Hillsborough River Half Marathon

December 14, 2013

Gina, Carolyn, Wendy and I left Sarasota just before 7am race day to drive up to the Hillsborough River Park. We got up there after about an hour, picked up our packets and then hung out for a while. Race start wasn't until 9 am. Very late for a half marathon. You would think the temps might have been cool, considering it's mid December, but no, we had a warm front on top of us. It was sunny, warm and humid. Just before 9, we wondered over to the race start area. After getting some course direction from Kip, the race organizer, we lined up and were off!

The first mile or so was all on the main road that runs through the park. We then turned right off the paved road onto a wide dirt road. This took us to a narrower section of trail that had a lot more hard sections to run on. I soon lost Gina behind me. I couldn't take my eyes off of the path in front of me in fear I would trip and fall! There were many sections that were muddy, which has us running single file along the edges, trying to stay out of the mud. We had a small creek crossing, which I managed pretty well, just getting the toes of my right foot wet, before we continued on, hitting a water stop and turning around for the trip back to the main, dirt road. On the way back, I managed to get all of my right foot wet in that creek! It felt nice and cool, but I didn't like the idea of possible blisters. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of loose dirt or sand on this trail, so I didn't have much clumping onto my wet shoe. My pace was pretty good still, a bit faster than I thought it would be. My quads had been hurting/tight all week. I could feel the tightness during the run, but it didn't hurt.
Miles 1 through 7 - 8:36, 9:12, 9:24, 9:12, 9:15, 9:36, 9:49

After we left this part of the trail, we were back on the wide dirt road. The 6 mile racers were on the other side of the road, heading back. This was my least favorite part of the course. For some reason that hard packed dirt road was hard on my legs. I slowed down a bit on this stretch. Not sure how long this stretch was, a mile or two, before we turned off the road onto a single track trail along the river. This spot was beautiful and I pretty much had it to myself. I was able to peek over at the river every so often, but I still had to keep my eyes on the trail in front of me. Lots of roots and uneven terrain. After a while, we left this trail, and entered another road that was pretty much all grass. By now, it was getting pretty hot and there was no shade here. I was still pretty much on my own. A couple of women passed me at one point and I passed a guy, before we left the grassy trail and ended up back on the hard packet dirt road. I got to the last water station, grabbed a cup and walked for about a minute or so before continuing on. I ended up running a bit with a guy who left the water stop at the same time. We talked for a while, which helped distract me from the heat. Soon, we were back on the paved road, and I knew it wasn't much further to the finish. Our pace picked back up while we ran on the pavement. I think it helped running with this guy. I might have finished slower if I hadn't had him there pushing the pace! We came up to the last little bit of trail section off of the main road. He pulled ahead of me here. The ground was very uneven, so I slowed down and watched where I was stepping. We ran along the river again for a short bit before we turned toward the right and through the finish.
Miles 8 through 13 - 9:42, 10:29, 10:35, 11:10, 11:06

Finish time: 2:05

Gina, me, Wendy and Carolyn

Space Coast Marathon

December 1, 2013

I have never run the Space Coast races before, but had wanted to for a few years. When the race organizers announced the special Big Bang Medal series, I decided this would be the year to run the race! You get an extra medal after running 3 races and another special medal when you run all 5 of the races. Thankfully, I signed up early, because the race sold out pretty fast!

Me, Sondra and Carole before the race start.

I headed over to the Kennedy Space Center early Saturday morning. It was about a 3 hour drive from my house. I should have gotten gas before I left. I hit the toll road and after a while I discovered there were no gas stations around. Once I got off the toll road, there was nothing around at all! I drove with the empty gas light on for about 15 minutes, before I finally saw a gas station. Scary! Once at the expo, I ran into Vanessa and Sondra and their husbands. We chatted for a little bit, before I headed in to get my packet, shirt and to shop a little. This was a pretty small expo. Packet pickup had been going on at the local running store for most of the week, so by Saturday, there wasn't a hole lot of race merchandise left. I got a Space Coast Marathon ornament and a Marathon Tervis Tumbler. Once I left the expo, I headed to my hotel in Cocoa Beach. They were not ready for me to check in yet, so I grabbed my beach chair and my book and headed over to the beach, which was 2 blocks from my hotel. I had a nice relaxing time there before heading back to the hotel and checking in. A couple of hours later, I headed to Outback to meet up for dinner with some of my friends from the Weight Watchers Marathoners board. We had a great dinner and then I headed back to the room for an early night.

