Race updates...yes, that's plural!

It has been a heck of a few weeks. I had an awesome race at Bridgeland but found out later that night that my step-dad passed away.  This was shocking news to me as he was only 66 years old and led a lifestyle that I think many would be envious of.  Well sort of.  He was a treasure hunter (I think that's what you would say).  Anyway, he lived in Ecuador and traveled a lot and did lots & lots of scuba diving, looking for sunken treasures.  Yes, we thought he was nuts but to be able to follow your heart and do what you love regardless of what others think is kind of cool.  Life is short...too short.  You never know when someone you love will be gone so this is a reminder that we need to take advantage of every opportunity we have with our families.  Ok, off my soap box. 

Bridgeland was a success.  Long story short, the swim was slower than I had planned but the water was so warm!  Everyone had slower swim times.  Mine was just a lot slower.  :)  My bike was a strong 18.6mph.  After going 20 & 19.5 in my last two races, I of course wanted to see something in the 19 range but as I looked at all the times, I saw that I was exactly where I should be...top 1/2 of my age group.  I really, really wanted to push my run.  After the 1st mile I was at an 11:12 pace and thankfully, my Garmin never showed me another split.  It was hot but I was pushing.  My coach had told me that I should be under 11:00min/mile and I was just trying my best to do that.  Official results had me at 10:52min/mile.  I'm not going to lie, I wonder if they calculated correctly.  Well, I'm not going to worry about it.  Official is official and who am I to question authority.  :)  At the end of the day, I was pleased.  I'm not going to lie, I was so pleased, I may have shed a tear or two.

See, I told you I looked cute! Shout out to the Ta-Ta Tamer from Lulu.

I was in Buffalo this past weekend and as luck would have it, there was a 5k just 15 short minutes from my cousins house.  Hmmmmm.  My gut told me that Ana might not be happy but at the same time, I felt strongly that I needed to do something to help me with my run.  In my mind, if I went out an pushed this run, it might be all I needed to prove to myself that I could do it.  I told Keith I would tell Ana about the race AFTER I did it (don't ask permission, beg for forgiveness).  I showed up at the race site confident I would at least look the cutest and I'm happy to report, mission accomplished.  :)  I lined up when it was time to race and gave myself a good little talk....run your ass off.  

Me & my honey pre-race.  Note to self: consider racing w/ makeup.  :)

Headed for the finish!!!!  Man I look determined. 

After about .25 miles I looked down and saw I was doing a 7:45min/mile pace. Umm, hell no.  That's one bad thing about a 5k, everyone goes out really hard.  I know full well I have no business going out like that so I told myself to back off a bit.  The first mile was done at a 9:05min/mile pace according to the official time keeper (Garmin says 8:40min/mile).  The second mile was a little slower for me but I was feeling good.  I felt like I was running a pace I could maintain a few miles.  In hindsight, I think maybe I let off the gas a little too much but that's ok.  I hit the final mile and was getting a little tired.  No time to slow down though.  When I got the fairgrounds in my line of sight, I went for it.   Push, push, push.  My last .25 was done at an 8:20min/mile...yay!  As I approached the finish line, I saw the clock was at 29min approaching 30min.  Ugh, I so wanted to be under 30.  Clock time ended up being 30:05 but chip time was 29:32.  Yes!!!!!  For the first time in awhile, I ran a respectable 5k.  I can't remember the official pace but my Garmin pace told me 9:32min/mile (it also told me I ran 3.15 miles vs 3.1).  Either way, I was FINALLY under a 10:00min/mile pace.  FINALLY.  This wasn't my best 5k ever but after reviewing past results, I discovered it was my 3rd best.  Hot damn!  3rd best time carrying extra weight...that's nothing to be ashamed of.  I was on a high.  I texted Ana to let her know what I did and she let me know she wished I hadn't but was glad I was happy with my results.  She also told me that's how I should be running at the end of my sprints.  ;)  Love her!

So with those two races behind me, I'm in training mode through the end of September when I hit the Houston Olympic Triathlon.  This will be my 3rd year doing this race and I have high hopes for a big PR.  Shhhh, don't tell my coach I'm already obsessing about my time.  :)

Happy training y'all!