spray painted line on the street.  All of the runners sort of clustered as close as they figured they needed to be, while the walkers, as requested, stayed further back in the pack.  We had about 5 minutes to run time.  The final announcements were made…and soon…the horn was sounded…and we were off.

One of the challenges of this race is just how hilly the area is.  I don’t mean gentle rolling hills.  Nope.  Some of these are rather steep.  The rolling hills hit within the first mile.  I remember at the start line, one of the runners just behind me said his buddy told him the first hill that we could see ahead was the worst of it.  I laughed and said just wait until you hit the hill just after Mile 2.  I can say that…because I have cussed that hill out the past two years I have run in this race.  It’s evil.  It’s steep.  It sucks!

But…I’m getting ahead of myself here.

The first mile has its fair share of hills and the like…but nothing too major.  I ran what was comfortable, feeling as though I was actually moving quite slow for a race.  I was still near the front of the group that went out though…so that was fine.  As we rounded a corner and hit the marker for Mile 1, a woman right behind me asked, “Anyone know the pace on that?”  A man running next to me called it back to her.  I hate knowing my pace.  While I wear a watch, I try to not obsess over such numbers because it just stresses me out and I tend to run…poorly.  It’s so much better for me to just run and look at the pace and numbers after I’m done.  It turns out I run better doing that.

From there, it was on to the second mile.  This mile always seems the easiest.  I guess because I know that as I hit Mile 2, I’m hitting Hill Road (yes…that is the actual name of that street), so anything seems easier than that.  Heading into Mile 2, there are a couple of turns onto various streets…and this year the added joy of loose gravel in a turn that had the road pretty torn up.  Thankfully they had a volunteer there to wave us through.  The water stop is at Mile 2…and then…that’s when you see it…

THE HILL!!  I won’t lie…this hill is steep.  And I see a lot of people walk it.  I always have pushed myself to get up that hill, even if it slows me down.  It always does, but I have never walked it.  Never once.  And I wasn’t about to start.  I pushed myself to get up that incline as fast as I could manage, because I was in the last mile and now was the time to push.  Right?  Right!  I could see a few other women runners ahead of me, and I thought I might be able to catch up to them, but after pressing up that hill, my legs were feeling beyond tired.  I gave it my all though.  And as I rounded back onto the main road, I could almost taste that finish line.

It was ahead.  I knew that much.  I thought, for some reason, I had one more turn to go, but I was wrong.  It was straight on through to the finish line.  The crowd was cheering and I could hear Cathy screaming, “GO TWIN!!  GO TWIN!”  I pushed as much as my tired legs would allow, thankful that they were just tired and not sore.  And I crossed the finish line…not beating my Throo The Zoo gun time yet…but I came close.  I came very close.  I was handed a card to fill out with my name, bib number and time.  My card said I was the 8th female to cross the finish line.  Not too shabby.

Cathy came over to give me a hug and we walked over to where I could grab some water.  I drank it down before heading into the building to fill out the card I was handed and drop it into the proper spot.  I stepped out and went back for more water, taking time to sip on it this time.  We moved around a little, just giving my legs some time to stretch out.  Then went to find a spot on one of the hay bales to sit.  Cathy took my water cup and told me to do some light stretching.  I knew she was right…so I did just that.  Then went for a slow jog down to the end of the blacktop and back.  After that, we walked over to the Strawberry Freeze booth and got a Strawberry Banana Freeze to split.  Nothing tastes as good as fresh banana and fresh strawberry packed into a blender with ice and a bit of water…after a race.  It doesn’t matter if it’s chilly out…it just tastes good.  We had toyed with getting hot chocolate…but we were at the Strawberry Festival.  Strawberries had to be on the menu.

We split the freeze and around 9 a.m., I meandered over to my favorite booth of all.  The build-your-own strawberry shortcake.  Now, I can’t have the shortcake or the whipped topping, but I sure as hell can pile up strawberries in a bowl and fast on those.  That was going to be the remainder of my breakfast that day.  This was always worth running for.  This is something I treated myself to after the race the past two years I have ran in it.

The awards ceremony started just as Cathy returned with her breakfast (cheese fries…what else?).  I was feeling really good about it this time.  I was caught off guard last year by winning my division…and I ran this race over 2 minutes faster.  I was feeling confident that I at least placed.

