Race Reports for 4/27, 28, 29 and Encouragement/Kudos!

[Maherae]

It's the weekend, and we have LOTS of WISHers ready to shine!!

Friday, April 27th
pungodingy (Angie) NHTI/Delta Dental 5K

Saturday, April 28th
thndrmatt (Matt) Boll Weevil 100k (metric century ride)
aladdinsgirl (Krista) and her DH skfulkers (Stephen) Frog Jog 5K
Big Vic (Vic) Panhandle Heritage 5k
Jen117 (Jen), Paul117 (Paul) Rock 'n' Run 5K

Sunday, April 29th
jeanneg (Jeanne), padisneyfan (Nancy) Lehigh Valley Half Marathon, Allentown, PA
hockeygirl (Laurie) Longbranch, NJ Half Marathon
Cindylou (Cindy) 10K Groton Road Race, Groton, MA
RedDragon (Martha),Calcio (Craig) James Joyce 10K
DisDee (Denise) Walkamerica Cherry Hill, NJ 5 miles
MouseDogMom (Jackie) Race of Grace 5K

May you all fly through your courses!!

:cheer2: GO, TEAM, GO:cheer2:

[Kristi1357]

:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: Go WISHers! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

[skfulkers]

Good luck, guys! :cool1: Can't wait to hear the great race reports!

Steve

[aladdinsgirl]

Stephen--I can't believe you posted on here and didn't mention us!

Stephen and I are doing the Frog Jog 5K on Saturday. The race is in my parents neighborhood, so my nieces and nephews are making signs to be our SCREAM TEAM!!

Good luck everyone!

[msblrobs]

Go WISH Team!!!

Best of luck to all of those racing this weekend. Have a blast:cool1:

[nucpharm29]

GO TEAM GO!!!!

May you all have wonderful races!!! Can't wait to hear the reports from all!:thumbsup2

[angietuck2]

:banana: :banana: GO TEAM GO!!!!:woohoo: :woohoo:

[solotraveler]

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!


:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[wtpclc]

Good luck WISHers!! Leave it all on the course!

Have to have a special call our to Laurie doing her first (IIRC) half!!! :thumbsup2

[Dennyha]

Good Luck to all of the WISHers running or walking this weekend.:banana: :banana: :banana:

[escape]

WOO HOO! :banana:

:cheer2: GO WISHERS, GO!:cheer2:

[Tiger Lily 03]

Go get 'em WISH Team! Have fun!

[Mouse Skywalker]

Go TEAM Go!! :cheer2: :cheer2:

Craig and Martha- I find it especially appropriate that you're running the James Joyce 10K. Our resident philosopher and most eloquent writer running a race named after James Joyce - how fitting.

[Big Vic]

Gooooood morning!

Today was the Panhandle Heritage 5K in Valparaiso, FL.

Arrived at the Heritage Museum around 0730 and picked up my packet. I didn't see any of my teammates from the Sheriff's Office, so I milled around a bit.

Not many participants. Maybe 75 - 100. The race began at 0800 and off we went. The course was a couple of loops through the neighborhood, past the starting line and then finishing about a block from where we started.

The race director had no sympathy for us hill haters. A nice short, steep hill we got to run twice. The big meanie! :rolleyes: :laughing:

Finished in 33:26. Splits were 10:16, 10:54, 11:20, and 8:45 for the last tenth.

The only problem was with my sore left foot. It didn't affect my running, but I could feel it with just about every step, and it hurts right now.

Didn't stick around for the award ceremony. Too much yard work to do.

Nice race and will probably do it again next year. Next up is the Swamp Ranger 5K trail run on 5/6.

:)

[escape]

Vic,

Way to go!!!! Got to do a hill twice, eh? Lucky you! :laughing: Hope your foot stops hurting soon. :wizard:

By the way, is your split time for the last 10th right?

[keenercam]

Yay, Vic!!! :banana: Glad you showed the meanie race director what WISHers are made of! :hug:

Can't wait to hear from our other teammates!

[Optimator]

Great job Vic. Take it easy on the foot! Maybe just get DW to do the yard work :thumbsup2 .

I guess that's Florida for you. They only have 1 hill so you have to run it twice in 5K.

[Dennyha]

Great job Vic! Those hills are killers.:rotfl:

[Tiger Lily 03]

Vic, Great job completing the event! To me your times were fantastic. Glad you managed the hill work today.

[nucpharm29]

vic-WTG!!!:cool1: Sorry about the double dose of the hill!