Race morning: I got up just before 4 am. I was still trying to figure out my race strategy. I had a secret hope of starting out with the 4:20 pacer, but with the starting temps in the low 60s and humid, I wasn't sure that was a good plan. I figured going out with the 4:30 pacer would be a safer bet. I knew I had it in me to run a 4:30 and on a good day, even faster, but I wasn't sure it was the day. I got dressed, got my gear and a cup of coffee and then headed out the door. I wasn't sure exactly were to park, but I followed some cars towards the race venue, and ended up getting a good spot in a lot near the water, to the east of the race start. I hung out for a little bit, then met Brenda at the bathrooms. I ran into Sondra there too. I ended up inviting her back to my car to hang out for a while. With the wind, low 60s was feeling a little cold! After hanging out in the car for half an hour or so, we made one more bathroom stop before I went in search of the Marathon Maniac photo spot. Just after 6 am, we were directed to head over to the starting area. The half marathoners had already started. They would run the second half of our full marathon course. I got a quick photo with Sondra and Carole before finding the 4:30 pacer. I decided it was the smarter choice. I would try for this PR first and then try to get a faster one on a cooler day. They had a recorded version of the National Anthem, which kept getting cut off. Once it happened the first time, everyone began to sing, so when it kept happening, everyone's voices got louder and louder. It was pretty cool. To send us off, they showed a shuttle count down on a big screen. Once the shuttle had lift off, we were a go!

Slow start to the race, as we were all packed into a pretty small road. We ran south, then made a couple of right turns before turning left and heading north along Indian River Dr. I was just ahead of the pace group. I kept trying to slow myself down and not loose them, but it was hard! I should have started behind them! But if I'd done that, I would have never found David up ahead in his Sarasota Storm shirt! Around mile 2, I saw David's Storm shirt just ahead of me. I ran over and said hi. We introduced ourselves and started chatting. Our pace was similar, so we kept running together. The road was slanted in many spots along this part of the course, so I tried to stay in the middle, flat part as much as possible. At one point, maybe around mile 5 or 6, we saw the lead marathon runner heading back. He looked really strong and had a big lead on the next guy. It was great seeing all the other runners. It always pumps me up. Splits miles 1 through 7 - 10:05, 9:48, 9:53, 9:39, 9:36, 9:41, 9:35

Heading to the finish line.

After the turn around, I started to keep a look out for Carole, Sondra and other Marathon Maniacs. I love waving and calling out to people. I was feeling really good still, but it was pretty early in the race. David and I kept having to slow down the pace. We both were looking at a 4:30 goal. I loved this neighborhood. We had the Indian River on one side of us and some pretty fantastic houses on the other side of us. I had thought it would be pretty flat along the water, but it wasn't. There were little rolling hills. I'm sure it was nothing for someone coming from a hilly area, but for me, after a while, they started to get a little harder and harder to run up! As we headed back into the downtown Cocoa area, where we had started, the course narrowed down again. Lots of crowd support here, though. We made a few turns, passed pretty close to the finish area and then we were heading north on Riverside Dr. Splits for miles 8 through 13 - 9:21, 9:36, 9:45, 9:46, 9:35, 9:47

Now we had the half marathoners on the River side of the street. They were on their way to the finish line. I got to see Brenda, Patti, Vanessa and her husband. The sun was out from behind the clouds now, and it was starting to get pretty warm. David and I slowed down our pace. Somewhere between mile 17 and 18, David told me he was going to have to walk for a while and to go ahead. So now, I am on my own and will be for the rest of the race. My right hip, right where the IT Band connects, was starting to hurt. It had been achy for the last week, so I kind of figured it would become a problem during the race. It was another reason why I didn't go out with the faster group. Once I saw the 20 mile marker (for those heading back, not me) on my right side, I knew I would be getting to the turn around soon. It seemed to take forever to get to there! The best part about it was the large group of people out there cheering everyone. Now I was on my way back and very happy to be heading that way. At the 20 mile marker, there was a group of people who had the 3 Little Piggies station set up. If you had signed up ahead of time, you would stop, eat some bacon, and then get a special medal before continuing on. I'm very happy I didn't sign up. There is no way I could have gotten that bacon down! Splits for miles 14 through 20 - 9:43, 9:51, 9:53, 10:11, 10:02, 10:22, 10:18

Me and David after the race.

