How NOT to Run a Race--Clarendon 10K...errr 5K

How NOT to run a race...

1) Do not decide to try two new pairs of running shoes the week before a race---one of them being the Vibram 5 Finger shoes.

2) Do not expect greatness when the temps the week before averaged in the high 90s in late SEPTEMBER and you had solid runs that week in that heat (93 degrees at 7:30 for a 4.5 mile run is NOT fun!).

3) Do not choose a run on a Saturday when you've had an exhausting week leading up to the run. At least give yourself a day off in between...race on Sunday.

4) Do not show up in time for the 5K and then decide to run it instead of the 10K....as the gun goes off...without stretching first.

5) Do not let your husband enjoy his sprint down hill, without stretching, as you take off to catch up with the back of the pack.

6) Do not schedule three other things for the day back-to-back-to-back that require you sprint from one activity to another, making the race seem longer than it is and more like a triathlon event.

7) Not stop to say hi to former bosses on the sidelines and then sprint faster to make up for lost time--and expect to have fun for the remaining miles.

All of that said, we did have a good time.....the 5K was ok--I'm not a big fan of them...but the extra time between other events today is appreciated.

My legs are pretty sore from the lack of stretching, the new shoes, and the downhill sprint for the first two miles...but they'll be ok.

And it was great to see Sonia and Alan cheering for us. :)

We had a great coffee afterwards at Northside Social and a quick drive home on 66.

Number 17--while not what I thought it was going to be---is complete!

Runnin' Through the Park

I've run this race one other time and I think I've signed up for it twice before but

didn't run it---once because I ended up too exhausted and another time because it was
too darn hot.


I was pretty excited to run it this year because it had been a few years since I last
ran it.

I signed up after school started and was pretty excited about it.  The only downside
to the race is that it starts at 7 am and is in Rockville which means to get there in
time, one has to be in the car at 5:45 driving to the start.

This year Mark was out of town for the race, so I it was a little more stressful.  I
really appreciate his help in getting to the start and taking over driving/parking
the car and the little logistics.

This particular race is a point to point race which also meant that I had to get
back to the car at the end of the race.

So, I was a bit nervous...and having Mark gone the night before didn't help me sleep--
I woke up every hour and kept worrying that I would oversleep.  So at 4:30 am I was
out of bed, getting ready.

The weather was PERFECT!  It was cooler (in the mid 60s) and overcast, with the
prediction of rain.

On the way to the start, it started to downpour.  I parked the car and it was
raining steadily.  A few minutes before the start, the rain stopped.  It sprinkled
a few times but didn't start to rain again until I was on the subway and headed back
to the car.

The race was well organized, as always, and I think sold out.

It was a great race, but I forgot how hilly the first 8 miles are.  How did I not
remember those from before?

One fun thing about the race was that part of it was on the same course as the Al
Lewis 10 Miler I did in January---which had SNOW!  Totally different feel this time!

While I hoped to run the race in under 2 hours, I felt good about my time.  It was
the farthest I had run since the half marathon in NYC at the end of April.
It also has helped me to mentally prepare for the back to back half marathons coming
up in October!


Final time/place:

357  68/178   1438 Amy Trenkle           35 Washington DC    2:08:29 2:02:09  9:20

Splits:

Mile 1  9:02.31
Mile 2  8:47.25
Mile 3  9:28.96
Mile 4  9:10.08
Mile 5  9:03.75
Mile 6  9:13.77
Mile 7  9:06.17
Mile 8  9:43.59
Mile 9  9:08.27
Mile 10  9:28.35
Mile 11  9:55.52
Mile 12  9:35.77
Mile 13.1  10:25.86

Total:  2:02.09

Race #16 complete!


A celebration of iced coffee and Greek Yogurt from my friend Starbucks.

Annapolis 10 Miler and a Birthday Celebration!