[Kristi1357]

I guess that's Florida for you. They only have 1 hill so you have to run it twice in 5K.
:lmao:

Great job, Vic! :thumbsup2

[TriMom]

Way to Go Vic!

:banana: Way to take on that hill!

[disnutt]

Yeah, Vic!:banana:

Hope our other racers had good runs.

[Mouse Skywalker]

Hooah Vic! WTG!

[Big Vic]

Thanks everyone!

Mike - I'll have you know, there are two hills in Florida. ;) :rotfl2:

If anyone ever finds out how small this hill really is, I'll be banned from the racing community for life. :rolleyes1

[thndrmatt]

Another week, another race report!

Dance/sing with me! :banana: "I was riiiiiiiiiidin, riiiiiiiiiidin, riiiiiiiiiiidin by the riivvvvvvvvvvvver, I SAY AGAIN I was riiiiiiiiiidin, riiiiiiiiiidin, riiiiiiiiiiidin by the river..." :banana:

The Boll Weevil 100 consisted of 25 mile, 100k (62 mile) and 100 mile versions of the course. Having never ridden over 35 miles in one go, I opted for the 100k. Unfortunately I forgot to take my Centrum the past two days, and as is always the case when I skip my vitamin accidentally, I instantly get :sick: . Basically instant cold, not sure how that happens other than lacking the usual dose of vitamin C. Luckily it doesn't require much energy to type a race report so here I am.

DW decided to sleep through this one, rightfully so since she drove us up there late and after the 2 hour drive we didn't actually get to bed until after midnight. Alarm went off at 5:30, and I grabbed everything (or so I thought) and snuck out. Turned out the maids finally woke her up at 11:00 checkout time to clean the room, but I wasn't back yet, so she got it extended to 12:30. :rotfl:

Arrived at the race site and they had all kinds of food and beverage set up at registration at the civic center. It was put on by the Lion's Club of Enterprise, AL, so even though I was at least 30 years the junior of everyone in the room they were a cheerful chatty bunch and I fit right in. Hindsight I probably would have gotten in more sleep and not gotten there quite so early, there really wasn't much to do. Back to the car I went and catnapped til 7. I thought that would be enough time to be ready to go by the start at 7:30, but I forgot I hadn't put on the two new bottle cages for my bike, so out came the hex tool and I started working frantically. Basically when they said "TWO MINUTES" I finally just left the 2nd one a little loose and tried to jam on my shoes and helmet as fast as possible. That's when I discovered I had forgot my sunglasses, which meant every time a truck or large vehicle passed there was mad dust kicked into my eyes. At least I didn't get the raccoon tan I would have though, and remembered to put on sunblock! There were at least 100 people riding, probably more like 200+.

It was my first group ride of any kind, so I took it real easy at first. We had a nice police escort sirens and all on the way out of town. Eventually things stretched out a bit and I found a group of about 20 riders who were moving along about 20mph or so. This is where I discovered the gloriousness of riding in a pack. I guess because the people in front are fighting the air, it basically feels like you're just gliding along effortlessly. Regularly I had to coast just to keep from running into the rider in front of me. So then the sillyness started. About 100 yards from the start I reached down into my new Tyr top front pocket to check out the map for the first few turns, and it was gone. Another reason I stayed with the pack early on, was worried I'd get lost. A few miles in I feel the other pocket get light, and I hear the energy bar hit the ground and skid off the shoulder of the road. Bummer, now I have no nutrition (totally forgot I had a bar in my behind the seat pack too). Then the best part, another 5 miles in and I'm out in the middle of the road on the left side of the pack, and my rear bottle comes bounding out of its cage (I left that one loose remember) and somehow avoids getting under anyone else's wheel as it skids off the left side of the road. Pretty sure everyone felt I was a total moron by that point. That all worried me slightly since now I was down to one bottle and no map.

I made the mistake of stopping at the first SAG (Stop and Go) point about 12 miles in. I was the only one in the pack who did. Asked if they had a map (they didn't) and grabbed some quick gatorade and tried to catch back up. Really hauled for a few miles, but now it was me fighting the wind by myself like normal. Never did catch up. Ended up passing onesie twosie riders over the next several miles, mainly because there were some pretty significant hills, the ones where you keep trying to shift into an easier gear and realize that you're already on your easiest and still barely able to move forward. The north half of the course was really rolling, but most of the uphills were easier because you still had momentum from the downhills, there weren't many long uphills. At SAG 2 I ran into half a dozen riders or so, by this point the 100 mile course had split off to do an extra 5 miles or so, so it was mostly us metric types. Between 2 and 3 I got passed by a police car escorting a group of riders, figured they must have been doing the 100mi. They were cruel though, pretty much after every SAG was an immediate long uphill to drain away whatever energy you had regained. I tried to get down half a banana at one, granola bar at a few others knowing I'd need the calories. The good thing was I was able to refill my lone gatorade bottle at each, and the 20 ounces lasted me the 10-16 miles betwen SAGs.

