Love the Loop 15K: #PRincess

To say that the 2016 running year is off to a good start would be an understatement.  I don't know where much of this speed has come from, but I'm going to keep on with it as long as I can.  My personal records (PRs) were aging at an alarming rate, but I was able to update my 5K and half marathon PR in January.  When I saw that Dallas Running Club (DRC) was offering up a 15K for the February club race, I knew that I had to seize the opportunity.  My 15K PR was from January 2010, another kindergarten age record!  I'll never forget that race, I very quietly closed in on Mr K and just almost overtook him at the end - but he beat me by a couple of seconds.  That has to be one of my most favorite race stories.  The 15K is a distance that I really enjoy and I try to race them when they show up on the local race calendar.  I have come close to my 15K PR on several occasions, missing it by about 45 seconds last April.

Once I signed up, I reached out to Stude (remember him, he is the one who has "encouraged" me to run as fast as I can in the closing miles of my last three half marathons) to see if he had any advice for racing a 15K.  He threw out some pacing suggestions and a HUGE chart full of numbers and data (swoon!) based on my race time from the 3M Half.  According to the numbers, a 15K PR was well within my reach.  I was interested in putting this to the test as I was starting to wonder if my PR from 3M Half was a bit of an outlier as it was run on a known fast course.  Turns out, Stude was planning on being there too to run the 5K and would provide "encouragement" in the final miles of the race.  I gotta tell you, I was somewhat terrified when I saw this message from him but I was up for the challenge!

The race weather gods have been smiling upon me this year and they provided more great running weather for us with temperatures around 40 degrees at the start.  The race was a sellout at just under 1,000 runners - a Dallas Running Club record!  Safe to say the new "Love the Loop" concept was a hit.  And speaking of loving the loop, I had a serious home field advantage going into this one as Mr K and I typically do our long runs on this loop around White Rock Lake.  I knew it inside and out so there were no surprises.  I planned to follow Meb's "run only one mile at a time and worry only about what needs to be done for that mile" advice until I saw Stude (The Encourager) then I would just run like hell to keep up with him.  I got off to a good start and settled into a good pace hanging out in the 8:20s for the first four miles.  There was a nice hill at mile 3, but I had just done hill repeats on it the week before so I felt very familiar with it.  Home field advantage for the win!

Post Race PR Smiles with Shantel (Pic: Stude)

I picked up the pace a bit starting with mile 5, the wind was at my back and I tried to use that to my advantage as I knew I would turn back into it soon enough.  I picked out a few runners in front of me and kept them in my sight for most of the race.  I hoped to pass them before the finish line, if everything went according to plan.  Miles 5, 6, and 7 were in the 8:10 range - so far, so good!  

As I approached the mile 7 marker, I saw Stude (The Encourager) waiting, it was about to get real, y'all.  I had just run the first 7 miles in under an hour and I knew that the PR was in the bag if I could keep on working for a couple more miles.  Stude was super helpful and set a brisk pace for us, reminding me to keep it even as we ran up the big hill by the spillway.  He even attempted to block the wind as we headed towards Winfrey Point.  Oh sweet Winfrey Point, I have had my share of battles on this sacred stretch of White Rock Lake.  Mile 8 came in at 8:02 and I was totally good with that considering the hill we just climbed.  Just over 2 miles to go and I was fairly certain that I might die!

Smiling as I spotted Stude at mile 7, it was about to get real (Pic: Stude)

I started to pass some of the people that I'd been following during the race and that provided a great boost to me.  I worked hard to stay ahead of them and not let them leap frog me at the end.  It was somewhere in here that Stude mentioned our pace, but I tried not to think too much about it. Sometimes knowing how fast I am going makes my brain go "Wait!  We don't run that fast!!!"  My watch was chiming ahead of the mile markers as I was not doing a great job with tangents and mile 9 showed 7:46.  At this point I knew that I was going to have a huge PR - finish strong, MK!  Be fearless! 

I was searching for a glimpse of the finish line and it was obscured a bit by a bend in the route.  I knew that just seeing it would help me finish strong and I was getting desperate when I finally made the slightest turn and saw it.  Oh. Thank. Heavens. I glanced at my watch and saw 1:16-something and made it my goal to cover those remaining yards before it got to 1:17.  I hit the finish line in 1:16:56 - I did it!

Finish line celebration! (Pic: Stude)

Three races, three PRs, and one new hashtag: #PRincess. (Thanks for that one, Stude).  Somehow I have caught lightning in a bottle.  To say it is exciting would be an understatement and to say that I'm fired up for running would be an even bigger understatement.  I'm not sure how I got here, but I am not going to take it for granted.  My recent success has only made me hungry for more and I'm inspired to work even harder.  Let's see what else these legs have in them!