Run the Valley 10k - April 4, 2009

My last tune-up race before heading to Boston for the Boston Marathon!  This was a very hilly course winding through Golden Valley, MN.  Only 32 degrees and cloudy today but no wind which is what I was hoping for more than anything.  I wanted to break my 10k record and knew I needed to average a sub 6:50 pace to accomplish this.  I ran my first mile in 6:45 and just tried to find and maintain my rhythm as the race progressed.  The worst hills were of course during the final mile of the race but I pushed hard up the steepest hill and then it was slightly downhill to the finish.  I crossed the line with a time of 42:07 (6:47/mile) breaking my PR by 36 seconds!  I finished 14th overall among 201 finishers and 1st in my age group of 17.  Just two weeks until Boston and the race I have been training for all winter!

Can't wait!

http://www.ci.golden-valley.mn.us/community/runvalley10kraceresults.htm

http://www.ci.golden-valley.mn.us/community/runvalley10kraceawards.htm

100% 'Irish for a Day' 10 Mile - March 14, 2009

This was my most significant race and longest race so far this year.  The 10 mile event took place in Minneapolis and consisted of one lap around Lake Harriet Parkway, then one lap around neighboring Lake Calhoun Parkway and finally on last lap around Lake Harriet Parkway to the finish line.  It was 30 degrees and sunny today with a 10mph wind from the south.  The south side of Harriet Parkway is rather hilly and the frost had not melted off the street yet so it was a little slippery going downhill.  I just let my body carry me down rather than try to 'break' on the steeper down slopes.  There were a couple sections of the course where they could have used a few more race officials to direct traffic but we made it through even though I missed one turn that cost me an additional 50 yards or so to get back on course.  My time was 1:11:21 which beat my best and only 10 mile time from last year by just over 4 minutes!  I finished 35th overall among 400 finishers and 2nd of 11 in my age group.  A fun race but they should have spent less money on free beer for the participants and more money of race management/organization. 

http://www.raceberryjam.com/indexrr.html

White Bear Lake Winter Frolic 5k - February 21, 2009

This was my 2nd winter 5k race of the year and took place in White Bear Lake, MN.  The temperature was 18 degrees with a chilly northwest wind.  We had a snow storm go through overnight that dumped 6 inches of fresh snow on the ground although the skies were clear for the race.  This was an out and back 5k which proved much more difficult than I anticipated.  There was a short section of the race where we were to run on highway 61 for a few hundred yards but because the snow was not removed from the highway yet they made us trek this two hundred yard stretch on a neighboring path however the snow had not been removed from the path yet either!  It was a mad dash to this section as once you got there it required single file running until we got through this section.  At the end of this section we exited onto an icy sidewalk that required great caution before back on the blacktop - or at least solid footing on packed snow.  On the way back we also had to navigate through this same section although the runners had spread out by then which made it easier - other than the ice.  I ran a 21:25 which was a little slower than my 5k last month but considering the conditions I was okay with my time.  I finished 6th overall among 148 runners and 2nd of 18 in my age group.

http://www.vacationsports.com/winterfrolicresults09.txt