Anyway long story short I rode and rode and rode and rode through some beautiful rolling countryside. Highlight was hitting the 40 mile point, I'd now ridden farther than ever in my entire life. Another one at the 56 mile point, I now knew I could finish the bike leg of the Ironman 70.3 next month at least standalone. Another one was the 62 mile point, I had now ridden 100 kilometers. What's that you say? For a metric century that's supposed to be the finish? Well yes that's true, but I guess they had trouble getting the course to be exactly that distance and still finish back at the civic center, so they added some "bonus miles." As it turns out I rode about 66.7 miles via the Garmin, or 2/3 of a full century.

I ended up averaging 18.2mph over a total time of something like 3 hours and 30 minutes. With regards to total time it was the second longest (next to the DW marathon this year) endurance event I had ever completed. With regards to distance, the longest by a longshot. I really did enjoy it though, although the roads were open to vehicles, there just weren't that many on the rural roads of southern Alabama on an early Saturday. Including stops my time was closer to 4 hours, so I ended up having to wolf the food at the finish, grab my bling and go to get the hotel in time to shower and late checkout. That's right there was bling! A medal even for a bike ride (I didn't know honest)! The main soreness for me is the tendons connecting the quad to the knee it feels like, there's a bit of swelling and pain there when I sit down or stand up. My behind was basically painless though which is weird since it gave me problems on much shorter rides.

It really woke me up to how impossible the full length Ironman seems. 112 miles just on the bike? Out there for like 7 hours? Then run/shuffle a marathon? And that's assuming you survived the swim? No thanks, won't even attempt it for at least another year plus. I guess that means it's a distant possibility in the future though if I say it that way hmm....

So I know I can at least finish the swim for the Ironman 70.3 hopefully under the cutoff, I know I can finish the bike and not be too torn up, and obviously after all those half marathons in February the run should be the least of my worries (except it comes last). So we'll see how it all goes come 20 May!

Note: First comes the Minnie 5k+15k next weekend, DW and I will be there! :goodvibes

[hockeygirl]

Hey everyone!!! All I have to say is AWESOME!! Not only did I finish without walking, but I finished in 2:06!!!

Today was my first half marathon, the Long Branch, NJ half marathon, and although I was exhausted at the end, I had a great time running, and strangely enough, I can't wait for the next race!!!

I went on Friday afternoon to pick up my race number and timing chip, and to check out the health and fitness expo they were having. Bought some running clothes on clearance, which was great. While there I wandered around and checked out where the start/finish line was so I was all ready for this morning.

Woke up at today 5am and got my stuff together, and DBF (my scream team) and I headed out around 5:30. Got to the starting line a little after 6. There was soooooooooo....many people! Of course I had to use the bathrooms a few times, I guess from the water I had been drinking on the way, and I think partly because of my nerves! They had bagels near the starting line, so I had a piece of one while I was waiting for the start. About 20 minutes before the 7:30 start, they had us all move into the starting area. Well, this was crazy!!! There was so many people stuffed into such a small area, I couldn't even move to stretch a little or even stay loose, it was a bit nerve racking, as I felt like my legs were getting stiff. Finally, the race starts and I was on my way!! It took about a two minutes to cross the starting line and things started to thin out.

I settled in on my pace, and realize "oh no, I have to go to the bathroom again!!---ugh!!!" So, I finished the first mile and half and saw a bathroom without a line, and made a very quick pit stop, before settling in for the rest of the race! The course was VERY flat, in fact there were no real hills at all. The best part was all the people watching along the way, I don't think there was any point of the race where there weren't people cheering us on. DBF saw me at the start and then he headed over to mile 5. I couldn't wait to see him again when I got over there, because I knew I wouldn't see him again until the finish. After the 5 mile mark, I was still going strong, and surprisingly not tired at all!! When I got to the end of mile 9 I was starting to slow down a little but I still felt pretty good. I still kept my splits at about 10 min or lower, which was my goal. Every mile that went by after 10, I just kept telling myself, you are almost there!!

