They all can't be "easy" runs.

Fort Hamer Bridge 10k

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Location:

Venice,FL,USA

Member Since:

Oct 31, 2012

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5k:
21:01, (6:46 pace) 11-19-11.
20:08, (6:29 pace) 9-1-12 (Part of a Mini-Triathlon Relay).
19:17, (6:12 pace) 11-17-12.
19:19, (6:13 pace) 11-23-13.
19:30, (6:17 pace) 1-4-14.
20:34, (6:34 pace) 9-13-14
19:49, (6:23 pace) 10-25-14
19:32, (6:17 pace) 11-22-14
19:40, (6:19 pace) 12-19-14
19:49, (6:23 pace) 1-31-16

8k:
34:42, (6:57 pace) 3-17-12.
32:11, (6:28 pace) 3-16-13.
32:32, (6:33 pace) 3-15-14. 

34:00, (6:50 pace) 3-14-15.

33:09, (6:40 pace) 3-11-17.

32:56, (6:38 pace) 3-17-18.

10k:
44:18, (7:08 pace) 4-14-12.
41:22, (6:39 pace) 12-15-12.
42:11, (6:47 pace) 4-13-13.
41:06, (6:37 pace) 12-8-13.

42:03, (6:46 pace) 3-5-16

44:35, (7:11 pace) 8-26-17
12k:
53:53, (7:14 pace) 3-24-12.
49:20, (6:37 pace) 3-1-14
15k:
1:18:16, (8:24 pace) 2-26-11.

1:04:37. (6:56 pace) 2-20-16

1:08:25 (7:18 pace) 2/22/20

Half Marathons:

1:37:57 (7:28 pace) 1-26-20. Fort Lauderdale - A1A 
14 Marathons:
1.  4:12:08, (9:37 pace) 1-9-11. Disney.
2.  4:18:18, (9:51 pace) 10-30-11. MCM.
3.  3:42:26, (8:29 pace) 1-14-12. Charleston.
4.  3:13:15, (7:22 pace) 10-7-12. Steamtown.
5*.  3:12:26, (7:20 pace) 1-19-14. Louisiana.
6*.  3:14:06, (7:24 pace) 4-21-14. Boston.
7*.  3:19:38, (7:37 pace) 7-19-14. U. of Okoboji.
8*.  3:16:27, (7:30 pace) 2-22-15. Mercedes-Benz
9*. 3:30:38 (8:03 pace) 5-15-16 Sugarloaf

10. 3:24:21 (7:48 pace) 11-5-16 Savannah RNR

11. 3:27:37 (7:56 pace) 5-12-18 Brookings

12. 3:46:02 (8:38 pace) 10-7-18 Towpath

13. 3:35:11 (8:13 pace) 9-12-21 Med City

14. 3:45:45 (8:37 pace) 4-16-23 Coastal Delaware

* = These 5 races were run at 67.9 seconds per pound. If I want a PR, I need to weigh less than 170 pounds.

Short-Term Running Goals:

2023 GOALS:

Coastal Delaware Running Festival Marathon - 4/16/23 - Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Long-Term Running Goals:

Continue running as often as I can, as far as I can, as fast as I can. Teaching my kids (by example) the rewards that come from putting in the work. Very slowly get to 50 states.

Personal:

I'm married, with two sons, 17, and 18.

I started running because someone dared me to.

I ran my first race 3 days after my 40th birthday. (Disney)

My profile picture story: http://www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm?postID=1492&boston-marathon

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 12.50 Month: 83.00 Year: 212.50
Race: Fort Hamer Bridge 10k (6.21 Miles) 00:44:35, Place overall: 15, Place in age division: 2
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.506.219.71

Fort Hamer Bridge 10k. They have been building the bridge over the Little Manatee River for two years. Someone got the bright idea that they should run a race over it, before it opened to traffic. It is still under construction, technically. The views from the top were outstanding. So, given that this is the first time anyone has run this course, that the weather before and after the race was miserable, furthering problems in already bad parking logistics, that 2,600 people signed up for the races (They expected 1,500. This was the largest 10k/5k in Manatee County history.), this race, production-wise was way better than expected. Of course, the 5kers ate everything at the finish. Also, I don’t know what races have against providing water lower than room temperature. One church had a snow cone tent that I went back to many times, so I could get some ice.  

