Second Wind Fund 5k, Justice Run 10k, Rescue Run Trail 5k, and RocknRoll Denver Pacing

Second Wind Fund 5k was the toughest road 5k I have ever done. Thank goodness I was warned ahead of time that this was mostly uphill. When the race started, a bunch of people started off really fast. I looked at my watch and we were running a 5 min/mile pace. I slowed down and let them go ahead. Then, I caught up and passed most of the runners before the first mile. We went downhill for a while. Then, it was pretty much all uphill for the majority of the second half. A few people slowed to a walk at the first hill. It was then that I realized I was the first female. So, I just kept telling myself to keep running. I looked behind me and couldn't see any other females. At mile 2, there was a bunch of runners/walkers crossing paths with me and the cheers were amazing. People were yelling, "You are first female!" I almost forgot that I was running uphill and it wasn't long before I crossed the finish line. I crossed the finish line in 22:06, which is 1:30 slower than my 5k PR but I still got 1st Female.Justice run 10k is a course that I had already ran last year so I really wanted to PR. This race has gotten larger and more competitive every year but I have podiumed every time. This year, I wasn't so sure that was going to happen. My goal was to not start off too fast. This is very difficult, though, because the first half is downhill. When the gun went off, I went flying down the hill. Two girls were ahead of me and I was fairly sure I wasn't going to catch them. They were running much faster than a 7 minute/mile pace and my goal was 7:15. My first mile was 6:57 and I knew that I needed to slow down. So, I tried to stay just above 7. I started off running next to an older guy and he dropped off. Then, another guy came up and started running just ahead of me. He seemed to be keeping the perfect pace so I drafted behind him. We both finished at the same time (44:05). He thanked me for pushing him. I said, "You were the one pushing me!" I then realized that I had PRed by over two minutes. I never thought I would do that. I received a third place medal, which I was more than happy with.I signed up for this race because it was nearby and raised money for orphans. I had no idea what the course was like until I got there and realized that it was 100% trail. I didn't have trail shoes on. I had probably the worst possible shoes for trail running. I didn't have time to run home, so I just lined up at the starting line hoping for the best. The gun went off and a big group of guys started off up a steep hill in front of me. It was rocky and muddy. I just kept my eyes on the trail and prayed that I wouldn't fall. The first mile was entirely uphill and then it went downhill, which was so fun. It started getting difficult when there were a bunch of switchbacks. I slipped and almost fell. I then got scared and slowed a bit. At that point, two guys passed me. I just kept running and came in 1st female. The 2nd female came in a full 3 minutes after me. I won a 1 hour massage, which felt like the best prize.

This was the perfect time for me to pace since I wasn't training for anything. Rock n Roll is one of the biggest marathons so I was really excited. There was also three of us pacing the 3:45 marathon so we could all help each other stay on track. We started pacing at mile 12. The group looked pretty tired and we started them up a big hill. That point of the course was confusing because the marathoners were supposed to stay to the left and the half marathoners to the right. Not to mention, a 5k was ahead too. Too many different distances for a race, in my opinion. So, I just tried to tell everyone to stay to the left and breathe up the big hill. City park is right after the hill so that helped to know that was coming up. After City park, we passed the capital building and then ran by the finish line. I felt like telling the runners, "Don't look over there!" No one wants to see the finish line until they are finished! It was really flat after that point. Lots of out and backs and a jaunt through Washington Park. We all kept trying to talk to the runners and keep them motivated. There is another hill at the very end so I kept telling everyone to get up the hill and then it is super fun to run back down. That last downhill pulls you to the finish. We got to the finish and weren't totally sure if we had everyone on a correct pace since we didn't run the first half. We were running at a 8:25 pace, which is 10 seconds faster than the goal pace. That seemed to be correct. All in all it was a lot of fun. i just wish Rock n Roll had put out more gels for the runners.

I am now entering the off season and will be taking a break from racing for a while. I will start training for Boston in December.