The last two miles were on the boardwalk along the Atlantic Ocean, luckily, there wasn't that much wind, but only a nice breeze! And there were SO MANY people there to cheer us on!! Finally, I looked up and I could see the finish line!! I picked up the pace, and sprinted with everything I had left the last bit. I crossed the line in 2:06!!! (that is my own time from crossing the start to finishing)...not sure what official time will be yet. But I am so psyched, I figured I would be around 2:10...so to come in at 2:06, I am ECSTATIC!! My fastest mile was an 8:53 at mile 3 and slowest was 10:02 in mile 12.

I have to say that when I crossed that finish line, i felt really proud of myself for doing this! I know that may sound corny, but it is truly how I felt. I never thought I would be able to finish a half marathon, and now I can't wait to run a full marathon!!!

Time to go rest and take it easy for the rest of the day...I couldn't wait to check in with you all first!!

[Big Vic]

Laurie - Way to go!!

http://members.cox.net/bvbd1/congrad.gif

[jam217]

Hello All,
I, too, did my first half marathon today -- the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon in Allentown, PA. The weather was absolutely perfect. Lots of crowds along the route to cheer us on. I finished in 2:22 (not a chip time) so I'm not sure of my actual time. I have mixed feelings on my finish because I wasn't planning on walking but I did. I really thought I could completely run the course because the prior week I had done 11 miles without stopping. I figured if I could do 11, then I certainly do the half.
But I think I started the race too fast and that wore me out. At one point I was with two women who said they were running an 8:38 mile which for me is insane. Keep in mind, too, I had good intentions of maintaining my 10-minute mile pace because I signed up for the 2:10 pace group. Even though I was right by the pace leader at the start I managed to lose her very quickly because of huge crowds. While I'm pretty good at maintaining a steady pace on my training runs, I find that when I'm in a race I tend to go too fast at the start. While that works in a 5-K, it didn't work today. It was probably around the 8 mile mark that I started my run/walk.
Overall it was a very good experience. I loved the stadium finish where they announced my name as I entered the track. And I'm looking forward to my next one -- the Philadelphia Distance Run on Sept. 16

[escape]

Matt - great reaport! Hope your soreness and pain go away quickly. My dh is doing a century ride in August. I'll probably just do the 50 miler which will be plenty challenging for me. :laughing:

Laurie - WTG on your first half! :cool1: You are speedy, speedy, speedy! I'm glad you enjoyed the experience. I have no doubt that you will easily conquer the full in January!

jam217 - you are speedy as well! Great job! I, too, have the problem of going too fast at the beginning. I guess I just get too caught up in the moment. Still, as they say in the South, you done good! :thumbsup2

WAY TO GO, WISHERS!

[Big Vic]

Jam - http://members.cox.net/bvbd1/congrad.gif

Way to go!

[Tiger Lily 03]

Matt, Laurie, and jam217--

Congratulations!

You all did great and I am so glad you came to give us a report before you get your well-deserved rest. I'm glad you are all happy with your success.

[Cindylou]

Hi Everyone,

Today I ran the Groton 10K Road Race. First let me say that I highly encourage anyone in the MA/NH area to run this race. It's very well organized and they have a Tot's Trots for 1 to 6 yr olds then a 2K, 5K and 10K. The have bands playing at the Start and in several places along the course.

My 3 kids ran in the Tots Trot. They stagger the starting lines every 30 yards or so around the inside of the track so the 1 yo run 30yds, the 2 yo run 60, etc. One of my DD2 heard them say go and took off, but she kept running into the backs of other kids who wouldn't run and their parents. My other DD2 wouldn't move unless I held her hand so the 3 of us ended up running it together. My sis took a great picture of us, I'll try to post it once she sends it to me. My DS5 ran about 150 yds. The rest of the day he kept telling me how tired his legs were and could I carry him.

Groton is this very picturesque New Enland town with cute shops and restaurants lining Main Street. The first mile of the race is down Main St. then you turn off to run through beautiful rolling pastures. It's really a very scenic race.

