The Strawberry Stampede 10K

I just ran my 3rd race of 2010...and it was finally a race I was happy with.

This was the 24th Annual Strawberry Stampde held in a town not far from where we live.  Apparently the race had twice as many participants this year as last year (there's a 5K run and walk too) so they weren't totally prepared and we started about 15 minutes late (which I feel like happens with every race I've ever run).

It was a BEAUTIFUL morning, sunny and about 80, with hardly any wind.  The course is mostly flat, with a gradual rise between miles 1 and 2.  I had a secret goal of running sub-45, but I know my legs are tired and I haven't been doing much speedwork, so I decided I'd be happy with anything under 46.

I went out a little fast...mile 1 was 6:58, but I was feeling really good.  Then just before mile 2 I got a pretty bad cramping pain in my lower abs that slowed me down a little.  I get these randomly during training runs too...it's always after I've been running for about 15 minutes, and it usually goes away within half a mile, so I just kept pushing because I knew it would probably subside.  By mile 3, I was fine and feeling good (22:30 at 3 miles).  I thought I had a chance at being under 45, but I just focused on staying relaxed and moving up gradually.

The last half mile felt like an ETERNITY! We were back in town after being out in farmland, and we made 3 or 4 turns.  I thought I'd never see the finish!  At one point my watch said 44:48 and I realized I wouldn't get a PR today.  I came in at 45:55 on my watch, 45:57 officially (7:24 min/mile).  My husband was exactly a minute behind me.

I got a medal for placing 2nd in my age group!

I can honestly say I did my best and other than that first mile, I think I ran a pretty smart race.  I'm definitely happy with how I did, and I had a ton of fun out there on such a beautiful day.

Since the hubs and I planned on doing this race way before I decided to start training for the SF Marathon, it didn't fit into my training plan too well.  As soon as we got home, I grabbed a water bottle, threw on my hat, ditched my watch (I knew I'd be reeeally slow), and headed out for 11 miles.  It was tough...it's a lot hotter today than it's been in months, and my legs weren't exactly fresh.  But I did it, and that brings my total miles for the week to 48, a new record for me!