The Celiathlete

Race: Run for the Gold 3K

Place: Frankfort, KY

Date: March 17, 2012

Time: 15:23

Second race of the day.  Second race series I entered.

While the Louisville Triple Crown of Running showcased it’s 10K race, the second in the series, the Frankfort Trifecta was about to kick off in Frankfort, Kentucky, the state’s capital, with it’s first race of the three race series.  I ran in the last race last year, not knowing it was part of a series until I got there, so I vowed to run it this year.  The first race just happened to fall on the same day as the second race of the Louisville series I was signed up for.  But, thankfully, the Frankfort race ran in the evening, kicking off at 6:30 p.m.

This isn’t the first time I have run two races in one day, but let me tell you…I need to learn to really, really rest between races.  My legs always suffer on that second one because I don’t know how to kick back and rest.  Not one bit.

After the 10K I ran in Louisville that morning, I was out and about in Louisville for a couple hours following brunch.  Shopping.  A few bookstore stops and then some couch shopping.  So it meant I was up and on my feet instead of letting them recover from the 6.2 miles I already ran in preparation for the short 3K race awaiting me.

A 3K is a bit of an odd distance.  It works out to about 1.86 miles.  So, very short, very fast race.  After a bit of shopping, my roommate and I headed into Frankfort, Kentucky.  I still needed to stop by and pick up my race packet, so when we got into town, that was the first thing we did.  After that…it was to find parking.

There was a basketball tournament going on in Frankfort, but parking wasn’t much of an issue despite warnings that it would be.  We found a spot.  I had been monitoring the weather all day, and as I was running in Frankfort (which always means rain), and we had storms moving in, I opted to wear my old running shoes in lieu of my new ones.  So, on they went (replacing my everyday walking shoes) and I went ahead and got my number pinned on.  We headed up the stairs and to the street level, where the beginnings of a street festival were being set up.

We occupied ourselves for a moment by ducking into what few stores we could find open.  A bookstore, but we never buy books new anymore…and a Celtic store.  The Celtic store clerk wouldn’t stop watching us…and I hate that.  Dude, I’m not hear to rip you off.  I respect the retail industry too much, but you staring at me isn’t going to make me want to buy anything from you.  So, we departed after a quick spin around the small store and headed to a café.  My stomach was beginning to rumble, so I snagged an apple and a bottle of water and we took a seat outside to feast on the pre-race snack.

And we still had about 2 hours before the race would run.  After we ate, we moved a bit further down the street to sit at a table and attempt to kill some time.  This was a long, long, boring wait.  Booths were being set up for the festival.  Some crazy sausage with oats in it booth was cooking away and people were scurrying along with White Castle sized sausage burgers of sorts from there.  More and more people were walking around with numbers pinned on now, so I didn’t feel so out of place.  Kids were setting up on stage with homemade drums to perform in a bit.  And my roommate and I were on my iPhone, looking up local restaurants and checking out menus and reviews.  You know…it’s never good when KFC is in the city’s top 10 restaurants.  *sigh*

It felt like an eternity of everlasting boredom just sitting there, so we took a short walk around the block and returned.  More performers were up on the stage.  A really good singer provided a bit of entertainment for awhile.  And finally, about 30 minutes before the race, I set out to stretch.  And…again, I couldn’t help but giggle at the people milling about, downing GU Energy Gel and Sports Beans.  Um…this is a 3K race, not a half marathon, yes?  I shook my head and finished off my stretches.

The announcement finally came to start lining up, so with that, I headed to the start area and got into what I figured was about my race pace.  There was a lot of fun energy among the crowd of runners, so that was awesome.  And then, before I could blink, we were off.

I’ve run Frankfort a few times (this was the first time not in the rain) and I know much of the normal race course.  It involves inclines at a few points, which is never a good thing on race-tired legs.  But I powered through them as much as I could.  There were some awesome volunteers and people out cheering as we ran through the town, made the turn just before the capital building, and headed back.  Thank goodness that when you go up a hill one way, you go down the hill another way.

I was hoping to come in at about 15 minutes.  When I rounded that final corner I saw the finish and powered it as fast as my very tired legs could carry me.  The announcers commented on with how I was powering it in for the finish, so that was encouraging.  But, I fell just short of getting done within 15 minutes…by 23 seconds.  But, on tired legs that never really got the chance to recoup…that’s not bad at all.  I’ll take it happily.

I love running in Frankfort.  It’s a race-friendly city and you always get to run up to or around the capital building.  This is why, when I have the chance, I race there.  After I crossed the finish line, I downed a bit of water and, since the storms were coming in, we didn’t hang around.  My roommate and I headed off to find the car in the parking garage and head back to Louisville.  We met the storm along the way.

It took a couple days for the race results to post, but they finally did.  The official standings for me for the Run for the Gold 3K, the first of three races I’m scheduled to run in Frankfort, aren’t what I hoped, but not bad at all.  I finished 7/122 in my age division and 104/793 overall in the race.  I’ll take that with a happy smile on my face.

