myWorld 5K

On Veteran's Day I flew from BWI to Denver for the 90th Annual NCSS conference. I was really excited to have a professional development getaway.

The flight was flawless and it was an easy trip from door to door.

Friday was a great conference day and Saturday morning I got up for a quick 5K in Denver.

I was excited to run in another part of the country. Despite the 6:15 departure time from a nearby hotel, I was enthusiastic about the race!


Pearson, the publishing company sponsoring the race, booked a minibus to transport conference goers from the hotel to Cheeseman Park where the race was to be run.


As we boarded the bus, it appeared that it would be a small and intimate running group. I loved the professionalism with which the race was run, and was even more excited that it would be a small running group---not thousands of people.

As we arrived at the park, the sun was just starting to come up.

This was our minibus! :)


The race had one (very clean) port-a-john, a ballooned race start arch, and a set up tent.

The race was a loop 2 1/2 times around the park.


The run itself, was VERY deceptive. One, we could not tell that there were undulating hills throughout the park....at least, not until we were off and running.

And for many of us, the altitude was KILLER! My big lesson for this run: ALTITUDE IS NO JOKE! For those of us who were from sea level locations, we really felt the altitude..especially by mile one. I was very glad that the race was only a 5K.

By mile one, my legs were heavier than normal and by mile two my arms were heavy with fatigue--a pretty rare feeling for me. I was excited that there were runners just in front of me...they kept me pushing myself.

But you couldn't beat the view---off in the distance stood the majestic Rocky Mountains.

As we finished the race (on the opposite side of the park) we were greeted by the mountains. It was one of the most scenic finishes I've had this year---in fact, I might have to say that it was THE most scenic finish! :)

I was really happy I had woken up early and participated in the small, but awesome race in the Mile High City.

Woohooo! Race number 22 complete!

And even better--the race raised $1000 for American Indian education in Denver! :)

	myWorld 5K Walk/Run
	Event Name: myWorld 5K Walk/Run Event Date and Time: Saturday, November 13, 2010 @ 07:30 AM Event Distance: 5 k City and State: Denver , CO Event Address: Cheesman Park 8th & Franklin Denver, CO 80218 view map Description: Pearson is hosting the second annual myWorld 5K run/walk at NCSS 2010 on Saturday, November 13 at 7:30 a.m. In honor of November Native American Heritage Month, the myWorld Run/Walk is a race to raise money for the Adams County Indian Education Program of Colorado, dedicated to closing the achievement gap for American Indian and Alaska Native students. Additional Info: This year’s proceeds will benefit the Adams County Indian Education Program of Colorado

This was also my best finish for a race this year--5th overall and 2nd for women! I'm not sure of the total field size, but they did say it was bigger than last year's NCSS race of 33 participants.

Results:

Male Participants
1.	Kenan Anderson	23:16
2.	Craig Ewing	23:39
3.	Clay Blazer	24:46
4.	Patrick Dorn	25:37
5.	Dean Brown	25:51

Female Participants
1.	Natalie Corbet	25:01
2.	Amy Trenkle	25:10
3.	Jen Malchiodi	33:24
4.	Sarah Porter	38:00
5.	Nancy Brawley	38:07

The rest of the day was as great--that afternoon I gave my poster presentation on the TRT experience.

Denver was a great trip!

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!

Save the Trail 5K

Wooohooo! Race Number 10!! Here we are!



This race, the Save the Trail 5K, wasn't on our radar originally, but I got an email from a listserve and figured, why not? We were around for Memorial Day weekend and it seemed like a great way to celebrate the weekend.

I'm not much of a 5K person, but we decided to give it a try.


The race took place in Bethesda, as an awareness race for the building of the Purple line along one of the popular biking/trails in the area, the Capital Crescent Trail.

The race was an out and back course, on the packed crushed stone trail, with a short stint through the adjacent neighborhood.

One of the things Mark and I both really liked about it was that it wasn't a super crowded, jazzed up, top ten in the nation race.


In fact, I didn't even have to wait in line for the porta potty! That's how low key it was!



But for as low key as it was, it was well done. The race was organized well, ran smoothly, and was very official without being overwhelming.

It was starting to inch toward the warmer side. And I have clearly have issues with eating before a 5K. I chose not eat before we left the house, but we were at the race about 45 minutes before it started and I found myself getting hungrier and hungrier. Simultaneously, they were setting up the post race food area. Mark kindly asked the woman for a half of a bagel for the two of us to split and we did. The bagel, however, did not agree with me as I ran and I was regretting my consumption of the bagel within the first mile.

(Can you find each of us crossing the start line in the two photographs above?)

Overall, it was a most excellent choice for my 10th run.


It was fun and I am extremely impressed with the race photography. Any of the pics of us running or of the pre-race scene that doesn't have Mark or I in it were taken by the photographers there and uploaded to the site, FREE for us to download. :)

98  15/29     164 Mark Hannum           M 34 Washington DC      24:01   24:07   7:46
99   6/36     163 Amy Trenkle           F 34 Washington DC      24:01   24:08   7:46

Predictions 5K Results

The results are in for our New Year's Day 5k run:

There were 90 finishers for our run. Mark and I were 41 and 42 overall. Amy was 5th in her age group and Mark was 35th in his age group.

Amy	Trenkle	Female	34	26:26.3	41	5
Mark	Hannum	Male	33	26:26.5	42	35