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!

Too Cold To Hold 15K: So Close....Yet So Far

Another weekend, another race! I love this time of the year, the weather is usually great for running and my schedule is filled with races. The Too Cold To Hold 15K was on Sunday at White Rock Lake and it marked my 3rd race in the 4 weekends of 2011. The 2010 edition of the Too Cold is one of my favorite races of all time--too bad I wasn't blogging this time last year to tell the full story. It was one of those races where Erik took off at the start and I steadily labored along. I began to see Erik in front of me and was so close at the halfway turn around that he didn't even see me. He finally caught sight of me around mile 6 and I eventually caught him...likely around mile 7. We dueled it out at the very end...and he beat me by 2 seconds. He certainly was surprised (and proud) to see that I got that close to him and we both set new 15K PRs in the process. I was hoping that 2011 would be a rematch of that great race, and it almost was....except that Erik did a 6 hour arm workout at the gym on Saturday and hardly slept a wink on Saturday night....not exactly the best conditions for a race.

I am certain that Sunday was some of the best weather for running, at least in my book. We were very lucky to get a great parking spot at the race and were able to wear our warm clothes until close to time for the start. We saw many friends before the race, including several of Erik's co-workers who were attempting their first 5K (the race offered the choice of 5K or 15K). I have been enjoying the technology offered to me by my new Garmin running watch and focused on pacing during the early parts of the race. It is easy to get swept up in the excitement at the start line and go out too fast. I had to slow myself down a few times in the hopes that it would pay off later in the race. I knew that in order to PR I would need to average just under an 8:30 pace per mile.


From the race website, can you find me?

White Rock Lake was especially pretty this morning and I was enjoying the journey. Some races are grueling and I feel every step and some are more like magic and the miles pass quickly. I would say that this race was more like the latter, it was just an enjoyable morning. I could see Erik just ahead of me at the halfway turn around and I wondered if we would have a rematch of that famous race. Around mile 5 I saw friends Lesley and EW coming from the other direction. I waved and then I heard them cheer me on...EW saying "Go get him!! Go! Go!". It certainly brought a smile to my face and I began to focus on catching up with Erik. I was more than halfway finished at this time and knew that it was the perfect place to allow my pace to get a little faster.

I stayed just behind Erik for a while, trying to use a little bit of strategy and save some energy in case we had a duel at the end. Eventually I caught up to him and saw that he just was not himself. This was confirmed as I passed him....dang, I really wanted to pass him on a good day....it just isn't as much fun when he is down. I ran on with an ear behind me, you just can't count Erik out--he is a strong runner with an even stronger mind. I began to feel pretty tired by mile 8 and was really looking forward to the finish. I tried to finish strong and a glance at my watch told me that I would be really close to that PR. I saw the finish line, took one final look at my watch, and gave it all that I had....and finished 11 seconds short of my PR...dang!! I knew going in that this would be a tough PR to top and today showed me just how hard. I can't help but to wonder how it would have played out if Erik and I did get a chance to duel it out at the end like last year. We have always pushed and pulled each other and I think that would be the case again this time.

Here are my mile splits according to Garmin:
8:31, 8:27, 8:32, 8:43, 8:29, 8:23, 8:27, 8:43, 8:36 and 7:19 for the last .38 mile
For a total of 1:19:41 and an average pace of 8:29/mile.
Interesting note, I raced this exact course in July and my time was about 7 minutes slower....think that the heat has no effect on my pace? Think again!


Post race with EW, Elaine, and Lesley

Races are a great place to see friends and meet new people and this race was no exception. We had a great time talking to friends, sharing running stories, taking pictures, and laughing. I love the community that running fosters and this held true again today. The cool thing is that running blogs, Facebook, and Daily Mile have connected us even more and I see lots of "familiar" faces at these events even if I don't know them in person yet. This is great for a person like me who tends to be shy and is not one to approach a person that I do not know.

Next up the Houston Half Marathon and I am so excited to go and check out another city's marathon scene. We are lucky to have White Rock here in our backyard and Cowtown just a city away. Last year we experienced Austin's (hilly) scene, saw the beauty of Tyler, and now we venture to Houston. This one will be great because I went to college at Sam Houston State University and have so many friends in the Houston area...some of them are even running the race too, in fact, we are staying with my college roommate and her husband is running the half marathon. I would LOVE to PR this race too, but I know that my half marathon PR will be a tough one to top. Maybe Houston will hold some of that magic for me? Stay tuned!