Ta Ta Crusade 5k

There was a very large turnout for the Ta Ta Crusade last night. Stacy said there were 350+ people who registered for the event. My run went really well. I started a little faster than I expected. My first mile was 6:30 while I expecting 7:00. I was able to hold my pace throughout the race though. My final time was 20:54. I was very happy to run a sub 21 minutes 5k as I hadn't run that fast of a 5k in awhile. I ended in 5th place. I ran most the race with Sarah Sailer. She edged me out and beat me by 2 seconds. I am getting to know her through running club and is a very nice person. Gabe and Barb finished ahead of me, and another guy that I don't know. I think he is the same guy that took 2nd at the Dewey Du. It was fun to be in the top 5 though. Josh Jerome completed the race also. He took 14th. He had a lot of fun in his first 5k race and is looking to complete another. Some of the other runners in TNRG were helping put on the race so they didn't compete. It was a great event though. Denae looked thrilled to see so many people there.

TNRC 7/21/09

I had a great run last night at TNRC. We ended up going 4.65 miles. I started at about an 8:00 minute mile pace the first 1.5 miles, then picked it up. It was a good idea to have patience at the beginning as it was hot outside and a lot of people slowed the second part of the run. I however, was just finding my pace during the second part of the race. I am looking forward to the Ta Ta Crusade this Thursday as I run the 5k in less than 22 minutes.

Start of Special Olympics Soccer

Last night was the 1st night of Special Olympics Soccer Practice. Once again, it is time to change from long distance shape into sprinting up and down a field. We did interval of running hard for 30 seconds followed by a 1 minute jog. We had a total of 4 sprints which really wore me down. We also did several drills that worked my leg muscles in new ways. This type of workout should be good for the trail run as I am going to be using various leg muscles. I am looking forward to the season. Hopefully the Thunder team can come out in the top two. I am also working towards being picked as a unified partner for Team North Dakota to compete in the 2010 Special Olympics United States National Games.

Beautiful Morning Trail Run

Stacy, Veronica, Karen, and I drove out to Turtle River State Park on Saturday morning to do some trail running. We ran for an hour. It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was just right for running. In the hour, I ran 6.33 miles. I felt great throughout the whole run this morning. I hope to run a little faster at the Wildwoods Challenge 25k in a month, but it was fun to run on the trails. When we go on vacation during the week of June 25 - August 1, I plan to do a lot more trail running to get ready for the race.

Friday Night Four Mile

I got a quick 4 mile run in yesterday after work in 33 minutes. I felt a little tight during the run. Afterward, I ran 6 striders in the park along with some push-ups, pull-ups, and ab workout. It was nice to get out as I hadn't done any running since Tuesday.

1 Mile of Sunshine, 5 Miles of Rain, 1 Mile of Sunshine

Tuesday was a beautiful day. The sun was out almost all day, except for the 1 hour during running club when it rained. I was glad I purchased a visor right before the run to keep the rain out of my face. The club ran 7 miles. I was a little worried that Josh wouldn't be able to make it, but he did awesome. We ran together the whole way and completed the run in 54 minutes. The rain felt pretty good to run in although I wish it was a little lighter. I broke in my new kicks during the run also. They no longer look like brand new shoes as I got some dirt on them. All in all, a very fun run.

2 Loops around River Road at DJ Pulis

I ran two laps around the river loop at Dale and Jane's house this morning. The run was approximately 10 miles. I felt relaxed throughout both loops. It took me 1:16:44 to complete the 10 miles or about a 7:40 pace. Near the end of my run, I was very happy with my stride. I think I will keep trying to end my workout with striders (a tip I picked out of Runner's World). Later today I might go purchase a new pair of runners. I want to try the adidas supernova glides. We'll see how I like them.

Easy Tuesday Jog

Last night I ran 6.5 with Red River Runners. I ran with Josh for most of the run. I felt I could have pushed myself a little more but wanted to stay with Josh. The run took me 51 minutes. Craig came through with watermelon for the whole group when we finished. Way to be a hero, Craig!!

4 Mile Run

I got a 4 miler in today. I hoped on the path to be south of my home. The grass was getting pretty high, which made my legs itchy when I ran. It gave me a challenge though. I finished with striders in the park by my house. I sometimes forget how good it feels to do striders.

Sunday Run

Since the Firecracker 10k didn't go as well as I hoped, I realized that it is time to get serious about training for the Wildwoods Challenge 25k. One thing that I need to be concerned with is running in warmer temperatures. Since it was 80 on Sunday, I thought it would be good to get time to work on running in warmer weather. The run went well. I ran 6.5 miles. The first three I ran at about a 7:30 pace. I slowed down the last part to about a 8:30 pace. The heat definitely slows me down. I was sweating so much that my shorts were soaked. I am also working on a plan to get several more mid-week runs in the upcoming six weeks to prepare for the 25k trail run.

Firecracker 10k

On July 4th, I ran the Firecracker 10k on the Grand Fork Greenway. I started out hot, but cooled quickly. I don't know why, but I seem to forget race strategy every time I run a race in Grand Forks. As long as I'm in a different town, I pace myself like I should, but in Grand Forks I seem to forget pacing. My goal for The Ta Ta Cruisade is to run within myself the entire run. It was also a little hotter than I am used to running. The new Runner's World magazine had several articles about running in warmer climates. Mental notes were taken.