Bridge of Flowers 10K

Well I finished. The weather was beautiful with the temperature in the low 70s at the start line for the race. I edged a bit closer to the front this year in hopes of cutting off the precious seconds lost after the gun goes off, but before crossing the start line. This paid off with only losing 5 or so seconds before I was able to start running. I took the first 2 miles relatively slow at a measured pace, guessing in the 8:00 minute/mi range.

Crittendon Hill, as I mentioned last year is always harder than you remember it the year before. I knew it was about 2/3 of a mile straight up hill, but you tend to forget what running straight up a hill is like, unless you train for it. I didn't. Needless to say I was on a slow jog/fast walk for a good deal of this mile. In comparing my time to last year, I think this is where I lost a majority of the minute vs. last year's time. In the weeks leading up to last year's race, I ran a 10 mile training run along with a couple of 5 mile training runs. This year, the longest I ran was about 4.5 miles.

After getting to the top of Crittendon Hill, the road leveled out, but I was still laboring from a tough hill. The only good part about this section (mile 2.5-3) was that it was heavily shaded and largely downhill. I started to pick things up a bit on the last few miles and according to my nikeplus splits, was hitting in the low 8's for mile splits.

At the finish, I was contemplating finishing hard, but I was borderline ready to puke. Also, right after crossing the iron bridge I noticed the clock read 49:35 or so, giving me enough time to finish the last .1, under 50 mins, so I jogged across the finish.

So I ended up with a time around 49:51 or 49:52 based on my when I think I crossed. Not as good as previous years, but a time I'm satisfied with given my lack of significant training over the past few weeks.

2007 Bridge of Flowers 10K Tomorrow

Tomorrow I run the Bridge of Flowers 10K (www.bridgeofflowers10k.com) for the 3rd consecutive year in a row, fourth time overall.

2002: 49:38
2005: 49:43
2006: 48:48
2007: ?

I can tell you this year I am in the worst shape when compared with previous years. Leading up to last year's race I went for several long runs. This year, I've topped out at about 5 miles. So, with all of that said, I still have a goal tomorrow of breaking 50 minutes. Realistically, I am thinking I will really finish in 51-52 minutes, but ya never know til you run it. So, we'll have to see what happens.

Another 3.38 Leisurely Run in Ashland State Park

Sara and I once again hit the Ashland State Park for a run around the perimeter. This time we jogged most of the resevoir perimeter without walking. We finished the 3.38 mile run in 42:02 for a pace of 12:24/mi.

After the run we had an awesome swim in the very refreshing resevoir. The water temp must have been in the high 70s. Very comfortable.

Good Lunchtime Shoulder Workout

It has been way too long since a good weight lifting workout. Today I finally got to the gym after finding an hour in my day that didn't have me running off to meetings or answering client emails. Once at the gym I did lat pull downs, standing dumbbell shoulder raises, sitting dumbbell shoulder raises, plate lifts, and situps.

Weight = 181

Slow 2.16 Mile Run in Ashland State Park

Sara and I took to the Ashland State Park for a leisurely jog around the perimeter of the lake. We ran quite slow and actually walked a bit, at which points I would turn the ipod off altogether. It was a beautiful evening and a good opportunity to get a little bit of exercise without the stress of the hard runs I usually make. We finished the 2.16 mile run in 26:36 for an average pace of 12:18/mi.