On Saturday night, my niece Ellie and I went to Old Mill Park in Fredericksburg for a Glowstick 5k night race. We decided to be festive and wear tutus. We also stopped at the Dollar Tree and picked up some glow-gear so we would be appropriately glowing. It was a great 5k. It wasn't too hot and the course was nice. We ran 1 minute/walked 2 minutes and it worked out nicely with a finish time of 45 minutes. A good portion of the race was along the river. It was fun seeing people out tubing and fishing. I would like to go back and explore this area a little bit more. It looks like there were some trails down to the river. Here we are crossing the finish line!!! Thanks, Ellie, for running with me!
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The 4th of July was supposed to bring a family 5k, but due to people being tired and other plans, it did not work out like I had envisioned.... But that is ok. Heidi, Ryan, Maestro, and I set out during the morning of the 4th for a 5k around the town of Ridgefield, CT. There were some hills as we ran, but the weather was awesome so it didn't seem so bad. We finished and earned our medals and wore them proudly (at least I did...!) The next day Lewis and Adam ran their 5k and got their medals, and later, some of the kids completed their runs. Hopefully everyone will earn and get to wear their medal for the Family 5k!
Sunday morning Maestro and I headed out to scenic Burke Lake Park for a Father's Day 5k. I love this park and enjoy when I have races here. It was a good sized small race, with lots of families running with their dads. Along the way Maestro and I saw a turtle in the stream. It was a big one and I had to, of course, stop to take a few pictures. This also reminded me of why I am unlikely to ever win a place for being fast...I like to run and enjoy the scenery and take pictures when I want to! I met some ladies from MRTT and got a photo after the race :) It was a beautiful and gorgeous day. Not too hot (yet) and a lot of the race was in the shade. Half the course was trail and half was paved. Here I am about to cross the finish line. I felt good! I used an easy 2:1 interval pace and Maestro was able to do most of the run intervals. Maestro did pretty well too, though he looks tired in the picture. At the end is an uphill and then downhill and he wanted to run both.
If you are looking for a fun July race, check out the Metro Run Walk Sweatfest! They always put on a good race. On Sunday was Nathan's first Half Marathon and my 7th! It took place at Prince William Forest Park and was super hilly. The first and last 3 miles were all hills, and miles 8-10 got pretty hilly as well. It was a nice tree lined course, one that I had run last year for my first half. It was just as hilly then as it is now. LOL. It was a pretty small race, so there wasn't any crowd support except for the water stations. But it was a nice, and pretty, run through the trees. I love running through nature, much more than road races such as my half #6 two weeks ago. After the half I felt pretty good. For a majority of the race Nathan and I followed the intervals: Run 30/walk 2:20/Run 30/Walk 3. But of course the last 3 miles were all hills, so we pretty much walked at the end. We were both pretty sore after the race from the hills. He is still having a hard time walking, but that is understandable!
On Sunday I completed my 6th Half Marathon at the Alexandria Running Festival! It was ridiculously hard for me because it was so hot. My body did not agree with the weather one bit, I was starting to get a sore throat, and it was the longest 13.1 miles ever...
The race started 30 minutes late, and by then the sun was bright and shining. A big majority of this race was on the road in the middle of Alexandria, so there was not much shade. By the time I got to the park section, I was overly exhausted and tired, and had no energy or desire to continue running. But I trudged along because there was no other option. I had a horrible time (for me) to finish, but I was still within the time constraints of a runDisney race, so I guess it is not too bad. On Saturday, Marty joined me for a local 5k. Someone else was supposed to join us (*cough cough*) but they did not.