I recognize that I’m out of shape, and not ready for racing. But there were a couple of other factors that contributed to my poor time. My co-worker ran the 5k. She got a PR! I am stunned that anyone could PR in the soup. The rain before and after really generated the dishwasher feeling that a PR was out of reach for everyone. Because of the parking situation (you can’t really park near this place), they had to delay the start an extra half hour to allow people to get there. That more or less wrecked my warm up. This is the second time this kind of thing happened to me, and both times it worked out bad. The course starts out, goes north 100 yards, then hairpin turns south to go over the bridge. Everyone had the same plan – I better get out in front of the pack before that hairpin on a wet road. It was kind of nuts, but then opened up on the big bridge. About a mile deep, hairpin #2 to go back north across the bridge again. I was braced for those turns. The course map made it clear those would happen. I was not braced for the 5 other little bridge crossings, extended running on brick pavers, or the other 4 hairpin turns on the course. Those were kind of a surprise, and really beat me up. I was solid for the first 3, then things started to unravel, but I held on. Like I said, I’m not in race shape. I was surprised by the 2nd place age group thing. I got another tile/coaster. Eventually, I’ll be able to tile a bathroom with 2nd place age group tiles. The guy that I used to consider my worthy adversary finished 4th overall. He has become much faster. He asked if I would run the remember the fallen 5k in two weeks, but boy #1 has a soccer tournament. Helmet Guy has returned. He is now Blonde 80s Rocker Wig Guy (think Kajagoogoo), and he beat me by a minute.

My parents drove up with my brother, which was cool. He turns 50 on Monday. Because of the late start, I could not attend the funeral in Venice for my next door neighbor at 10. So, I hung around to get my tile/coaster. Then back to Bradenton at 4 for a preseason soccer scrimmage for boy #1, that was lightning delayed twice. Many miles were driven on Saturday, and I was wore out by the end of the day.

This leaves me in a weird spot. The race was good enough to inspire me to run faster and race more. I just don’t have the time with the kids’ schedules to make that happen. Or, at least, it would feel that I would be intentionally misplacing my priorities to put running ahead of something it shouldn’t be ahead of, if that makes sense. But it felt great to go fast-ish again. I need more of that in my life.

The guy that won senior grandmasters asked me my time, and I told him kind of depressed-like. (this is, after all, my slowest 10k ever.) He was really excited for my time, and started high fiving me and patting me on the back. He kind of changed my attitude a bit. So I said “Yeah, don’t let the muffin top fool ‘ya! The kid can run!”

Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Rhett on Mon, Aug 28, 2017 at 09:51:21 from 66.185.238.62

Sounds like a challenging but fun race. Maybe just focusing your running on 5 and 10 Ks for a while, so you can work on speed and not have to put in so many miles, would let you do both your running and keep your boys as priority # 1.

From Glory in the long run on Tue, Aug 29, 2017 at 13:07:24 from 67.2.204.211

Your priorities aren't off if you can't find the time to run as you used to. If you find activities that you do frivolously that you can replace with running, that's another story.

But kids schedules aren't frivolous. Enjoy your race and your shape now. You can take motivation, but I've found that I've spent so many races wishing "what if?" instead of enjoying what is.

Peace.

From Michael on Fri, Sep 01, 2017 at 04:20:24 from 216.104.105.45

I think you had a fabulous race! Under those conditions, most would have withered and/or coasted. You worked your way through it and have nothing to be ashamed of. Well done!

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