Saturday, February 24, 2007

Green Valley Road Race 8k - Race Report

Run: 5 Miles
Time: 51:21 (Unofficial)
Last night I hit the sack around 11pm and I think it was around midnight before I fell a sleep. The alarm went off around 6am after hitting snooze three times I finally got up around 6:30. After my shower and getting dressed I made it in to the kitchen and had about 32 ounces of water and a large banana. By the time my wife and daughter got up and ready we were pulling out around 7:30. We parked the car and got my daughter all bundled up in her stroller and headed to the start line...The Wonders of static electricity....

when all of a sudden I hear...Hey number 115!

It was Neese and her husband. We had a great prerace chat and some pics before I headed to the little boys room. When I came out Neese had already made her way to the start line and as I was walking up looking for her, I finally found her and we were able to start the race together.

After a few minutes the race started and we were off. My legs were real tight for the first half mile or so and then they loosened up. The first mile or so Neese and I were step for step and at around the mile and half mark she dropped back behind me. I thought she was right on my hip for a while but when I looked back I didn't see her. At mile 2 my legs felt strong but I just kept at or around the 11 minute mile pace. At mile 3 my 5k time was about 31:35 which is slower then my normal pace time so I decided it was time to pick up it up a bit. From that point I pushed to around a 9:40 minute pace and I just seem to get stronger. I did slow down on the hills a bit but was able to push through. In the last half mile there was one more hill to traverse and it nearly made me pass out as I slowed to about a 13 minute mile pace. When I finally reached the top I struggled for about 100 feet to recover but once I turned the last corner I was able to push back up to a 9:30 minute pace and finish strong. When I crossed the finish line I think the time read 51:15 but not sure. I forgot to stop my Garmin right away but when I did it read 51:21.

After getting some water and catching my breath I walked up the course a little to wait for Neese. I kept looking at the clock because I knew she wanted to come in around 55:00. As she turned the corner I decided to run the last 200 feet to help push her in and she finished under the 56:00 mark! WAHOO Congrats Neese. We talked for about 20 minutes or so and then came on home. I had a great time meeting Neese and her husband, fantastic people. It's amazing to me how these blogs bring people together. Thanks Neese for a great Saturday morning and Congrats on your run, you did great!:) - Jason The Running Man

Here is my race pace and elevation...






10 comments:

Laurel said...

Congratulations! Great report and what a strong finish! By the way, your daughter is adorable!

Neese said...

Congrats on a great finish!! Picking up the pace after mile 3 is very impressive you've trained hard and it paid off!

I tend not to drink much water in the morning of a race but I think next time I'll try that.

Thanks again for that push at the end! I think that kept me under 56!

And, so great to meet you all!

Michelle said...

Way to go, Jason and Neese!!!!

JohnF said...

Good race. It always feels good to finish strong. Thanks for stopping by my blog

Unknown said...

Great post!, Great Pics, Greats Graphs, Great run!

JR's Thumbprints said...

You are definitely motivating me into running a few races this summer. Congrats on your achievement, and Neese too!

Unknown said...

Nice race, Jason! Looks like a wonderful day out there.

J~Mom said...

Great race!! Thanks for the report! Glad you and Neese could meet! How cool is that?

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...

Hey Jason Great Race and Report and cool pic of you supporting a fellow running blogger... way to Go!

Bob

Darrell said...

Nice job pushing on through to the end. It is always fun to meet other bloggers in person. Way to go back out to help pull Neese through too.