Races and Random Stuff

Since my last post about the General Smallwood Sprint I've completed two more running races:

South Lakes 10K
Great American 5K

Both were sort of last-minute additions, because they were good timing for the shift in my training plan for my "A-race" - the Bay Bridge 10K on November 9! 

South Lakes 10K

Not that the 10K course is the same but it was good to run a straight 10K. I met up with Nicolas (N2) that morning, kind of randomly. N2 will be running at Can Lake 50 that Sally, Carol, and Pam are doing. The same race I'll be pacing the last 15 miles for Carol at her first 50-miler! Sally (who did the 50-miler last year) and Pam (who did the 50K last year) are both in for the 50K. N2 is also doing the 50-miler. That should be a fun weekend! 

Anyway, back to the race. I met up with N2 and we chatted and walked around and lined up together. I figured I'd fall behind. He said he was running easy, but while I did stay with him it was hard for me! In the end, I only stopped at one of the last water stops for some Gatorade, and ended up running the entire thing. That was good for me! 

Briefly before and after the race I saw my friend Kim - bad@$$ was running the morning after returning from vacation! We ran into her during the race, too, and chatted briefly. Here's a picture Kim found of us on the =PR= flickr site:

Thanks for finding this photo, Kim!
(I borrowed it from her race recap blog post!) 

Great American 5K

I decided to run this race about 4-5 days before hand. It was Labor Day Weekend and thought it might be a smaller event, but I did the same course earlier this year, back in April. I never did a race report, but Team Rabbit did mention it in a rap on April 28! I enjoyed the course which started and finished near the =PR= at Fairfax Corner, so I knew what I was getting into! 

Well, last Sunday was pretty hot and humid - even at 8:00 AM! There were a few breezy and cooler moments, but I struggled in the heat. I started out too quick, which did not help. Oh well. It was a good race nonetheless and I had fun! Wearing my ears and rabbit top, I got a lot of shout outs! The announcer at the finish even gave me one. How can you not smile? 

At the post-race party I met a very nice lady named Linda who had just done her very first 1K! She couldn't believe she had done it - but I could. She mentioned she was in a Mom's Run this Town group in Fairfax and I mentioned my friend Kim was in the Reston (I think) one. She was going to move up to a one mile race, and eventually a 5K! I'm excited for her.

After all the running I got prepared to paint! I liked the way the one wall my friend Nanette and I pained the weekend before, so I went out for more paint and taped up two more walls, which I then painted on Monday! Carmen, my cat, helped! 

Carmen went after the brush as I was trimming out the walls!

Finally, something I've always wanted to do is mountain biking (MTB)! I have ridding my mountain bike around Lake Accotink plenty of times and behind Audrey Moore RECenter, but never really ventured off the main paths. Well, Tuesday nights in the summer there is a women's mountain bike meet up group that rides out of Audrey Moore. And they do ride off the main paths! Finally I got the nerve to go out to that! I admit I was a nervous wreck and there were times I was scared, but it was so much FUN! I really got out of my comfort zone! I even got a little bloody! Now I feel like I'm a 'real' mountain biker! Though I have a lot yet to learn. The plan is to keep this up as not only is it fun, it seems like it will be a great way to develop some mad bike handling skills! 

War Wounds from my first 'real' MTB Ride!!
(Thanks for the term, Carol!)

Happy and Healthy Training!

Next Up: Perfect 10 (10K)