So, imagine my surprise when I discovered that every woman that came in ahead of me either placed in the top 3 overall, or were in my age division.  I walked away from this one empty-handed despite having run this course better this year as opposed to last year.  Maybe weather does have an affect on running.  Some do better in the cool air…some do better in the heat.  While I ran faster…I wasn’t fast enough.  And the woman who beat me in was just a few steps in front of me at the finish.  SO close.

But this was also a nice lesson in humility and a reminder that running isn’t about winning and placing.  Yep…I was totally disappointed.  Actually, when they started announcing my age group, I was all set to hop up for first place.  And then my name wasn’t called.  So I prepped myself for second.  And my name wasn’t called.  Surely to God I at least got third, right?  Wrong!  I felt my heart sink and this extreme welling up of anger and disappointment at myself.  Never mind that I just ran one of my best 5K times yet…I was disappointed not to walk away with a glass pint glass this year.

Cathy helped put it all in perspective, telling me I didn’t need another glass anyway.

What I discovered here was a humbling reminder that winning and placing doesn’t make or break my race.  I love running this race.  I was hanging out with great people, eating strawberries, enjoying a beautiful morning in the sun.  And I had been upset for not placing?  Well…it was time to shake that off and suck it up.  I might have run better, but there are always better and faster people out there.  That Saturday morning…they ran better and faster than me.

Strawberries were my award…and I smiled and finished eating my heaping bowl of strawberry goodness as they started giving away door prizes.  My name was called toward the last few.  I was left to choosing between coupons for Subway or Chick-Fil-A.  But…I’m a gluten-free vegetarian, so none of these were good choices for me.  I grabbed one of them, and ended up giving them away.  At least they would get used and appreciated that way.

Final results have not been posted yet…nor do I know if and when they will be.  But, as it stands…I finished the Run For The Berries 5K in 22:19.  I was the 8th female to cross the line and came in 4th in my division.  If the official results ever get posted…I’ll update this accordingly.

I can’t wait to try again next year…and this time I’ll enjoy the journey more.  Lesson learned.

Race: Throo The Zoo 5K

Place: Louisville Zoo, Louisville, Kentucky

Date: May 11, 2013

Time: 22:15

So, something happened last week when I was walking around the Mall of America on my last afternoon in Minneapolis.  Cathy and I stopped in just to scout out a few things…and while I was on the move in the Nike Store (of all places), I suddenly started to limp.  My outer thigh just sort of hurt.  A lot.  Bad enough to bring my even stride to a painful limp.  I tried to walk it off as much as possible…but damn…it hurt.  Bad.

I toughed it out…put on the “I’m not hurting” face and just trooped through the rest of the visit.  I went through airports without complaint.  I even did some early morning runs in the dark (where I can’t see the pavement in front of me) regardless of the pain in my leg.  I learned to endure the pain of my foam roller.  And Biofreeze was once again my friend.  Ibuprofen before bed.  Hope for the best.  And over the course of the past three days…my leg still hurt, but I felt that it might be improving.

That being said, I had signed up for the Throo The Zoo 5K months ago.  This is a fun race that winds through residential neighborhoods, populated streets, then through the Louisville Zoo for the last mile until it kicks you out and you make your dash to the finish line.  It has challenging hills at places and it just sort of is a fun run to do.

Granted, never have I been a good 5K runner.  I’m no sprinter and I never have a finishing kick.  I am better suited for longer distances.  Some runners just are.  I seem to be one of them.  But 5K races are still important and any runner will tell you that.  Some people, after taking on a half marathon think they can’t possibly go back to shorter races.  Embrace the shorter races…for that’s where you get your speed work.  Those are the races I end up enjoying the most.  I am not a 5K fan…but I still have a blast when I run them regardless.  Where else will I get my speedwork in?  I have yet to really work on that.  I think my friend Kelsie needs to teach me how she finds energy for her finishing kick she always manages.