But there was no rest for my tired legs yet.  The next morning would bring one more challenge before I could rest my weary legs.  But that’s the next post…

Race: Rodes City Run 10K

Place: Downtown Louisville, KY

Date: March 17, 2012

Time: 54:43

It was a warm morning when I got up to dress and prepare for the second race in the Louisville Triple Crown of Running.  Only two weeks prior, I had run the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic.  Now, the Rodes City Race 10K was here.  And, for once, I wasn’t feeling nervous about it.  I was having a nice morning.  I got dressed in a pair of shorts, without having to worry about wearing pants over them prior to the race.  I wore a hoodie for the time being over my shirt, but I was more than happy to hand that off to my roommate that morning before I went to line up behind the start.  It was a good day for a race.  The weather was cooperating.  So, I took my time, ate a light breakfast, brushed my teeth, and then my roommate and I headed down to Louisville to hopefully get some parking and head over to the race itself.

Luck was with us that day too, as we were able to park in the parking garage nearest to the starting line.  Awesome.  We got parked, grabbed our stuff, and headed down the stairs.  Packet pick-up was happening on the ground level, and that was a little hopping.  A news crew was there, filming some of the racers getting their packets, their shirts, and prepping for the run.

You see…the Louisville Triple Crown of Running is kind of a big deal.  The Rodes City Run 10K…it is too.

I had a bit of time to mill about before I began to stretch out a little.  I did my usual stretches, working my muscles as much as I could.  While I’ve done 6.2 miles and beyond before, it was already warming up outside and I wanted to make sure my body and joints were warmed up too.  I had just finished my stretching when I glanced up and saw the start area was already beginning to fill up with runners.  So I hugged my roommate, she wished me luck, and away I went to find a place in the chaos.

It was still early…but I got a decent spot.  Just standing there, the sun not even up yet, but the sky brightening, I could already feel it getting warmer.  I chatted with a couple of guys who were nearby, about running, about marathons, about the best cities to run.  They didn’t have numbers on, so I think they were running bandits in this one.  I don’t begrudge anyone their workout, but, register.  We have all paid to be a part of this…everyone should do the same.  Besides, it’s for a great cause.

The National Anthem played and soon the wheelchair racers were off.  They are amazing and inspiring for sure.  We were so close to the start now.  There were 200 runners who were seeded for this race, among them the winner of the Anthem 5K Fitness Classic, who would go on to win this race too, smashing the course record in the process.  The women’s course record was also smashed.  It was a good day for a run, despite the unseasonably warm weather.

All of a sudden…we were off.  This is where the walk to the start, then the initial push happens.  I love this part.  The thrill of crossing that starting gate and setting a good pace.  Today, we were hitting the streets of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, and the sun was rising as we were running right toward it, blinding us all until we were able to make our first turn.  It was already hot.  Very hot.

My first (and only so far) half marathon was run in Chicago in September in 80 degree heat.  It was hot.  And my pace was affected by it.  The same can be said for 60 degrees and rising temperatures in May in Louisville, KY.  The water stops were a godsend.  The water was refreshing, even for the quick sip I got before tossing the cup.  Best to stay hydrated when the heat hits.  The course was flat, beautiful, winding through the Highlands, around Cave Hill Cemetery, and just offering up a gorgeous setting for a hot, sunny race.

I felt good.  I felt better than good.  I knew my pace was slower than I would have liked, but it was constant, and that’s what matters.  Heat can take its toll on you in a number of ways.  I was just going to run this smart and I’d finish when I finished.

It was an amazing thing to watch those mile markers tick away as I was running those streets.  My legs were getting tired, I knew that, but I also had a finish line waiting for me.  Pressing on, I fought fatigue and the heat of the morning and rounded that last turn before sprinting with all I had left in me toward that finish line.  I crossed it, throwing my arms up in the air, feeling sweat just dripping from my neck.  Like I said…it got hotter and hotter on the run and I finished it in less than an hour.  I couldn’t have been happier with that time either.  I was aiming for a bit faster, but with the warm March morning, this was beyond what I thought I was going to get.  A 10K in 54:38 is nothing astounding, but for me, it felt like such an achievement.  I had a great run.

Finding my roommate after this race was much easier than at the 5K.  She paced me over to the recovery area, where I bypassed the offered goodies and grabbed my gluten-free, vegan vanilla protein shake instead from a cooler she kindly carried with her.  That and a couple big glasses of water and I was already feeling better.  The coldness was doing me good.  And we proceeded to the buses that would shuttle us back to the parking garage.  We had to wait though, because they needed more people to ride.  But eventually we were let on the bus and taken back to the stop…kinda.  The bus overshot the parking garage and let us off at another one, but the walk back and up the stairs was just what my legs needed.

We celebrated my achievement with brunch at North End Café, where I had a delicious (and gluten-free) plate of their Migas (three eggs scrambled with blue corn tortilla chips, jalapenos, and cheese (mine was soy cheese)), served with home fries.  I was getting some protein and carbing up for later that evening.

Why?  Because I was running in another race.  In fact…the second race I was heading to would be kicking off another series of race events in another part of Kentucky.  The Frankfort Trifecta was beginning that evening and I had a date with a 3K road race there.

But that’s for the next update.

As for the official standings of the Rodes City Run 10K, I was 118/665 runners in my age division and 1880/7453 finishers.  Not too shabby for my first time taking on the Rodes City Race 10K, and especially given the unseasonably warm weather in March.  Honestly, I was thrilled.

On March 31, the finale of the Triple Crown happens…with the Papa John’s 10 Miler.  Yep…a good long run is heading my way.  I’m nervous and excited all at once.  And in the meantime…I’m simply trying to do well in my training and make it to the finish when all is said and done.