The weather was overcast and 50ish degrees which was chilly for standing around before the race, but perfect for running. At the starting line they had pace markers for 5:00, 5:30, etc. up to 7:30. After that everyone was lumped together. I had hoped to run 10 mpm so I lined up about half way back in the last group. I think I should have started a little farther back. My plan was to run 10:20 for the first mile then slowly speed up from there. At about 1/2 mile I noticed I was breathing a bit harder than I wanted to be so I kept trying to slow down, but with people passing me on all sides it was hard to do. My first mile was 9:37 so again I tried to slow it down a bit. Mile 2 was 9:51 and I was feeling OK. Just after the 2 mile there was a bit of a downhill, so I took advantage of that to stretch my stride a bit. At the same point up to my left in the middle of this green pasture was a lone bag piper playing music. It was such a beautiful sight/sound that I really think it helped my pace. Mile 3 was 9:07. During miles 4 and 5 I was trying to imagine that I was running on hot coals. I had read this in RW as a way to speed up your foot strike with out really increasing your effort. Thinking about my "burning" feet seemed to keep my mind off my stomach that was starting to cramp a little. Mile 4 was 9:26 and mile 5 was 9:00. As we went through the 5 mile mark I realized that I had a good chance to finish under an hour. My A goal was 10 mpm or 62 minutes. My "wouldn't it be nice" goal was to finish under an hour. So even though mile 6 was quite hilly I had extra incentive to push it a bit and ran 8:55. The last .2 (or my Garmin says it was .31) was run at 7:41 pace. Yikes!! I do have to admit you run the last tenth of a mile on the track with hundreds of screaming spectators. That helped a lot. I am so happy with my race. Even though I didn't run according to my plan it worked out OK. I guess my plan was a bit conservative.

Thanks to all my Wish teammates for the encouragement before the race.

Cindy :yay:

[Cindylou]

I forgot to mention that my clock time was 58:58 (9:30 pace) and my Garmin time was 58:19 (9:15). It did take a little while to pass the Start line.

Cindy

[Big Vic]

Cindy - Great job!

http://members.cox.net/bvbd1/congrad.gif

[hockeygirl]

Just wanted to stop by and read everyone else's race reports!!

Vic--Great job on your race!

Matt--Great job on your race!! 62 miles on a bike--I definetely could not do that!!! You are awesome!

Jam--Great job on your half today!! I hear you about going out too fast...I had to force myself to slow down and stick to my pace today. It was awfully hard but I was able to do it! I was thinking about the Philadelphia Distance run in Sept., we will have to have mini-WISH meet if I do it!!

Cindy--Great job on your 10k! And a speedy pace, with a great finish!!

[RedDragon]

So, I'll put the same report here that I have on the other thread. This is the first time since joining the boards that I've run a race so I do feel kinda special being able to post on this particular thread.

What a race report I have!! Total time, 63:10 for 6.2 miles! Splits =

9:51 (OK, very scarey here, I CANNOT sustain this for an entire race; have to slow down) :scared1:
10:14 (well, better, but still too fast) :eek:
10:37 (better but now too slow) :rolleyes:
10:23 (made up time from mile 3) :woohoo:
10:15 (hmmm, too fast for the Minnie) ;)
10:10 (oh dear, could I really be running this fast?) :cheer2:
And bring it in the last 0.2 miles. :upsidedow

The only thing I can say is, Didn't I have 11 seconds in me to bring it in under 63 minutes!?!?!!!!! Now this is a PR for me, but I'm complaining that I couldn't bring it in under 63 minutes! LOL!!!!! :lmao:

I have run this race before. 3 years ago it was my very first 10K race. Time then 65:06. I didn't run it in 2005, but I ran it last year. Time then 65:16. So I really did well today. Now, here comes a really great thing that happened. I was wearing my WISH shirt and just after we'd crossed the finish line and got water, we were walking toward all the activity. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find someone I'd never met before say how great my shirt was and she used it as a guide throughout the race! She always kept it (me) in sight so she could keep with my pace! And she LOVED the DLF>DNF>>DNS.

And a very special thanks go to my dear, dear DH for staying with me. He was my Yoda (Do or do not. There is no try.). God bless you. :love:

You'll have to read Calcio's take on it on the other thread. God bless all who have run a race today. May there be enough ice and ibuprofen to sustain you to the next race!!!

[nucpharm29]

Wow--what great race reports everyone!!!

Laurie--super speedy on your first half!!!:cool1:

Matt--Super racing man--WTG!!:thumbsup2

jam--Great race--don't worry about having to walk, you did great!:yay:

cindylou--WTG on the 10K!:banana:

[MouseDogMom]

Laurie - GREAT job! That's a terrific time - even better since you ran the entire way!

Matt - I think it's terrific that you know you can do the distance now! And yes, drafting off of other riders is one of the major elements in cycling!

Jam217 - Another terrific time for a first half marathon!

Vic - Why can't they design courses that are FLAT?

Cindy - Great time!

