12k PR and 1st in my Age Group!

Today was the Sound to Narrows 12k.  I PR’d AND got first in my age group!!  Who cares that they had me registered at 99 years old!  I guess I forgot to put my birth year on the form, so the default is to put me at 99. Awesome! I’m a winner!

I remembered half way through why I did this race in 2008 then skipped 2009. It is rough.  Here is the elevation chart:

RED and I got to the race about 20 min to start time.  We parked and headed toward the start.  We really only had to wait about 10 min, just how I like to do it!

The race started in waves and we were in the third wave, the slowest one before the walking wave.  Just as I remembered the first mile, or by the chart above the first 1.5 miles is a decline which made for a speedy first two miles (8:15 and 8:19).  RED was taking it easy due to her 12 miler yesterday. So I pulled ahead. She yelled, “I’ll catch up with you later!” I laughed and new she was serious and probably right.  The miles that followed the first 1.5 were pretty much just me trying to get it done.  Trying to survive.  Trying to put one foot in front of the other and cover ground.  I normally pride myself in being able to hold a fairly steady pace.  Not today.  Today I ranged from an 8:15 to my slowest mile (7) at 10:19.  What?  10:19?  I can’t remember the last time I ran a mile over 10 min.  Oh yeah, in my marathon around mile 23.  At mile 7  a 10 min/pace is not what I expected of myself.  The one thing I can say is that I did not walk one single time during today’s  race!

Here is a little map of the course:

As you can see the 1.5 mile start that is down hill is 1.5 miles UP to the finish.  I think they like to see us suffer. At one point a poor woman looked ahead and said, “We don’t have to run up THAT do we?”  I told her “Don’t look at it…”.  I don’t think it helped her at all.

 

 

I’m a little frustrated that I am not where I was when I did OKC.  I know I haven’t been running like I should, or like I was. I am hoping it wont take long to get my running mojo back and to get my pace back down to the 8:30 range.

Today’s stats:  7.49 miles   

1:08.43 (about a 4 min PR)

9:10 pace

In the end RED nearly caught up with me.  I finished one minute in front of her.  She did awesome and I don’t even need to make an excuse for her, but she did run 12 miles on Friday! Here is a picture of me and Carrie before the race. This was our first race together in 2008! So, Happy Running Anniversary!

I think I can safely say I will never do Sound to Narrows 12k again.  Twice is enough.

Today I am grateful for:

A beautiful day of sun and fun shared with Mel at her birthday/housewarming party! And an added bonus of other local blogging friends, Kerrie, Jill and Zoe.