Saturday, October 28, 2017

Race Recap: Boot Scootin' Boogie 5K

Running and beer go hand in hand.  Add in some country music, a bonfire, and some BBQ and you've got yourself the Millennium Running Enterprise Bank Boot Scootin' Boogie 5K and Brewfest.

Let's break it down, shall we?

Pre-race:

For what you get, this race was really reasonably priced.  I registered the week of the race and paid $35 which included the race fee, admission to the post race concert/brewfest, and a glass for unlimited tastings of beer.  There were yogurt/bananas at the finish, but no other food was included.

There was plenty of parking across the street from the venue.  It was about a 5-10 minute walk.  The race did provide gear check so you didn't need to walk back to your car if you didn't want to.  You could pay extra for VIP parking which I may do next time.  Explanation on that later.  

The race:
Registration was open day of the race, so it had not sold out.  That being said, it was a good size race with about 1000 runners/walkers finishing.
The corrals had pace signs, although as is typical with local 5k's, many people either didn't know what pace they ran or just blatantly ignored the signs.  This is one of my pet peeves and why I have been running fewer and fewer 5K's.  But, I digress.

The race starts off downhill and then turns into a little neighborhood.  This was the fun part of the race.  Many families were out in their front yards playing country music and cheering.  A few kids has hoses and squirt guns to cool off the runners.  It was a loop around the neighborhood, so you passed the water stop on your way in and on the way out at approximately mile 1 and 2.  Then, it was back out onto the main road to go back up the hill and into the athletic complex.

The best part of any race is having your name announced as you cross the finish.  Andy Schachat of Announcers on the Run is the best of the best.  I don't ever feel right crossing a finish line he's not announcing.  So, of course, having his call my name at the finish is always a big thrill, no matter how many times it has happened.

Post-Race:
After the race, you are given a tiny tasting glass and head down a short path to a baseball field.  There were several breweries and food trucks set up along the outfield.  The band was playing and a pallets were stacked at home plate for the bonfire.  Initially the lines were a little long for the beer samples, but as people started to wander off to get food and sit and listen to the band, the lines got shorter.

However, the band did stop to take a break right at what should have been the height of the after party, so it was a bit of a buzz kill.  As mentioned before, if I do this race again, I may opt for VIP parking in order to have a chair or blanket to grab to sit on in the field.  Overall, this was a fun, well run, reasonably priced event.  I would certainly run this one with friends again.


Wednesday, June 28, 2017

When things don't go as planned

In January, I decided that my half marathon goal this year was not only to PR, but to hit 2:15.    I spent this spring training and had a goal race--Wallis Sands.  In the month leading up to the goal race, I ended up doing 2 other half marathons.

This was both a good idea, and not.  The first half I ran was awful.  I wasn't ready for the distance and the hills were too much.  Two weeks later, I signed up for another half.  I raced well and felt strong through mile 10.  At that point, I knew that even if I slowed to a very comfortable pace, I would still PR easily.  I did hit a PR and was incredibly confident that I would be able to run very well at my goal half.

Fast forward 2 weeks...

Wallis Sands promised to be a lot of fun with an easy course and tons of good friends.  Sadly, from the very first step, I felt "off".  I just couldn't get into a groove.  I couldn't breathe. I felt miserable and hated every step.  I got into my own head and it got worse and worse.  I ended the race with a time last year I would have been proud of.  But, given the expectations I had for the day, I was nearly in tears.

After several weeks, I still don't really know what went wrong.  But, I'm moving forward with this thought:  I PR'd this spring.  I had fun with friends.  I am not injured and will have another opportunity to race again.  Mental toughness is just as important as physical conditioning and that's what I'm going to be focusing on as my training shifts towards fall racing season.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

ISLAGIATT

It seems like a good idea at the time.

It still does.  Sort of.

Around Christmas, I was talking to my pub run friends about a race called the Rock Lobster Relay. It's a Ragnar-style event, along the coast of Maine.  Beers were had.  Plans were made.  And, fast forward 5 months and I am just a couple weeks away from joining 11 teammates as we traverse 200 miles.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Trying to get back on the training wagon so I can keep the wheels on, even if I'm not as fast as I wanted to be.  Either way, it will be a fun time with some amazing people.  I'm looking forward to the event, if not the actual run.

Stay tuned!

Monday, January 16, 2017

Back Again

Consistency.

It's something I have trouble with.  I love to blog.  But, I don't seem to keep at it.  I love to run and train, but somehow I keep falling off the wagon.  One of my goals for this year is to be more consistent with the things I do.

But, that aside:  It's January.  And, that can only mean one thing:  WDW Marathon Weekend!!

This year was a little different for me:  My husband, his parents and our kids all came along.  Hubby was celebrating his birthday and was supposed to do the Dopey Challenge (which included his first ever marathon).  Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and the half marathon got cancelled.  I'm still extremely proud of him for completing his first marathon--that's no small task!  I enjoyed our trip, but we've decided that for us family vacations and race-cations don't mix.  I felt like I didn't get to enjoy either side:  I missed out on so many race related experiences to spend time with the family and we had to plan our family time around the race.  So, in the future, races will be more of a solo venture.

I had planned to do Goofy, but ended up running "just" the 2017 WDW Marathon.  I *finally* had decent corral placement and got to run with some really fun people.

I had trained up to 18 miles.  I certainly wasn't trained like I had wanted to be, but I knew I could comfortably finish.  What I wasn't prepared for was the temperature.  Who knew it'd be 30 degrees in Florida?!?!  I ended up never taking off my extra layers I wore to the race.  I kept them and I'm glad I did.

I have the best running team around and a margarita was waiting for me at mile 25.5 so I could cross the finish line properly hydrated.

I am still on that marathon high and am ready to kick training into gear to crush some 2017 goals.

Races on my calendar this year include a couple of half marathons, Mt. Washington lottery, 200 mile relay, and potentially a marathon.  I am also planning on Dopey 2018 for the anniversary year.  My half marathon goal this year is a 2:15 half.  I think I can get there. But, above all:  I'm aiming for NO INJURIES.  What are your goals?

~See you on the road!