Race Reports/Encouragement/Kudos - 24 and 25 September

[Big Vic]

Saturday, 24 Sep

24 - Firedancer (Frank) Roadrunner Half Marathon, Akron, OH
24 - RunRookie (Rick) Race for the Cure 10K, Chicago IL
24 - stitchfan18 () KC 15k
24 - Tinkerboy00 () Salem's Wicked Half Marathon

Sunday, 25 Sep

25 - bunnyfoo (Vicky) 25 - Island Girl Half Marathon, Toronto, ON
25 - pensgirl10 (Jan) The Great Race 10k, Pittsburgh PA


GO! WISH Team GO!

 

[pjpoohbear]

25th, Island Girl 5k, Toronto, ON 1st race ever!

PJ

 

[Disfan11]

Doing double duty this weekend.
Saturday -
Magnuson Park 15K
Sunday -
Run of Hope 5K (my work is sponsoring it)

 

[pensgirl10]

Good luck everyone! Especially pjpoohbear in your first race. Relax and enjoy!

 

[Vickibean]

Running my 3rd half marathon Sunday, in the Quad Cities.

 

[FireDancer]

Good luck everyone.

It is both nice and a bit odd to do a half that I can sleep in my own bed for.

 

[FFigawi]

Good luck everyone!

 

[Reifsy]

Good luck to everyone this weekend! Hope you enjoy your races!

 

[RunRookie]

Well I posted my full race report on my blog here but to summarize:

The weather was a chilly 57 and raining! It rained through Mile 5 so I was very conscious of my foot placement. I think that resulted in a better cadence, and I ran with more of a mid foot-strike. I felt pretty stable throughout the race, leg-wise and my left hamstring did not complain at all (thankful for that!).

I had a really fun time in this race! Running with Lake Michigan right there was really cool! Of the 10,000 participants, only 1000 were 10K runners. So once we got past the first 1-2 miles, there was room to run without having to step around people too often.

I will admit that there were several times when my mind was 'suggesting' that I wasn't up to the challenge. But I kept reminding myself that I had come this far and I wasn't going to quit now. I kept going and I finished the race with a new PR! Update: My official chip time was 1:06:38 which is over 3 minutes faster than the previous 10K I ran in August. Sweet!

And I wore my new WISH Singlet today too! So I felt like a real runner, representing my team. Yeah, I was proud of it!

This was my second consecutive weekend race. Next weekend is my third in a row -- a 5K. I hope to finish with another PR then too! Then I can refocus on my training for the WDW Half.

 

[pjpoohbear]

Nice Job Rick!

 

[TEK224]

Good Luck everybody!

Terri

 

[FireDancer]

Rick - Congratulations on the finish. I like running in the 50's but not so much when it is in the 50's and raining.

As for me, it was nice doing a race close to home because you run into a lot of people you know at the expo, at the race, and cheering on the side of the course.

My race went pretty well. I was hoping for it to be a little cooler but it started at about 57 degrees. It was a hilly course and when I ran it in 2007 I wasn't prepared so I felt like I needed a good time. Not just because I owed the course some revenge but this year my times haven't been as good as last year.

The first 5k was a bit up and down (as most of Akron is) and had pretty good crowd support. You start out going over a bridge that is over the Cuyahoga River and it is really nice and then you pretty much turn around and go the other way. After going back through downtown you go into some not so great parts of the city and there was no one. They also had a two mile gap between water stops. It wouldn't be so bad except I wanted to take a GU and had to wait a little longer than I would have liked.

You turn around and head through a neighborhood and then back through the University of Akron. There were a lot of people out so it was nice. You then go down to the Cuyahoga river and then run back up into downtown. It was a pretty steep decline and definitely a steep incline back downtown.

One downtown you do a couple of turns and finish on the Akron Aeros baseball field. They are the double A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The race director is the first person you see after the finish and he congratulates every finisher and shakes their hand. I'm sure once the big crowds come in he misses some people.

I was shooting to come in under 1:30 and managed a 1:29:01. I was happy but I know I could have found 2 seconds out there somewhere. Even though I was way under my goal having a time ending in :01 is always a bit annoying, even in a 5K.

The Akron half is a really well put on race and just about the right size. Not too small but not as big as a Competitor or Disney event. You get a year subscription to Running Times for doing either the full or half and get a Brooks jacket along with the tech shirt if you finish the full. There is also a relay. The tech shirt is long sleeve and is pretty much the color of the green WISH shirts but a little brighter. The writing on it is highly reflective too so it will make a good evening or night running shirt in the late fall and early winter.

 

[RunRookie]

Frank - sounds like a good race! It is always nice to achieve the goal you set for yourself.

 

[Reifsy]

Congrats on the new PR Rick! It's tough when you are wet and cold before the race start but it sounds like you dealt with it well, nice job!

Frank, that is a great time! Congrats on hitting your goal, you got some serious wheels man!

 

[TEK224]

Congrats Rick!

I'm not a fan of running in the rain. I did the RnR Providence this year and it rained for the entire 13 miles. But at least it wasn't cold.

Terri

 

[jmasgat]

Rick & Frank Congrats on great races!

Maura

 

[pjpoohbear]

Finished running in my first race! And a PR!! 5km, 44:22 (8:41/km). The Island Girl race is very well organized and along a gentle even trail. Lots of encouragement from the 1/2 marathoners who left on their run as soon as the last 5kmer returned. I was able to wave Vicki on as she was leaving, GO Vicki!!!

Pj

 

[pensgirl10]

Pj, that is GREAT. You are officially faster than me.

I *think* I did well, felt I was moving along pretty well in the second half. But I forgot to look up at the clock as I crossed the finish. Who does that?

 

[pjpoohbear]

If I can train to keep up that pace or close to it, I will be thrilled at the Princess in Feb. I am doing the Castaway Cay 5k in October (3x times since we are cruising b2b2b), then a 10k in November. I am a runner, wow!

I meet a great lady on the Ferry across to the run and her husband took a shot of me at the finish. And the list was posted before the awards, it was great to see how I did, 6 from the end, but a PR, so I am thrilled.

Pj

 

[pensgirl10]

58:23 in the 10k, 2 seconds slower than last year. I'm pretty disappointed, really felt like I was going faster. Next year I'll try going faster all the way though. LOL

BUT my 18-year-old took an amazing 3:96 off her time, finishing in 50:21. So it was still a good day.