The last 10K of the marathon was the hardest for me. I really slowed down. It no longer seemed as hot, which was good, but that was because we had a strong wind blowing into us! I seemed much stronger than when we had started the race a few hours before. I started to take walking breaks at most of the water stops and I also stopped a couple of times to stretch a bit. I did have some distractions from keeping an eye out for Carole, Sondra and Dave. Once they had all passed, I tried to get into a zone and focus on keeping good running form and not on the pain in my right side. Once I hit mile 25, I knew I would get a PR. I wasn't sure it would be under 4:30, but I knew it would be under the 4:32 from New York. I was bummed that I lost that 5 minute lead, but I put it out of my mind and focused on finishing.  Once we got close to the park, where the finish line was, we had to get off the main road and onto a sidewalk. This was a tight squeeze. There were a few other runners around me as we tried to get on the sidewalk. I passed quite a few people as I made my way around this large, semi-circle to the finish line. I was so happy to be done! And to see my first ever sub 4:30 marathon time! It's taken over a year ( I had tried last January at the Disney Marathon), but I finally did it! Spits for miles 21 through 26 - 10:53, 11:02, 10:50, 11:20, 10:50, 10:48

Finish - 4:29:52
age group 44/195, overall: 476/1682

St Pete Women's Half Marathon

November 24, 2013

This was the 5th year of the race and my 4th time running. I ran a half down in Miami last year, so missed the great weather they had up here! Today's weather was going to be a little warmer than I would like, but I wasn't planning on running hard just a week before the Space Coast Marathon! I wanted to take it easy, just run a comfortable pace. My periformis had been hurting for a couple of days, so I didn't want to get injured further.

I started out running with Gina and her friend, but just after a mile, when I saw how fast we were running, I decided to pull back. I did not want to be running any faster than a 9 min mile pace. Around mile 3, I got a sharp pain in my periformis and thought for a minute I would have to pull out of the race. I worked on running with good form, which helped to alleviate the pain. The course has changed a little this year, but besides the starting line beginning further back on the main road and not running out to the end of the pier, the course is the same for the first half.
Splits mile 1 through 6 - 8:34, 8:35, 8:56, 8:33, 8:49, 8:52

Once we pass the Vinoy and turn right along the water front, the first big change in the course happens. Instead of running down Central, we turn a block or two early. This takes us directly to the lake that we run around. I actually like this change. Once we get around the lake, we make a right and then another right turn on to Central. This becomes my least favorite part of the race. We seem to run West on this road forever! I soon realize that, while we go out on this street, we do not come back this way. I take a peek down a side street to my left, and see runners over there. This is a bummer. I love an out and back section where you can see all your friends. A few blocks past the interstate, we run left, down a side street and then another left. We are now heading back to the water front. Just before we pass The Tropicana stadium, which we do not run in this year, the 2 hour pacer passes me. I didn't think I had fallen so far off of pace, but I was feeling good at my pace, and didn't really care about my time, so I didn't try to catch up with him. I saw Darlene pass me a little later. I went over to say hi, then continued on. We are now on a slight down hill. I feel my speed picking up, which feels good. Finally, we turn right onto First Ave. Then turn left onto 5th ave, running in a big semi-circle to get to the finish. I push it hard once I see the clock still shows 1:59. I finish strong with my 4th sub 2 hour half!
Splits mile 7 through 13 - 9:00, 9:11, 9:02, 9:22, 9:13, 9:27, 8:55

Finish: 1:59:43
Total miles: 13.37. Pace: 8:55, OA place: 344/2852, AG: 49/487

ING New York City Marathon

November 3, 2013

Saturday: I've been looking forward to running this race for years! I was so happy to be traveling to NYC on my birthday. I intended to celebrate my big day by hanging out with friends and running 26.2 through the streets of New York!

Kathy, Sue and me at the expo.

