Lucky Laces 10k and Hams and Hamstrings 5k

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Up until this point, I had only been doing a max of 50 miles a week of training. I finally worked myself up to 60 miles a week and was ready to see how well I could race. My goal was to PR in the 10k at Lucky Laces. It had been a year since I had a 10k PR, so I thought it was a reasonable goal. I ran this exact race a full year before and ran it in 43:38. I believed that, in order to PR, I needed to start out slower. So, I didn't even look at any of the other runners when we started. Plus, a lot of the runners are only running a 5k and it doesn't make sense to try to keep up with them. I did my best to stay just below 7 minutes/mile. The 10k does the 5k loop twice so I tried to pick it up on the 2nd loop. I felt pretty good. There was a girl just a couple hundred feet in front of me that really slowed down and I passed her about a mile from the finish. I had a lot left in the tank at the end and finished in 43:22, which gave me a PR of 16 seconds. It always feels good to know you are getting faster. I came in 2nd overall, behind a 28 year old who finished in 40:10. Crazy Fast!

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My next race was a 5k in Colorado Springs on Easter. I didn't really have a goal for this race but I thought it sounded fun. This race didn't work well for Easter plans and I was really worried that I wouldn't make it back in time for family obligations. I didn't sleep a wink the night before because my mind just kept racing. It was only 18 degrees outside with snow all over the ground and I got lost getting to the race start. When I finally found the race start, I parked and was told that I was in the wrong parking area. I moved my car and I barely got to the start line on time. Then, my Suunto wouldn't unlock. Just a crazy morning! I took off running and immediately realized that I should have worn my trail shoes. The entire course was snow packed and I was wearing race flats. I just focused on not falling. There was one girl that dashed out ahead but I kept my pace comfortable so I wouldn't burn out at the end. I passed her after about a mile and a half and took 1st overall Female. Phew! I won a ham and made it back for family time.

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