Water Drop Dash 5k and Publix Georgia (Half) Marathon

Water Drop Dash Stats/Goals

Distance: 5k
Location: Roswell, GA (Riverside)
Current PR: 20:10 (Hearts and Soles, Jan 2016)
90% Goal: 21:00
50% Goal: 20:30
10% Goal: 20:00

Result: 20:21 (http://tinyurl.com/jzre2rz)

GPS: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1090616262

Publix Half Marathon Stats/Goals

Distance: Half Marathon
Location: Atlanta, GA
Goal: Successfully pace friend to her goal time (1:50)

Result: 1:48:47 (http://tinyurl.com/zoragjb)

GPS: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1092449373

Summary

I'm writing this a few weeks after the fact, and all I remember was a super busy weekend.  Water Drop was a 5k PR attempt that I wasn't too sure about.  Publix was the day after and was just a long fun shake out run pacing a friend.  While I missed a PR at the 5k, I still got second in my AG and had a blast at Publix the day after.

Water Drop Dash

This race popped onto my radar about three weeks out.  Two weeks out, I finally decided to sign up.  It was local and flat, so it had a lot going for it in terms of a PR race.  A few others from my local group were running, so it'd be a blast.

A couple days after I signed up, our 3-month-old brought home Montezuma's Revenge.  Fortunately, he was spared the brunt of it, but mom and dad were awfully sick for about 48 hours.  I'm not too sure how much this impacted the race (since it was 10 days or so out) but it certainly didn't help.

Race day rolled around.  Weather was supposed to be awful (rain forecasted) but it held off.  Weather was actually pretty ideal.  Organization at the event was fine.  I eyeball-guessed no more than 1000 people and the results had about 550.  What really stood out was the large contingent of middle-school runners.  The female 10-14 winner finished around 18:15 (!!!).

I started out a little too strong (~6:15 first mile).  By mile 2, I was still on pace for a 20:00 finish, but wasn't able to hold onto it much into mile 3.  I think the biggest thing I need to do is more long intervals.  When doing the speedwork at Ocee, I was able to do four 1milers at a 6:15 average.  It was certainly hard, but I should be able to  translate that better to a race.

I was a little disappointed at not hitting my big time, but, for how I felt going into it, I'm content with my performance.

Just before 1 mile, still loose and feeling OK

Around 2.5.  Form has gone to hell (left arm crossing over, right arm super tight), PR is already missed

Post-Race Bling!  All of us took home age group awards

Publix Georgia Half Marathon

Publix was the day after water drop.  I was pacing a friend through the race, so my only goal was to run easy and for my heart rate to reflect that.

Water Drop 5k

Publix Half

Heart Rate Success!

This was probably the most fun I have had at a race since last year's 10 Miler (where we had a group that ran the race really easy, only to run up Cardiac Hill as fast as we could to snag a super-cool mug).

We started out with the 1:50 pace group, but we ended up taking the early miles a bit faster and put them behind us.  I was trying to focus on keeping even pace and making sure we weren't going too fast.  I had a few spots where I couldn't stop myself from blazing down a hill, but that's just fun.

I don't think we slowed down much, but the front of the 1:50 group managed to catch us in the Georgia Tech area (about 3 miles to go) and I said something along the lines of "it's put up or shut up time", and we ended up powering down the last few hills.

Over the last mile, I was completely out of any kind of motivating things to say.  My friend was on pace for a PR (on a much more difficult course) and was completely out of her conversational range.  To keep her mind off things, I started reading every sign we passed.  Street signs, race signs, parking signs, you name it, it was free game.  At one point I said, "Look!  Parking only $10!"

Something must have worked, because we ended up closing the distance and finished with a completely unexpected PR which was completely awesome.

Down the stretch

Finish Bling

Women's 5k

The following weekend, Angelina did the Women's 5k (pushing the stroller, like a Boss.)  I'm not going to go too much detail (I didn't run or anything) but I will close with this: