Shamrock Shuffle - Glens Falls,NY - Race Report

Well, I finally got in my first official race of the year! woo!

It was a fun, albeit FREEZING, day. The best part about this race is that it didn't start till 11. No waking up super early! I got up at 7 so I would have enough time to eat breakfast since the race started so late, and GF is an hour away.

Unfortunately, running bud, Natalie, is slightly injured and the dr said no race. :( boo! However, she's healing up, and sent us text message encouragement before the race. YAY!

I got to GF super early - 945 - which enabled me to luck-the-hell-out and get a parking spot literally AT the starting line (course was a loop so this was also the finish line). I woke up feeling stuffy and my stomach was in knots (probably nerves) but i felt a little groggy all day, so I def wasn't at 100% which irritated me. But I met up with other running buds (all inspirations because they are wayyy faster than me) and we chatted it up until race time. It was sunny but cold. Not so cold that I had to wear a hat though, thank goodness. I hate running in a winter hat. My head gets all itchy. Plus, the one I have for running accidentally went through the dryer and doesn't really fit. haha.

Caitlin was nice enough to start out jogging with me for maybe about a quarter mile. But she is a super awesome runner and ended up finishing in 36:23. Beast! Then I just zoned out and kept going. This is the first time I've ever run the race in a "pack." Previously, I've always been so slow there's really no one else around. The pack + the roads not being closed off and super narrow shoulders + snow still on the ground made passing people without getting hit by cars a bit difficult. Also, it turns out, that while I knew I wasn't very competitive, I'm also not very aggressive. I probably could've passed more people, but I didn't want to shoot ahead too fast and then fall back. I probably could've given myself a bit more credit on that one. Lesson learned.

This is also the first, in my limited race experience, time I've run a race that wasn't chip timed. So, I really didn't have much of an idea of what was going on, pace wise. I've never raced with my ipod before. But I think that I will in the future, esp if the race isn't chip timed, so that I'll at least have a stop watch feature. Or I could just get a free garmin in the mail - anyone, anyone? hehe.

The race was very well organized. The people from the Adirondack Runner's club were super nice. There were mile markers shaped like shamrocks, and people with stop watches at each mile yelling out your time. Which was good, since my first mile was way too slow. There were two water stops (or 3? I think just 2) and there were tons of volunteers at them, and directing traffic and telling us to smile. Spectators were a little sparse for the bulk of the race but the ones that were out there were loud. :) A definite plus.

The course it self started with a few small rolling hills (seriously, Nat, they were small and rolling, none of that Brock Trot deception!), a nice gentle downhill after mile two and was then pretty much flat. So it was pretty easy to cruise.

Now, keep in mind I wasn't feeling great. So I overall i was pretty irritable. And this lanky 14 year old in front of me kept getting in my way. She refused to let me pass. Whatever. As I made the last turn I really ramped it up, and sprinted past some DUDE in the last 100m. Sorry guy, but that felt great. I missed the clock at the finish, so I ended up driving home with no clue as to how I did. Which added to the irritability that was now being supplemented with a nasty cough. I often am pretty coughy after a cold run, but this cough hasn't really gone away. It is now supplemented by achey ears and a headache. Hopefully the roomie keeps that fever to herself (sorry, Q).

I finished in 53:03 (gun time, results posted on line by this morning - super fast), which is way faster than my 10k paces from last fall. So I'm satisfied. I know I could've run a bit faster, but lesson learned. The best decision I made was to bring dry clothes for the hour long ride home. Nice forethought, Jen! :) (yes, i occasionally talk about myself in the 3rd person, it's normal, trust me).

This race really inspired me to start amping up my training efforts. My blog creeping has introduced me to the McMillan running calculator, and since I have 0 concept of pacing, that should help with my goals. The half marathon isn't until June, so I've got plenty of time to improve. Next race is a 10k in Saratoga. Mid-April will hopefully prove to have slightly warmer race weather.

I'm pumped, now for some vitamin C and to nip this pending cold in the butt!