Final 2013 Race Recaps

I finished up the 2013 season with a few low key running races.  A chance to get out and have fun with friends and family while keeping tabs on my fitness level throughout the month of November.

Veteran's Day 10k

I was alone for this one - which was kind of nice.  A quick bike ride down to race start and packet pickup woke me up and got me moving to start off the morning.  After receiving my race bib and deciding on layerage for  a warm-up I did a little jog along Ohio Dr.  I had a min heart attack when I attempted to power up my Garmin and the empty battery logo appeared and the unit powered off.  How could this be?  I had it plugged in all night  Oi!  This is a big change for me over the past year - a year ago I probably would't have

been found with a Garmin on my wrist at a race.  Now I was convincing myself that I'd been training with it and I would be able to execute on race day without the watch.  I continued to warm-up and shed layers and calm myself down.  As I headed toward the start line I gave my Garmin one more chance.  Wahooooo, success!!!!  I seeded myself toward the middle of the front.  The weather was perfect  for a good day on Hains Point - low wind, cool temps and sunny.  The first 3 miles came easy, I nailed my goal pace and was feeling good.  Miles 4 and 5 were the hardest and may pace slowed just a bit.  I was able to hold on for the final 1.2 for a 10k PR!


Backyard Burn

I enjoy a nice trail run every now and then but racing on the trails isn't something I've come to be eager about.  I really enjoy the low key environment of EX2 races.  I headed down to Prince William Forest Park with my brother and one of our friends.  This would be there final prep before taking on the JFK 50 the following week.  The race started out with a short out and back on the before heading down a fire road and then diving into some real trail running.  I felt good the first couple miles but was soon suffering severe abdominal pain.  This familiar pain has happened before but only during training - so I'll stop for a few minutes let it subside and continue on slowly.  I had to slow down considerably for the middle portion of this race due to the pain.  I was able to pick it up again for the last mile or so and I finished the race feeling pretty good.  I even landed myself  a spot on the podium!  After cooling down for couple minutes I snapped some great shots of my brother and Brian finishing the 10 miler.


Del Ray Turkey Trot - 5 miler

This was the 2nd year we've had a small gang go down for the Turkey Trot before prepping the Thanksgiving Feast.   The course was a tad different than last year and the crowd was a bit bigger!  I randomly snuck into the starting chute and ended up right next to Abby!  We started out together, having to dip, dodge, duck, and dive around all sorts of characters.  The first two miles were fast and the cold air didn't seem too bad with the sun beating down on us. Around mile 3 things started o feel tough, getting air in became difficult, any sort of attempt at a deep breath was a fail.  Getting some water in helped a bit and I was able to pull it together for the last mile.  After this race I started realizing I have a really hard breathing in cold air, no wonder I've always enjoyed warmer climates.  It was a fun 5 miler, a PR, and a great start to a family and friend filled Thanksgiving!