This weekend marked not only the 35th anniversary of the Annapolis 10 Miler, but also my 35th birthday! I spent the weekend celebrating--with Mom, Dad. Mark and Soba and then by running and then with Mom, Dad, Mark and Soba again! I was majorly pampered this weekend! :)

It started on Saturday night, August 28, when we drove to Mom and Dad's after packet pick up. Packet pick up was at the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, which was also the start of the race.


Mom and Dad fixed my requested pre-race meal: sliders for everyone else and a veggie burger for me, home made potato salad (German style), and corn on the cob. Mom tried a new and very yummy potato salad that was made from fingerling potatoes. It had a lot of garlic, some lemon, and parsley---YUMMY!

We also had hors d'oeuvres as usual (see below--me with bean dip!--to give me a little extra motoring power the next day!)....

I went to bed totally stuffed and excited for my race the next day. The entire family was passed out on the couch at 9:30 and went up to bed before 10! (Yes, Mom included!)

I drank a lot of water and I think I got up every hour until the race. I woke up a little nervous--it had been since mid June that I had run 10 miles and it had been since mid July that I had run a race....and to top it all off, it was supposed to be cooler but that doesn't mean much...so I was anxious to see how hot it was.

As it turned out...it was about 68 when we left for the race start---it felt magnificent! I had been so worried about the heat! The roads were clear and it was a quick drive down Ritchie Highway to the start....


We got there in plenty of time....it wasn't even fully light in the sky yet when we arrived. Mark and Soba took me---Mom and Dad stayed home and were supposed to sleep in, but had gotten up to wish me luck. The course was a difficult one for spectators to watch and after a lot of convincing Mom and Dad agreed that it might be for the best.

The start seemed slow considering the line itself never seemed that far away....it took almost five minutes to get to the start.



The race is capped at 5500 runners and it sells out in hours. It was another race that I had programmed in my iCal and had set the alarm to go off so that I would be sure to register when the race opened!

Below, you can see me waving to Mark as the race started and I finally crossed the start line!


Mark surprised me between Mile 3 and 4 by showing up on the course, at the top of a hill....it was a much welcomed surprise! :)



And there sat my Noodle, not even noticing that I went by!


Mark and Soba were at the finish line--and Mark caught this picture of me about to cross (you can see my legs at least!) I finished in 1:37.4....not a spectacular time, but I was really, really happy with it. It was near 80 when the race finished...still a very nice temperature but starting to get hot. They had ice cold hand towels for us at the finish line that cooled me down immensely quickly....felt so good! :) The race was a really nice one and I felt that I did a great job of pacing myself. I never felt terrible. I never felt that I was going too fast. I just felt great and enjoyed the run...which was a very nice way to celebrate my birthday a day early! :)

My splits were as follows:

Mile 1: 9:16
Mile 2: 9:30
Mile 3: 8:44
Mile 4: 10:01
Mile 5: 9:48
Mile 6: 10:14
Mile 7: 10:11
Mile 8: 9:36
Mile 9: 9:51
Mile 10: 10:22

It is also here that I should mention, while a beautiful course, it was far from flat---it was incredibly undulating!

Then...on to celebration part 3!


Mom made my birthday brunch...requested omlettes in a bag with hashbrowns as a side.


Lemon cupcakes for dessert with coolwhip instead of icing (although I was offered icing if I would prefer it) with flakes of coconut for on top!


A perfect summer treat! A nice rendition of a birthday cake Mom! Thanks! :)

Soba rested up--after all, he had had a very long, tiring morning watching everyone on the race course! :)


We had a wonderful weekend and I wouldn't have wanted to spend my 35th birthday any other way! :)

Oh and for those counting--15 races down, 5 to go! :)

My official race results are:

Amy Barba Trenkle #4929

Washington, DC

Age: 34 Gender: F

Distance	10M
Clock Time	1:37:40
Overall Place	2592 / 4581
Gender Place	925 / 2079
Division Place	169 / 4581
Age Grade	51.2%
Pace	9:47
5M Chip	47:15
10M Clock	1:44:36
Sext	2080
Divt	331