I ran the Race of Grace 5K today. DD was supposed to run with me, but she's coming down with a sore throat/head cold, and after playing soccer at 1:00, she was not doing well, so we agreed that she'd just be my scream team. The race didn't start until 4:00, which was insane, but it's sponsored by a group of churches so I guess we couldn't exactly run in the morning! It was 80 degrees and sunny, but with a mild breeze that kept it from being completely miserable.

There were bands every couple of blocks, mostly playing upbeat Christian music. You were never out of earshot of some form of live music. I wasn't expecting that, and it was really uplifting. Kept my mind off the heat! They had scheduled one water stop at the halfway point/turnaround, but moved it to the 1 mile mark and handed out water to both sides from there. At about 2.5 miles I heard someone yell my name - our associate minister's wife was on the curb near our church and cheered me on.

I finished in 36:10, an 11:28 avg, not a PR, but I was happy with the time since it's the first time I've run in really warm weather. I probably could have pushed it a little more, but really didn't want to overdo it since I've only run once outside since it got hot.

Funny story - we picked up DD's number even though she didn't run. A couple of minutes before I finished they called her name as crossing the finish line. Apparently the race announcer read the number wrong on his roster, but when I crossed the line he told me another family member had already beaten me to the finish! I was a little confused since I'd left her lounging on a blanket... :confused3

Now I'm off to sell DH on why we need to go to WDW for the ToT race...

Jackie

[wfloyd]

Great job to all the racers this weekend. Loved reading your reports.

Bill

[Tiger Lily 03]

Jackie, Cindy, and Martha, Great events you did great!

Congratulations!

Glad you are happy.

I am happy for you. Thanks for letting us know how you did.

[skfulkers]

Vic—way to go on the 5K! What’s with race directors and their sadistic tendency towards hills??? Hope your foot feels better soon!

Laurie—congrats on the first half marathon! What an experience! We are all so proud of you. Reading your report just brings us all back to that “first race.” Now you’re hooked, right? :)

Jam217—great job on the half! Don’t sweat the run/walk thing. It doesn’t matter how you finish—be it run, walk, crawl (ok, so the preference would be to NOT crawl), the point is, you finished a half marathon. Way to go!

Cindy—congrats on the 10K! Sounds like a great race, I may have to mark that one down if I’m ever in the MA/NH area. WTG on your pace! You were flying! Before I read your second post, I was trying to add all the mile splits to figure out your time to see if you beat your goal time. Then I scrolled down and your time was right there! Oh well, nothing like a little math to jog my brain on a Sunday evening. :)

Martha/Craig—good job on the 10K, you guys! It’s so great that you got to run the race together. By the way, I didn’t know that Yoda (the real Yoda, not your DH) could actually run a road race. :confused3 Especially that fast. I would think those little green legs could only get him so far. :)

Jackie—nice job on the 5K! Funny how those first few runs outside in the hot weather can be a killer, huh?

Ok, time to keep working on my proposal, I just had to take a break and get on here to see how everyone did (you guys are a bad influence on me!)

Oh, I almost forgot. Krista and I ran the Frog Jog 5K yesterday together. It was a fun race, we got to wind our way through my in-laws neighborhood (in fact, I ran into their house at mile 2 to go to the bathroom :) ). We took Hines with us and it was his very first race, so he’s very happy to report that he PR’ed his first 5K with a time of 33:15.

I’ll let Krista post more details, because I really do have to get some work done.

Great job on the races, everyone!

Steve

[Calcio]

Steve

For Hines doesn't it count as 66:30 since he has 4 legs? Good for him not getting pulled back by you and Krista.

WTG Jackie and Cindy. And thanks for sending me the milage around the Charles basin. I hope to get some runs around it this fall when the weather is fine.

Craig

[skfulkers]

Craig--I think Hines' math would come to the conclusion that he finished in 16:38 since he has 4 legs and has to work twice as hard as the rest of us. :) But that's dog math for you.

[Mouse Skywalker]

Congrats to all the WISH racers!

Matt- :lmao: Your song had me laughing. Great job on your ride. Wow, that's far, and you're right - your report really starts to put the Ironman in perspective.

Laurie- You're awesome!!! :cool1: :cool1: Congratulations on finishing your 1st Half Marathon! We're proud of you too!

Jam217- Congratulations on finishing your 1st Half Marathon too. You're also awesome!!! :cool1: :cool1:

Yay CindyLou :yay: :yay: Thanks for the second post with your time. I was looking for that. Sub-hour 10K! That is awesome!!! WTG!

Martha and Craig- Great job on your 10K. I really enjoyed reading your report.

Jackie- Great job on your 5K!