Donna, a friend from my running group, picked me up at 4:30 am saturday morning. Her flight was an hour earlier than mine, but I decided the early wakeup was worth it, so that I didn't have to drive up to Tampa and drive home on Monday. We made good time to the Airport and were soon parting ways. She was flying a different airline, with a layover in Atlanta, while I had a direct flight with Delta. I got my bag checked, grabbed a coffee and hung out until we were called to board. The flight up was uneventful and only about 2 hours. Once we landed. I texted Donna, to let her know I had made it and was going to hop on the shuttle and would meet her at our hotel. We had a crazy ride in to Manhattan, these drivers are fearless! I got to the hotel, the Sheraton Times Square, which was also the race headquarters. I believe a lot of the pro athletes were staying there, and of course, lots of middle of the pack runners, like me. :) Once Donna got to the hotel, we checked our bags, then made our way to the shuttle that would take us to the expo. Once at the expo, we didn't have much of a line. Which I hear was not the case in the previous two days. I got my shirt, a medium, which thankfully fit, as they had nothing larger left in women's sizes. I met up with Linda, one of my Active Ambassador teammates. She is with Powerbar, so she handed me a package filled with goodies and I handed her a bunch of Aquaphor samples. Nice trade! :) We talked for a bit, before trying to meet up with Kathy. We found Kathy, walked a round a bit with her, before finding Sue. Took some photos, then Donna and I walked a round the expo a bit more before heading back to the hotel. I actually left with only one purchase! A pair of cool compression socks. I did, however, purchase a marathon tank top and arm warmers a week ago online. ;)

Once we got back to the hotel, we were able to check in. We hung out a bit before heading to Times Square for the Marathon Maniac group photo. And then we were off to an early dinner. Unfortunately it was a pasta place that did not have anything gluten free. So, I settled for grilled chicken and a side salad. We had a good dinner with Maniac friends, before heading back to the hotel. I stopped at a little corner market for water and Fritos. I was still hungry and needed my prerace carbs. :) Thankfully, these worked. I had not issues the next day. Shouldn't really try something new the night before a race!

Race Morning:

Daylight saving's ended this morning, so we got an extra hour of sleep. With such a late race start, this didn't really help us much. We were both up on our own, way before the alarm went off at 6 am. We took our time getting ready, then headed downstairs. We got coffee in the lobby, then headed to the subway. We only had a few minutes to wait before we, along with many other runners, packed into the subway. Donna got a seat, and then I got a seat a couple of stops later. That was good, because we then heard that all the people in the cars further down, were going to have to come and squeeze into the first few cars for the last stop. The subway car quickly became jam packed! Thankfully, it was only that way for a short ride, before we all unloaded at the ferry dock. After about a 15-20 minute wait in the crowded building, we walked onto the ferry, found a seat on the floor near a window and settled in for the ride.

Once we got moving, we noticed a small coast guard boat traveling along side of us. They were there to protect us! There was a guy at the front of the boat with a large gun. The ride didn't seem to take long and soon we were on Staten Island. Another long line greeted us. This time the line was for the buses that would take us to the start village. We made it through that, got on the bus and took the short trip to the base of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Lots of security awaited us there. Police had the wands out and waved it over each runner after they exited the bus. We then made the short walk to our Blue village. Donna and I found a nice grassy spot that was protected from the wind. Race morning temp is mid 40s, with a wind chill in the 30s. Someone had left behind a plastic cushion, so we took advantage of it after a pit stop at the porta potties. Many runners seemed to have these cool orange and pink hats, so I went in search of those. I ended up in the Orange village, where they had a nice set up! Coffee, water, food and plenty of porta potties with no wait. I couldn't figure out why we didn't have that. As I learned later, when we walked further down to the corrals, we had just not gone far enough into our blue village. All that was there for us too! We hung out for a while, before hearing our time called to line up in the corrals at 10:25. We stripped off some of the extra clothing we had on before getting into the tight corral space. We found the 4:30 pacers right away. We didn't have to wait very long in the corral before they had us moving towards the start area. Donna and I talked with Julia, the 4:30 pacer, who is also a Marathon maniac. I told her I hoped to stay with them for the entire race! After another short wait, we were finally starting!

Miles 1 to 10 - 10:06, 9:38, 10:04, 10:06, 10:04, 10:04, 10:01, 10:09, 10:04, 9:57

Donna, Julia and me before the 11am start.

The early miles are a bit of a blur. :) I keep hearing about how steep the bridge is and that the first mile is hard, but I really didn't notice it. I took one quick photo, then put my phone away so that I could concentrate on the race. It was so tightly packed. I tucked in behind Julia, but there were a lot of people with the same idea. I was getting knocked around a lot. When we started our down hill run, Julia kept the pace slow, which was hard, but I knew we needed to do that, so I kept with it. The wind was brutal. After a few miles, I realized that I probably should have worn another layer under my Maniac tank. I kept with the pace group through the first 10 miles. If I needed water, I ran ahead of them a little to get it, then caught back up with them. It worked out well. I had my first gel at mile 5, a peanut butter Gu. I figured after all the coffee I had that morning, I didn't need a Gu with caffeine yet. At mile 10, I had half a pack of Power bar Cola blasts.

