race report: july

daschutes dash...

so, you may remember i was signed up for the duathlon? i changed it to a 10k. much more doable considering i haven't ridden a bicycle in well over a year. 

here's the race day skinny...

prep: 

most training programs i have looked at have you run every other day. for me that isn't enough to build endurance. what has worked well for me is to do two days together, take a day off, then three days together, take a day off. i am not sure what you experienced runners might say to that, but for this race i really noticed a difference and felt stronger than my last 10k (read about it here).

also, i have been trying different breakfast foods before my long runs trying to nail down what works best for me. in may i ran an awful 5k after eating a HUGE breakfast of french toast. i had this silly idea that it was only 3 miles so no biggy....wrong!!!! so far what i like best is toast with peanut butter and some sliced banana on top. i also eat it about an hour and a half before my run. runner friends, what breakfast works for you?

i decided to run sans music and liked it. it made me aware i need a little work on my breathing, i sound like i am dying! 

(before the race)

race:

something is seriously wrong with me. i get really warm when i run. like hot, over-heated, red faced, sticky. it's not normal. so i was a super happy girl when race day brought overcast skies and cool temperatures. 

i also got to run this race with my best friend katie. she is someone i feel so comfortable with, and it turns out we are great running buddies. she is much more of a natural runner than i, and her pace is faster, but the conversation is easy and she knows how to make fun of my heavy panting without hurting my feelings.

the 10k portion of this race was a small group compared to the triathalons that most deschutes dash participants were racing in. it is a flat course along the deschutes river in the old mill. 

miles 1 and 2 were uneventful, kate and i found our stride. i told her i wanted to start slow and speed up as we went, and we did just that. 

and then i had to pee. i don't trust this mommy bladder of mine, and i became nervous when i started to scout out port-a-potties and noticed there were none to be found. kate distracted me and we carried on. by the time i did spot one, i decided to hold it and run faster...it worked this time, but maybe not the best racing strategy?

mile 4 was hard. mentally. i was tired and felt like i would like to stop. but i kept going, dedicating my run to addison in my heart, dug deep and kept trucking. katie kicked it up a notch and headed out. i hung back trying not to think of waterfalls, rushing water (hard to do with the river beside you), or toilets.

mile 5, i was almost there. i spotted mackenzie, justin, and addie cheering me on. mackenzie jumped into the race and grabbed my hand, running alongside me for a few strides. it was just the boost i needed to finish 'er up.

mile 6 i knew i was close, i lengthened my stride and started smiling. i was almost there. i felt good and proud and knew my family would be on the other side of the finish line. 

 (yay! we did it)

things to work on: 

• my breathing. keeping it even, not wearing myself out hyperventilating. 
• also, my mental toughness, how to stay strong especially around mile 4/5. 
• and of course, my pace...always wanting to speed it up. i don't have the official report but i believe it was right around 10:40 miles. my last 10k was 11:43 miles and i was hurting SO bad! improvement!

next month: hauling aspen 7 miler...