Steve- Good luck on your proposal. Glad to hear Hines PR'd. What's the weather supposed to be like there in Cincy next week?

[Pungodingy]

Guess what, I did better than last time!

My race was Friday night, started at 6pm, it was about 48 degrees and raining off and on, pretty cold and dreary…I guess that works for me!

I finished in 51:25, that’s 4:17 faster than last time!

Pretty flat course, only one small hill…we had to cross the interstate, I didn’t really like that part! We finished in a different place than we started, luckily my DS figured it out and met me just as I was coming in. They had to change the course ‘cause part of it was still under water from last weeks flooding. Several places crossed over, so the faster people were coming back at us slower ones, but they were VERY supportive, and there were lots of people cheering throughout the course (that really does keep me going!)

We all got t-shirts, pens, and a toothbrush (it was a Delta Dental race) and at the end they had hot dogs and burgers, lots of fruit, and water/soda.

I had a ton of comments on my shirt again, I think I’m gonna make up some business cards to hand out to people, do you think that’s ok? I know I wouldn’t be able to remember a website by the time I finished and got back home! I also know I’d be lost without you guys now…

Congrats to everyone else who raced!!

[Big Vic]

Jackie, Martha, Krista, Angie, Craig, Steve, and Hines - Great job on your races. :thumbsup2 :)

http://members.cox.net/bvbd1/congrad.gif

[Jen117]

I am posting my DH's race report. Paul (Paull117) did his first 5K on Saturday. Initially I was going to do it with him, but then dropped out at the last minute because we didn't have a babysitter. So I watched the kids while he wogged his first 5K. Since I wasn't on the course with him, I don't know exactly how the terrain was. The description said it was flat and fast, but Paul said there was a really long gradual incline. He wore one of my WISH shirts that is too big, so I saw him coming when he was about 1/2 mile away. I jogged to meet him and wogged that last part in. He did great and I am so proud of him for trying. He finished last, but there were only about 60-80 runners in total, only 5 walkers. He stayed with those, so it's not like he was all alone.

The only real negative about the race was that they gave all the food to the general public before the final people came in. So when he was done, there was barely any water left and the food was gone. They announced it over the speaker that the public could eat the rest of the food. I felt bad for those last people because it seemed like they didn't care about the slow end of the pack walkers.

[jeanneg]

Angie, Martha, Matt, Vic, and anyone I may have missed.......great job on the races this past weekend.

Laurie: 2:06 is amazing....now just think of how fast you would have been without the potty stop!

Jam: I was there in Allentown on Sunday! Wasn't it a beautiful course? It was my first event also, but I finished nearly an hour after you (3:11) Not too bad for an old, fat broad! I don"t recall anyone announcing our names when we crossed the finish line. I think they were already handing out awards so I guess we were too late for that little amenity! I race-walked with my cruise-buddy, Nancy (padisneyfan) and even though it was the first time we walked together we were very much in sync with one another. It was her first event also.
Just before the race we decided to use the porta-potty just in case. I had never used one before and found a nice little offering in the bottom of mine. Now wasn't that a little rude! I didn't want the next person to think it was mine, but couldn't find the darn flusher. I looked and looked and then decided that perhaps there wasn't one. Finally, I opened the door and asked "Is there any way to flush these things?", which was really bad because the next person would really think the little offering was mine!
We didn't know what to expect and were afraid of getting trampled, so we stayed way, way back. By the time we crossed the start line there were only about 4 people behind us plus a few very fast late-comers! We just started walking FAST and passed a bunch of people the first mile and a half or so. After that we really didn't pass anyone until the last 2 miles. At one point there was a switchback that was about 2 miles in each direction. As we were doing the first part, all the fast people were returning and really were great about cheering us on. Nancy and I were so afraid the serious runners would resent us, but if any did, they didn't show it. Most of the other runners were incredibly supportive. My daughter was one of the fast runners and it was great to pass her on the course...lots of cheeering and blowing kisses! We also got lots and lots of nice compliments on the WISH shirts that Cam lent us.
The course was really beautiful with lots of little parks, lakes, babbling brook, waterfall and even a covered bridge. There were lots of great bands along the route to pump us up. Unfortunately, towards the end, many of them stopped playing since most of the runners had gone past. Some were very nice and starting playing when we arrived and then stopped as soon as we were past, but a few just looked like they were packing up. As I said before, we ended up passing quite a few people the last 2 miles. Some looked like they were having feet issues and others just looked spent, but we were really nice and strong up until the very end. There was a short but very steep hill to get into the stadium where the finish line was and that was a killer, but by that time we could see the finish so it was all good. It was great having Nancy to do my first half-marathon with. We crossed the finish line holding hands and ended up with exactly the same times (3:11:07). We had planned to run across the finish, but I think we both forgot. Too bad, maybe then we would have been under 3:11!