This morning was rough.  My leg was feeling better than it has all week, so that was comforting.  Maybe I would survive this after all.  The goal this year is no injuries…and I’m doing my best to not push when I shouldn’t.  That’s why I dropped my mileage this week WAY down from what I have been running.  Run smart.  Run uninjured.  But, I got up at 5:00 a.m. to get dressed and get things taken care of around the apartment before the roomie was awake at 6:00 a.m.  I had to have coffee brewed and breakfast ready.  I even made a point of laying out the breakfast bars we were taking with us on the counter…so as not to forget them.  Poured cereal.  Poured coffee.  Her alarm got her up.  We ate.  She went to get dressed and I went to finish getting things together, brush my teeth, and then…we headed out the door.

The drive to Louisville started, and we were just about to head over the bridge and I looked up from my recent issue of Runner’s World and realized…I forgot our breakfast bars.  We ate so early, but the time the race started at 8:00 a.m., we would be starving!  I would definitely be starving.  We exited on the last New Albany exit and pulled into the first gas station we could find…knowing that we could at least get bananas.  Except…they didn’t have fruit of any kind.  UGH!  So, back in the car and onto the next.  This place had fruit…but no bananas.  I was really starting to get anxious now…and angry.  We were now behind schedule.  After I took such great care to put something out so I wouldn’t forget it…I forget it.  Kicking myself because now we were meandering around New Albany and not heading to the Louisville Zoo.  We pulled into one last gas station and they had some bananas.  None at the ripeness I like, but beggars can’t be choosers.  I snagged one for each of us (the ones with the fewest brown spots) and we paid $1.00 and hurried back to the car to get our booties over the bridge and heading toward the Louisville Zoo.

We got there at about 7:20…just enough time for me to peel my banana and start eating it.  That was 40 minutes to start time…which is my usual banana-fest on longer races.  So…I was familiar with this.  We parked in the grass off to the side where we were directed.  Walked through some soft and muddy lawn (it rained a lot yesterday!), and headed up toward the zoo.  Port-a-potty lines were super long.  And people were milling about near the finish line.  One thing I did notice was that the start line had moved from where it was last year.  Instead of starting on a side road in front of the zoo, we were on one of the residential roads near the zoo.  So, that was very different.  We headed that way after throwing away banana peels as a lot of runners were already making their way over there.

As I was stretching out, I spotted  a flurry of color.  I knew immediately it had to be Kelsie.  Oh yeah.  She came over and we talked a lot about races we want to run, injuries, and how we were pursuing this race (she was aiming for a PR…with my leg bothering me, I was doing a shake-out race and hoping I didn’t strain a muscle or something).  Before I knew it, more people were filling up the start line, so we took a couple of pictures and then got into the road with everyone else.  Jeff, from Fleet Feet, started shouting that 5 minutes into the race, they were going to open the cages at the zoo and let the animals out.  Jeff makes me laugh.  He’s someone I can always count on to make me smile and relax me at the start line.  Even at the start of a race I was doing to shake off a half marathon.

Kelsie and I were talking when we heard the sound of the horn sending us off.  I almost forgot to start my watch.  We just started moving.  She passed me immediately, going for her goal, and I fell into a pace I felt comfortable with because I didn’t want to go out too fast because I knew that Gorilla Hill in the zoo would be killer.  It got me last year.  That being said, she never got too far ahead of me.  I could see her, maybe up 20 feet from me for most of the race.

Mile 1 was actually done faster than I wanted.  Very close to the start, as we ran down Russell Avenue and was about to turn onto Poplar Level Road, I passed Jeff.  He spotted me and said, “GO KAREN!”  Treating this as a fun run, I tossed my hands up in the air.  He totally did it again.  Jeff has so much passion for running and other runners…it’s hard not to smile when he’s around.  Mile 1 clicked off just as we were about to head into the park portion of the route.  Guess I wasn’t running as easy as I thought because  I clocked out another sub-7-minute mile (6:50 this time).  I knew I was going out fast, so I eased up…just slightly.  I hate when I peter out at the end of a race.  And in 5Ks…I tend to do that.  Like I said…I’m a runner who was made for endurance, not speed, so longer races are my thing!  I pace myself so much better in them.

Heading into Mile 2 meant looping the park and heading down the front of the zoo parking (where the race started last year!) and back around the corner.  The start line was still up and we had to run under that.  As we did, Jeff was right behind me shouting “RESET! RESET!”  But instead of heading back down the street and into the residential area, we veered left toward the zoo.