Miles 11-17 - 10:07, 10:00, 9:53, 9:44, 10:06, 11:30, 9:18
Feeling good and still on pace. I loose the pace team at a water stop around mile 12. I just keep going, trying to stay on pace. Just before the 13 mile mark, we run up an overpass, where I decide to go ahead and take a short walk break to save my legs. At mile 15, I have my second Gu, the Salted Caramel, as we make the turn to run over the Queensborro Bridge. This spot is so cold. My lip is getting numb, which happens to me on cold days when running a long distance. We are running on a lower level, so no shade, plus we have the wind blowing through. It's a long, gradual up hill that is rough. This ends up being my slowest mile of the race (11:30). But with an uphill, comes a down hill. I feel like I am flying as I run down the bridge and enter Manhattan. I turn the corner to the left and see lots of crowd support cheering to the right. We make another left turn to run under the bridge. I see a line of porta potties with no lines! Amazing! I see one with a green open slot, so dash over. I get in the fastest potty break ever, exiting just as the pace group is passing! I catch up with them and continue on with our pace. This mile ends up being my fastest (9:18), even with the bathroom stop!

Me and Donna before the race.

Miles 18 to 23 - 9:37, 9:53, 10;38, 10:30, 10:01, 10:06
From mile 16 to 20, we are running up First Ave. The crowd support is tremendous. It has been great throughout the entire race, but I really feel it here. The miles go by fast. I am soon at mile 20, running over another bridge, into the Bronx. I eat the rest of my Cola blasts. I have been taking my endurolytes here and there, but, since it's not hot, I'm not feeling like I need them as much. Just after mile 21, we head out of Queens, back into Manhattan for the final time.

Miles 24 to 26 - 10:46, 10:44, 10:26

Finishing strong and happy.

The last few miles were the hardest. We are now running up Fifth Ave, next to Central Park. Miles 23 and 24 are a steady climb up hill. It's not steep, but the gradual climb is taking a toll on my legs. This is where I loose the pace group. I had to take a short walk break on this stretch. Thankfully, it only added half a minute to my mile pace, but the walk helped a lot. By now the entire left side of my face is numb from the cold. I was getting a little worried about that. It's never gotten this bad before. We enter Central Park at around mile 24.5. The hills are a little more rolling here. I decide to eat my last Gu while on a walking break. Maybe that last bit of energy boost will help. The Passion Fruit Roctane is awesome! We exit Central park on W 59th St, which is flat! I feel like I pick up some speed here. Just before turning right to run back into Central Park, I look at my watch and see 26 miles. A little further I look at the time for 26.2 (I haven't gotten to 26 on the course yet. I did a lot of weaving). My Polar GPS watch shows a time of 4:25! I wish that was my official time! One day. :) Finally, we get to the banner that shows mile 26. A little past this, I see the finish line. I want to finish strong, so I try to pick up the speed, even though we are on an up hill, but my right shin cramps up. I feel like my leg is going to give out, so I slow down the pace a little. I finish with a smile knowing I still have a PR! :)

Finish: 4:32:17

After we finished, all runners got a mylar blanket, a bag with snacks and water, before making the long walk north. Eventually, we were seperated from the runners who had checked a bag. We turned left, to leave the park, then walked back south, along the edge of the park. Finally, we recieved our orange ponchos. I thought they were very nice. They provided a lot of warmth, which I really need. I decided to just walk back to the hotel instead of trying to find a subway entrance. In a daze, I finally made it back to the room. Donna was not to far behind me. We relaxed for a while before heading out to dinner.

The New York City Marathon is a great race. Pros: tons of crowd support, aid stations at every mile, great views of the city from the bridges. Cons: very crowded. I weaved a lot trying to stay with the pace group, which added distance to my overall time.

Bill's Beer Run

Casey Key, FL
October 27, 2013

Gina, me, Fernanda and Melissa

Bill's Beer Run is the annual run/party for our local running club. This year was the 25th anniversary and it sold out months ago. Race morning, I met Melissa at her house and then she drove us down to Casey Key. We got there pretty early, so we just hung out in the car for a while, eating our pre race meal and chatting. About half an hour before the start, we met up with other friends, made a porta pottie stop then headed to the start line. I lined up right next to Gina, but knew she would pull ahead pretty quick.