[eeyore45]

Laurie - Way to go!!

http://members.cox.net/bvbd1/congrad.gif

Hello All,
I, too, did my first half marathon today -- the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon in Allentown, PA. The weather was absolutely perfect. Lots of crowds along the route to cheer us on. I finished in 2:22 (not a chip time) so I'm not sure of my actual time. I have mixed feelings on my finish because I wasn't planning on walking but I did. I really thought I could completely run the course because the prior week I had done 11 miles without stopping. I figured if I could do 11, then I certainly do the half.
But I think I started the race too fast and that wore me out. At one point I was with two women who said they were running an 8:38 mile which for me is insane. Keep in mind, too, I had good intentions of maintaining my 10-minute mile pace because I signed up for the 2:10 pace group. Even though I was right by the pace leader at the start I managed to lose her very quickly because of huge crowds. While I'm pretty good at maintaining a steady pace on my training runs, I find that when I'm in a race I tend to go too fast at the start. While that works in a 5-K, it didn't work today. It was probably around the 8 mile mark that I started my run/walk.
Overall it was a very good experience. I loved the stadium finish where they announced my name as I entered the track. And I'm looking forward to my next one -- the Philadelphia Distance Run on Sept. 16

I'm aiming to do my first Half marathon - thanks so much for sharing your experience!!
Wow--what great race reports everyone!!!

Laurie--super speedy on your first half!!!:cool1:

Matt--Super racing man--WTG!!:thumbsup2

jam--Great race--don't worry about having to walk, you did great!:yay:

cindylou--WTG on the 10K!:banana:

Congrats to all the WISH racers!

Matt- :lmao: Your song had me laughing. Great job on your ride. Wow, that's far, and you're right - your report really starts to put the Ironman in perspective.

Laurie- You're awesome!!! :cool1: :cool1: Congratulations on finishing your 1st Half Marathon! We're proud of you too!

Jam217- Congratulations on finishing your 1st Half Marathon too. You're also awesome!!! :cool1: :cool1:

Yay CindyLou :yay: :yay: Thanks for the second post with your time. I was looking for that. Sub-hour 10K! That is awesome!!! WTG!

Martha and Craig- Great job on your 10K. I really enjoyed reading your report.

Jackie- Great job on your 5K!
Angie and Jeanne WTG! Great Job!!
Steve- Good luck on your proposal. Glad to hear Hines PR'd. What's the weather supposed to be like there in Cincy next week?

I really enjoyed reading these reports!! :woohoo: and CONGRATS to one and all!!

I just may get the courage to run a race or two - where do I order a shirt?

[Mouse Skywalker]

Laurie- Congratulations! Great job and hats off to both you and Nancy!

[padisneyfan]

Congratulations to Vic, Matt, Laurie, Jam, Cindy, Martha, Jackie, Steve, Krista. Angie and Jeanne on your great races this weekend.

Jam---I was with Jeanne at Allentown, it is to bad we didn't get to meet up with you. We stood out in the crowd with our WISH shirts so you could have spoted us easily.

Jeanne gave a great race report. Even though we hadn't trained together, by the way we were walking together you thought we had done all our training together. My friend from work also ran this race, and her 9 yr old son commented to her when Jeanne and I entered the stadium together that we were in perfect sync together with both are arms and legs swinging at the same time. It was a great experience and sharing it with Jeanne made it all the more special. Next race together for us is the ToT in Oct.

Nancy

[jeanneg]

nancy: did Norm get any good photos? I went to brightroom.com and registered my race #, but haven't heard anything. You should do it too, just in case one of our numbers was obscured.

[padisneyfan]

Jeanne-- Yes we have several pictures. The one with our medals is a little blurry but the rest were ok. Now if I can figure out how to send them to you. I might just print them out and mail them. Off to check brightspot.
Notice how I am not doing any real work just posting on the DIS.

Nancy

[jeanneg]

BrightROOM!

[padisneyfan]

Ok, I said brightspot but I did go to brightroom and registered. Just wanted to see if you were on your toes.

Nancy

[TriMom]

:scared1: Ugg - I just lost over 30 minutes of posting -

so to make up for it - WAY TO GO EVERYONE! Great race reports! I loved all of them!