11/1/15
48:05
(7:45/mi pace)
1/43 in 30-34 age group
23/353 females
95/676 overall
14 weeks, 2 days pregnant
{Baby's seventh race!}
This was my second time running this race. I'd always heard area runners talk about loving it but never made the trek up to Utica to run it until last fall when Clint dragged me along. After just one time running it, I was hooked! It's a beautiful course and it's fun how so many BloNo runners make the drive out there. It feels like we are at "home" yet we are in a fun, different locale.
I've kind of turned into a "weekend warrior" during this pregnancy and haven't been running much other than weekend races. I've never been a morning person, so getting up to run before work is just too much to ask. While I haven't been plagued by morning sickness, I have had a fair amount of "evening sickness"/nausea after work...so running after work just feels terrible and I usually don't do it (other than Thursday night group runs). However, this week I did manage to run on both Thursday and Friday evenings and I hit a morning yoga class on Saturday. Add in this race Sunday morning and this consecutive 4-day streak of working out is officially my longest work-out streak of this pregnancy. Kinda sad ;).
Sunday morning we carpooled with friends/teammates Gary and Amber. Somehow, I was entrusted with the duty of driving to the race and managed to get us all there in one piece in plenty of time. I also somehow managed to remember all of my parts and pieces (leaving my watch at home has happened more than once now). We left home around 8 and arrived in Utica a bit after 9. I visited the bathroom a few times while Clint got our bib numbers and then we hopped on a bus to head to the start in LaSalle.
While the rest of the team headed out for a warm-up, I hung out in the school near the start guarding the gear bags. Right, wrong or otherwise...I wanted to conserve every bit of energy for the 6.2 miles to come. I was feeling a little "off" that morning with some minor cramps and nausea so I just played it safe until the start.
Soon enough, it was time to head to the starting line. By this point in the day (nearly start time/10:30 am) it had warmed up to the mid fifties and felt GREAT! This race is not chip-timed, so I lined up with Amber in the second row right at the front. After the national anthem, we were sent off on our way. The first part of the race is a pretty significant downhill and I had planned to use this to "bank" some seconds (as I am sure everyone does!). My first few steps were a little awkward (creaky ankle!)...maybe a few warm-up strides really would've been a good idea ;). Oh well, no time to lament that! I peeked down at my watch as I descended the hill to see sub-7 minute pace. HA! Hadn't seen that for a while. Thanks, hill!
My first mile ticked off in 7:11. I smiled, knowing that my pace was about to decline significantly. My "goal" was to be under 8:00 or as close to a flat 8:00 average pace as possible at the end of the race. After mile 1, we turned to the right to enter the beautiful canal area. I had been warned by Aimee Dziekan and Kelly Ruiter (who had run the course backwards from Utica to LaSalle that morning to the start to make a long run instead of taking the bus) that the canal area was pretty muddy in spots and footing might be questionable. I made a mental note to be cautious. No need to scrape my preggo self off of the muddy canal because I got too crazy! ;)
Mile two was a much-more-reasonable-but-still-fast-for-my-current-state 7:40. For the most part, the first mile of the canal wasn't too messy. I picked a few runners to slowly pick off. One guy was really annoying (sorry...truth ;-)). He was running some really irritating intervals as he "raced"...I passed him as he was running quite slowly....and then after a minute or two he came screaming down the canal and passed me, only to slow down a minute or so later. This went on for much of the race. I really can't remember if he beat me or if I beat him. I vaguely remembered (at least I thought I did) someone doing this same behavior during last year's Canal Connection...but maybe I made this memory up.
Mile three was over in 7:47. Heck yes, positive splits! ;). Whatever...I was still safely under my target 8:00/mi pace so I was content. My breathing felt pretty good and my body in general felt decent. After the halfway point I remember thinking that I would've been just fine had this only been a 5k-distance race ;-), but soldiered on.
Mile four was 7:56. Somewhere around here, I saw a guy who runs in a cut-off shirt, tiny shorts and no shoes. I recognized him from Town and Gown the weekend prior. He was visibly in pain (uh, dude, the canal is ROCKY!!!!!) and was LOUDLY grunting with each...and...every...freaking...step. It was these loud, guttural groans that sounded just plain miserable. It was kind of annoying...but I did my best to concentrate on my own breathing and blocking his noises out. He was nearby me for the rest of the race, though, so it was a lot of concentrating on ignoring him ;).
Mile five was an even-slower 8:06. Eh, whatever. I was still under that 8:00 average!
As I started the final mile, though, I knew I could press a bit harder to finish it off. I knew I wasn't too far off of what I had run last year (which, believe it or not, is actually my 10k PR! I hadn't run another 10k since then). I saw Carol spectating as I turned right to make the exit off of the canal and back to the road (thanks for the cheers and the caution, Carol :)). I saw Karen as I rounded a corner to the final quarter mile (thanks for the cheers!). I saw Clint and a group of the rest of my teammates at the next corner as I turned to the left toward the finish. About that time, some chick decided to pass me. I didn't really feel like responding...but the *slightly* competitive part of me got the better of me and I dug in and passed her back (and Clint may or may not have shouted words of encouragement as well;-)). My pace for the final 0.2 (0.22 according to my watch) was 6:59...who knew, there was actually still something left ;). I beat the girl by a second...and it turned out she wasn't in my age group anyway ;).
I crossed the finish in 48:05....my average pace of 7:45 was fifteen seconds under my goal pace, so that felt good! I went inside to check the results and saw that I had managed to get 2nd in my age group. WOOT! However, turns out I actually got FIRST in my age group thanks to the first place girl in my AG being in the top 6 overall and therefore getting taken out of my AG. So...I was the 1st place 30-34 female back-to-back years! Wonder if I can manage a three-peat next Nov?! ;)
After I finished, I snagged some water, a banana and hot chocolate and went to lay in the grass behind the gym. It felt amazing to lounge in the sun for a while while everyone else did a responsible cool-down.
Big congrats to all of the other ORRT members and area runners who ran Canal Connection (lots of awards were taken home to BloNo!) and set PRs, etc.! Thanks to Mitch for the privilege of being part of this team. Thanks, Adidas, for the sweet gear. Thanks to Clint for coaching me through this new stage in my running "career"...uncharted territory!
Next up: Furrow Euro Race Report!
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| Look at that hot, fast, bearded runner! ;) |
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| Nice job, Guy Savage |
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| Drama. |
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| Surprise 1st place in AG! |
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| Race Love :) |
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| ORRT Award Winners! :) |
~Rachel
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