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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Whidbey Island 5K

On Saturday I participated in the Whidbey Island 5K

Even though the race didn't start until 9 AM, we had to drive from Sedro-Whooley the morning of the race, so I really got an early start.  The drive was gorgeous, and we even had a chance to stop off and take a couple of pictures at an especially scenic bridge.

Then, we got to Flintstone Park around 8:00 for registration.
Pretty soon, it was time to turn on the Garmin and pose next to the star(t).
At 8:55 or so, we all lined up and waited for the announcements.  All I needed to know was that it was a down-and-back course around the water.  Got it.



The race started, and I was feeling pretty good.  I had a smile on my face, crisp air on my body, and sea salt on my lips.  I promptly checked my Garmin, saw that I was running at about a 10:30 pace, and decided that I was feeling good enough to run the whole thing.

The race wasn't altogether flat.  For about 3/4 of it, we ran on the road/sidewalk around the harbor, which brought us up a little hill and back down.  Then, we turned right towards the marina.  We were met there by a bunch of folks in their lounge chairs watching us run by.  I tried my best to look straight ahead and not feel self-conscious about what I looked like.

At the turnaround point, I felt pretty good, though my legs weren't feeling as light as they were at the beginning.  I looked down at my Garmin and saw that I was running at an 11-minute pace.  I knew that I could finish the race without walking.

The last half-mile or so was pretty tough, but it was great to see the balloons at the finish line. I sped up for the last .2 miles and just tried running as hard as I could.  I passed quite a few people for such a short distance, and I finished as strong as I could.  Even though I didn't beat my previous record, I was happy with my 34:33 finish time.  It was a new course for me, after all, and it was hillier than the St. Paddy's Day race.
After the race, I got my first schwag - water, Pop Chips, and a bag full of running products (lotion, fuel, pain ointments, etc.)
All in all, I felt pretty great at about 9:45 in the morning.  I was ready for a day of whale watching, wine tasting, glass blowing, island exploring, and expo-attending awesomeness (I bought a shirt that says "irunlikeagirl" on the sleeve). And since my race was over, my only responsibility was as a cheerleader for Scott at his marathon the next day.

My next race is the Spokane River Run (10K) on Sunday and Bloomsday (12K) on May 2.   I am really excited to run these races since they are my longest ones to date and because Sunday's race is a trail race.  While I do not expect amazing times for either of these races, I look forward to seeing how my body responds.  I want to get my mileage up again.

<3

3 comments:

  1. Nice report. Glad you had fun. Good luck at the Spokane River Run.

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  2. Awesome write-up. Great photos. You are getting better and better. Keep it up!

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  3. Annie - you look so happy in these photos. I'm glad you are back at it after the knee debacle. I'll be thinking about you and sending good karma this morning on my run. I'm back in Pullman on Wednesday, so I'll call you up for a celebratory drink ;).

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