We got to the race early enough to get our bibs and then we waited...and waited...and waited. The race started later than posted and it seemed pretty disorganized. Only one person really seemed to know what was going on. We finally started running. This race was through a neighborhood, and was generally ok, but they expected everyone to stay on sidewalks for a large majority of the run. It was way to crowded for this, and Marty and I ran on the side of the road. The course was pretty hilly. We would get to the bottom of a hill, only to go back up. But we did pretty good with 2:1 intervals and finally finished. Marty had to leave, but I decided to stay for the awards and raffle. Again...I waited...and waited...and then finally I left. I later found out that awards didn't even happen until 2 hours after the race started. FOR A 5k! Really, everyone had finished in under an hour...I'm not sure why they waited that long...especially when I'm sure none of the award winners were still there. Oh well. I got my 5k done for Streak Day #17. Marty ended up getting 9th place in the category Mens 40+. If there was a normal 50-59, Marty would have placed 2nd. I ended up getting 10th place in the Category Womens 15-39. If they did the normal 20-29 group, I would have placed 3rd. For Mother's Day, Maestro and I ran a 5k race at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield, VA, put on by Metro Run Walk. I have never been to this park before and was pleasantly surprised. The paved running path was surrounded by overlapping trees and passed over streams. It was a very pretty run. One benefit of being US Road Running Ambassador is that I get to do a lot of races and learn about new places to enjoy nature and run! I really enjoy running on paths through parks rather than on the street!
This race was pretty crowded with lots of families, kids, and strollers. It was a bit difficult running this race just because the path was not very wide and there were a lot of people. Maestro and I did 1:1 intervals because my legs were still tired from the day before and because of the heat and crowds. Nevertheless, it was a fun race, and I got a rose at the end, as well as won a tank top in the raffle. Streak Day 11 complete :) Nathan and I ran the Joining Hearts for Heidi Trail Run 10k. It took place at Prince William Forrest Park and was a VERY hilly run. At some points, I felt it was more like hiking than running! I was ready to run 2:1 intervals, but that quickly ended with all the hills. It was more of a run down the hills, die walking up the hills, and run/recover on the flat parts. My RunKeeper was going crazy with its tracking, saying that I ran 8.5 miles. It was a bit disheartening when I knew that it was off because I was ready to be finished! The above picture does not do the hill justice. This was WAY longer and steeper than it looks. This was at the halfway point. We had to run down it, only to turn around and go right back up! It was a very scenic run, with lots of green trees, a few bridges, and some water to look at! Just those stupid hills.... I felt good to have finished the race, I just had to get a crazy shot. It was REALLY hard to balance on one leg. LOL. Hey, guess what?! I won 3rd place female overall! That's right!! AND there were more than three females....I wasn't even last! I also ended up with 2nd in my age group and 6th place overall. GO ME!!!! Nathan placed first in his age group and 9th overall! The Aftermath: Nathan and I are both VERY sore from this run. The hills were killer!
On Sunday I completed my 5th Half Marathon!!! The Potomac River Run Half and Full Marathon took place along the C&O Canal and the Potomac River near Carderock, MD. It was a gorgeous tree-lined race, that had water on both sides for much of the race. The path was packed dirt/gravel, which made it a little different than running on road, but as I have some trail running experience, it didn't really bother me. I thought the scenery was beautiful, and that kept my energy up for a lot of the way
The course was an out and back. I used 2:1 intervals, with an average pace of 12:07. I don't have a gps watch, so I mostly just run my pace by feel, and an occasional message from my RunKeeper. Looking at my pace, I find it interesting that miles 1 and 13 had the same pace, and miles 2 and 4 had the same pace. Those were the same stretch of course! I was starting out easy as to not get tired too quickly, but by mile 11 I was getting pretty tired from the heat (my legs felt great though). By the way: I don't know how the 8am start marathoners finished this race in the heat!!! Apparently I felt awesome at miles 6-8 and 10-11. I felt pretty good for the majority of the race. It just started to get hot, and parts of the course were not shaded, so I got a bit dehydrated, despite drinking at all the water stops, and drinking the nuun that I brought on my belt. My calves got a bit tired towards the end, but I was relatively pain free for this entire run, which was a big change from my last 1/2 in March. I would do this race again. They have it twice a year. The next one is in November where it will be cooler. Does anyone want to join me? Maestro and I ran the Break a Sweat for a Homeless Pet 5k, benefitting the Fairfax Animal Shelter. We were planning on running the 5-miler, but an hour of doggie socializing beforehand wore out Maestro! Luckily there were 3 different race distances to choose from, so it was ok :)
This race was put on by Metro Run Walk and took place at Giles Run Meadow Park in Lorton. We ran over lots of different terrain: gravel, grass, road, and path. It was a nice course and went around the old Lorton Reformatory. It was neat seeing the old jail right next to brand new construction houses. This was a fun race for both me and Maestro. There were a lot of doggies to play with and I really liked the course :) |