Once we got going, Gina did pull ahead by the first half mile. We had perfect race day temps, low 60s, so I decided to push my pace, even though I had the marathon in a week. By the time we got to mile 2, I started seeing runners heading back. This was the best part of the course, looking for friends who were on their way back to the finish. I called out greetings to many friends before and after the turn around. Eventually, I had to curb some of that cheering, as I could tell it was taking some energy! By mile 3, I got back to concentrating on my pace. As I turned the corner to the finish line, I pushed the pace even more, to finish strong.

So happy with my time and with my new 5 mile PR! I ended up with 8th in my age group. I am really happy with that. I had some good competition.

Mile splits: 7:58, 8:04, 8:01, 8:12, 7:56
Finish: 40:50

Top 10 in my age group, with Bill.

Chick- fil-A 5K

Pt Charlotte, FL
October 5, 2013

After my effort a couple of weeks ago at the Miles for Hope 5K, I decided to look for a flat 5K, in hopes of another PR. Last weekend, I found this race and decided to give it a try even though I was going to be doing a triathlon the next day.

Race morning was great. Temps in the low 70s, but the humidity was still a bit high. I got to the race site early, got my shirt and bib and packet, then headed back to my car to wait. I headed over to the race start about 10 minutes before the start.

The race start area was a bit congested. I noticed that, while we had chips for timing, the gun start was going to be everyone's start time. So, I got as close to the start as I thought would be ok. Just before the horn sounded. A women brought her two little kids up to the front. What a bad idea! As we started running. I looked over at her to see she had both kids by the hand while she tried to run with them. I'm surprised they didn't get run over! We made our way out of the parking area and onto the main road. We now had a good amount of space to spread out. I kept the pace fast, really wanting that PR!

We turned off the main road, into an undeveloped subdivision. It was strange seeing all these new roads, but no houses anywhere! Just past mile one, this woman passed me. I noticed her, because she passed by with just an inch to spare and then moved in front of me. I get doing that on a tight course, but we had the entire road to ourselves! I basically was chasing her down for the rest of the race. As we came out of the neighborhood, I started really gaining on the woman. About half a mile from the finish, I pulled up next to her. She looked to her side, sees me, and then speeds up. I stayed on her tail as we ran back into the parking area and towards the finish. She ended up pulling ahead of me even more, passing another woman, to finish. I came in a step after the other woman. I stopped my watch just as I ran under the banner. Time: 25:59!

I found out later that the first woman, ended up with first place masters. The woman who finished just ahead of me got second and I got third! A great race. Very happy. :)

Miles for Hope 5K run and 15m Bike

Clearwater
September 21, 2013

Gina and I headed up to Clearwater very early race morning, getting there just over an hour early. We met Sara, our team captain, to get out bibs, chips and shirts, then headed back to the car to get ready. We were going to run the 5K first, which was chipped timed, then bike the 15 miles, which was not timed. We brought our bikes over to the small bike area next to the run start/finish. They were not real bike racks, so you could not "rack" your bike. We ended up leaning out bikes against the bushes boarding the road and the Scientology Resort area that was right next to Coachman Park. We later saw one of the security guards from the scientology compound come over and look at all the bikes against "his" bushes. He finally left after giving everyone the evil eye.

After a bit of a late start we were off running. We headed up a small hill before turning right. After a couple of blocks We made another right turn and then started our run up the steep bridge. My time was pretty good up to this point. I tried not to slow down to much, I was hoping to PR! As I started my down hill run, I picked up the speed, and felt like I was flying! I looked at my watch at one point and saw that I was at a 6:56 min mile pace! WOW! I started to catch up to Gina a little on the down hill, but she pulled ahead again on the flat road. We made a u-turn a little bit after the bottom of the bridge (missing the first and only water stop), then made our way back over the bridge. My time slowed down even more on the second up hill, but I kept working as hard as I could to run fast. Made up time again on the down hill. We came off the bridge, made the left, ran a couple of blocks, then made the last turn, down the hill and through the finish line. Got my PR by 15 seconds!! So happy.

Finish time: 25:15

We got over to our bikes, taking our time to get going since the bike part was not timed. Then, we made our way back over the bridge and tried to find the flags that marked our course. It was not easy. There were no bike lanes in some areas. It was pretty scary with the cars not giving us much space to ride. Thankfully we didn't get lost, but we did have to stop quite a few times to look at the map I brought with me.

When we got back, we found out that Gina got 2nd in age group and I got 3rd for our 5K run. Pretty cool. A great morning of racing. :)