And the name of the race suddenly comes into play.  Welcome to the Louisville Zoo.  Coming in through the back, immediately you hit a downhill portion.  I took advantage of that brief downhill slope and was starting to feel a bit like my old self again.  This is why I don’t run races to set PRs.  I run for fun…because I run better when I don’t focus on pace and speed and goals.  My goal is, and always will be, to finish and to do so having fun.  Sure, I’m a serious runner, but if I don’t enjoy it…why do it?

The zoo portion is a lot of fun and very challenging.  I spotted flamingos this time around.  And as we ran through the polar bear area, I was hoping they would be out like they were last year.  No luck.  Darn it.  But then comes the part I dreaded, because I knew it was there.  Gorilla Hill.  GORILLA-FREAKIN’-HILL!!  It’s at mile 2.5…so you’re so close but still not-so-close to that finish line.  And you have to determine whether you want to use energy to climb it or not.  I try to tackle hills hard.  I hate running hills, but the challenge of them makes me want to take them on.  I’d been avoiding hills recently because, my half marathon was hilly and I wanted my legs to recover, and my leg had been bothering me…so I was taking it easy so as not to do further damage.  But I was not going to let Gorilla Hill defeat me.  And…in the process…I managed to pass Kelsie.  I knew that would be short-lived though.  She’s a strong finisher in 5K races.  A sprinter if you will.  She’s so well-suited for 5Ks because she can put on the afterburners right there at the end.  My goal wasn’t to beat her or pass her though.  It was just to finish.  I was close.

The zoo portion came to an end as we rounded the corner.  I was right…in the straightaway, Kelsie pushed past me and ran hard.  She claims it was too soon, but I didn’t see her slow one bit.  We came around a little turn and there was the finish line.  I could hear Cathy screaming at me.  I saw Kelsie cross the finish line…definitely beating her last 5K PR…YAY!  And I crossed behind her.  I stopped my Garmin, stepped off to the side, and couldn’t help but smile.  It was a shake-off run, but my zen attitude paid off again.  A new PR according to my Garmin.

Cathy came over and gave me a hug.  We decided to move down the way so we could check out some of the tents in the finishers area.  I grabbed some water and some apple slices and we started walking around.  When nursing sore muscles, legs, etc…best to keep moving and not stop.  So, we walked and walked and walked…and talked.  And we meandered around.  Raffle tickets were handed out to finishers…and this year we hung around, simply because we wanted to stay for awards.  Awards were happening at 9:30…we had lots of time to walk…and listen to the raffle numbers get called.  Luck was not with me…again…so no prizes here.

Then…the sad news of the morning.  River City Races announced that they were having some “technical difficulties” with their equipment, so division awards would not be handed out.  But they would give out awards to the top 5 male and female finishers.  So, many of us stood out in the chilly morning and applauded those that crossed the finish line ahead of the rest of us.  The awards ceremony was fun, but I was hoping to at least have something official to report.  I never report times to my mom until they are official.

It is coming up on 12 hours after the race…and River City Races hasn’t posted anything about the results, nor breathed a word about them.  It’s a little frustrating…because I want to be able to call my mom and dad since they live a couple states away and always want to hear about my races.  I just can’t.  Because I refuse to give unofficial times.

I’ll have to end the blog here…until I find out more from River City Races…

Okay, late last night River City Races FINALLY posted the results of the Throo The Zoo 5K.  That only took way too long and was very frustrating.  But…what do you do, eh?

And the results were that I finished the Throo The Zoo 5K in 22:15.  A new PR!  Um…not bad for doing this for a fun shake-out run.  Wow.  Thrilled.  I was the 71/1659 finishers overall.  Oh, and I finished 2/135 in my age division.  WOOOOOHOOOO!!  Cathy had kept count at the race, but I confirmed that I was 9/1047 females to cross the finish line as well.  Awesome.  Quite happy with this being as this race was one I was taking easy for the sake of my leg…my body…and just…because it’s the zoo.  I wanted to have some fun.  PR-ing is always nice…and I managed to do it here…but if it’s not fun…why bother, right?  I think I smiled through this entire race.

Already looking forward to my next one…