Did my long run yesterday and it was so nice decided to run outside.  There is a rail trail very near work and did the first 7 of the total 9.5 miles on that.  The surface is a packed fine gravel and when I finally got back to the pavement it felt horrible to run on the harder surface.  This was my longest run and will try to do a long one every week or two depending on how much time I have.  Am trying to work on speed for my 5Ks but was in a punchy mood one day and signed up for both a half and a full marathon in fall.  Considering I have only been running for about 2 months or so it was a bit bold, but I feel pretty good today so doable I think.  For the half they kick you off the course at the 4 hour mark, and since my run yesterday only took me about 2 hrs, I figure I would be fine with time even if I had to walk the remainder so the pressure is off.  Am trying to run more out in the heat instead of an air-conditioned gym and find that alot harder than it looks.  My half in November is a road race and will see how that goes.  If it feels anything like the 2.5 miles on pavement yesterday, I may need to do only short distances as roadraces and look into trail runs for the longer distances.  Am taking the day off today because tomorrow is my first 5-miler.  Since I get all excited for races and go out much faster than I practice, it should be interesting to say the least.

@ Navre: Great job on your first 5k! I've run several and my best time is 27:42!

@ Alll: I ran 4 miles on Wednesday in celebration of National Running Day. It was 92 degrees, which was pretty crazy, but I felt like I had to get a run in that day. Just carried water with me. I did 2 miles on the treadmill yesterday and will be running the River Run for Hope 10K in the morning. This will be my 2nd 10K this year. My goal is 3, which I'll do next month with the Peachtree Road Race. It's been HOT out here in Georgia. I'm hoping we can stay at a comfortable temp for the duration of the race. I really want to break my 10K PR of 1:00:17. That being said, 59:59 would make make happy. lol

Good luck to everyone running/racing this weekend!

Well guys, I'm happy to report that I finished my 10K in less than an hour this morning! Yes! I got in at 59:02, a new PR. Woohoo! We had great weather during the race, mid 70's, low humidity and a nice breeze. The course was pretty flat and well shaded by lots of trees. There was about 1.5 miles of trail, which I had never done before. It wasn't too bad, but I really didn't like feeling the rocks under my feet. So, I ran faster to get past it. I'm feeling great right now.

Can't wait to hear about everyone else's races/runs this weekend.

With an record 5k time as an adult of 27:11, I finished 1st in  the 30 - 39 year old category at the OPC 5K in Rochester today (28th  overall). I received a nice Running Fit gift certificate for my efforts.  For whatever reason, thirty-something males have not turned out in  droves at the last two races I have participated in, allowing me to  place 3rd last month and 1st today in my age group. I am unapologetic,  as I will take what I can get. I never expected to place at all this  year, so to do it twice is very encouraging!

As for the race, it was very nice. It was only $5 to run and included a  bag and t-shirt. The run itself was downhill from the start to the  Clinton River trail, about 1.3 miles down the trail and back again. I  enjoy trail runs as it is nice to run on something other than concrete  or asphalt. The best thing I did today is pace myself. I had my Garmin GPS watch and  decided that I wanted to run an average of 8:30/mile. First mile I was  right on and ran just a bit slower the next 2 miles. This allowed me an  experience that I haven't had much: passing people late in a race. It is  much more encouraging to pass other runners than to be passed. I caught  5 or 6 runners in the last half of the race, including passing one  (that I didn't think I could catch) right before the finish.

This puts me in a good position for the Open Door Julie Run in two  weeks. I ran this race near 32 minutes a couple years back and would  love to finish with a time that starts with 26. I've dropped most of my  time goals as I was starting to worry about it too much, but this is  something I really want to do.

Half marathon COMPLETE!!!!

Chip time was 1:55:02  - however  I'm deducting 12seconds for a pee break (that's based off my garmin  watch and 'moving time' vs 'actual time') hehe

It was mostly downhill which was nice - but it did have other challenges... Here is the full race report

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It  was called the Downhill @ Dawn and yes, it did have a LOT of  downhill -  but dont let that fool you... it had its challenges too (but yes, the  downhill DID help me get the kick butt time that I NEVER thought I could  achieve - my goal time was 2:15!!!).

First off -  the weather was FANTASTIC.  High 50's I think.  The location  was  BEAUTIFUL. We drove the course the night before just to see what we   should expect and kinda panicked when we saw the first uphill and the 3   miles of downhill GRAVEL.  But here is the course report as we were   running it (cause that's what matters)

Here is the race report according to Pam:

The  first 2 miles were downhill on pavement.  Miles 2-4  were uphill with a  pretty brutal hill starting at mile 3.  Then a nice  little downhill  relief after that hill which brought us to the gravel  road.

Started  with a pretty good uphill - a few rolling  hills and an 80foot hill at  the end of mile 5.  I met a gal around mile  5ish and we ran together  and chit chatted all the way down the gravel  road until mile 8.  She  DEFINITELY kept me moving and it was great to  find a new buddy on the  run!!  The gravel wasn't as slippery as I  thought - but landing on a  large piece definitely made for tricky  footing.  Plus the roads were  REALLY winding so the curves made for  weird pacing. Definitely had to  pull back on the downhill gravel part so  I didn't slip.

About  mile 6 I realized I probably should stop at the  port-a-potty, but  didnt.  Considered turning around as soon as I passed  it - but held  out.

More downhill on winding gravel  roads until approx mile 8.  I  couldn't hold it any longer and stopped to  tinkle at mile 8.  Felt  much better.  I lost my running buddy - but  kept her in my sights just  to keep me moving forward.

Miles 8-10 had a 50 foot hill followed by an 80 foot hill (which at that mileage it felt like bigger).

Mile  10 started a looong (well 1 mile) gradual uphill of  120feet.  I wont  lie - at mile 10 I was beginning to hurt a little..  granted my pace was  a lot faster than I ever intended (or imagined I  could do) - but from  what I heard from a LOT of folks it was pretty  brutal on them too.

The  last 2 miles was primarily downhill again however the road  was winding  and the slant on it was BRUTAL.  My ankles felt like they  were turned  sideways and I was constantly trying to find 'level' ground  but didnt  until mile 12.5ish.

Overall the race was FANTASTIC.   Never in my wildest dreams would I be able to break 2hours if it wasn't  for the downhill.   My 2nd toe on each foot was sore after the run from  running downhill -  even though my shoes are a good 2 sizes larger than  my regular shoes 

Whew!!  What an event!!!  Met some FANTASTIC people at dinner the  night before  and a bunch of girls at the race.  Hope to cross paths with  them  again!!! (or maybe hunt them down on facebook....)

I'm so proud of us for finishing and I can't wait until our next one!!!!

I'll try to attach photos later - it's not working for some reason.

Ran my first race this afternoon.  It was a smaller race and just a 2 miler, but I was glad of both of those things since it was my first one.  It was definitely hot out there, but I did good for me and came in with a time of 18:55.5 and was actually the first female to cross the line!  This was just the boost I needed as I plan on running my first 5K at the end of this month!

Katie A: Way to go! Good luck on your 5K!