May Races

At the beginning of the month I ran the 10K "Run for the Zoo" in Albuquerque.  I have been trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to ramp up my running frequency, and I think that it's helpful to have a goal in mind.  My pace right now is slower than it has ever been and I feel sluggish and heavy trying to keep my legs going.  I'm somewhat embarrassed to even mention my times because my 10K time is almost 15 minutes slower than it used to be, but I know that I will eventually get back to sub-10 minute miles, and it's helpful to share the journey.  My goal for this race was 68 minutes, and I finished in just under 69 minutes, placing 38th out of 57 in my age group.  The course was a flat, out-and-back route along the bosque trail following the Rio Grande.  My hamstrings have been bothering me lately.  I started playing softball this year (after about a decade-long hiatus), and the short sprints and pick-ups have been challenging compared to the long, slow runs I'm used to.  I need to focus more on hamstring strengthening and hip flexor stretching to be more balanced.  As the hamstring fatigue set in during the race, I started to feel myself overusing my feet and ankles to propel my legs.  My stride became shorter, so I had to change my cadence to maintain the same pace.  I started to get into a groove around mile 4, but by mile 5.5 I was getting really tired, so the final push was challenging.  I wasn't as prepared for this race as I wanted to be, and I had a lot of reasons why I could have skipped it, but I'm glad I did it.  Every race is an opportunity to train for the next one.  Afterwards we enjoyed a fun family day at the zoo!
Post-race fun at the zoo
A couple weeks later the whole family participated in the annual "Santa Fe Run-Around," a hilly 5K course that starts and ends at the plaza.  I finished in 33:47 and was in the middle of my age group.  My hamstrings felt a little better and I enjoyed the hilly course, but I had a new posterior knee pain that bothered me on the downhill, forcing me to shorten my stride.  The race is also the end of the season event for Girls on the Run and I am always amazed by the athleticism, determination, and teamwork of the 3rd through 5th graders!  After the 5K, Ady ran her first 1K race around the plaza!  She had a smile on her face the whole time and loved to announce that she was "going racing!"  
Family 5K-ers!
Getting lined up for the 1K!

 Next weekend Jaycob and I are doing an olympic triathlon as a team; he'll swim and bike and I'll do the run.  I hope to cut at least a minute or two off my 10K time, push continuously on the hills, and avoid injury! 

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