my first 10K

my first 10K

14th annual Westofrd Road Race – 5/3/13

We arrived at the Abbot School in Westford, MA quite early for the 10K which started at 2:25. I picked up my race packet in the gym, used the restroom, and headed outside. There was a nice playground behind the school, which Brenna enjoyed while I was running. We watched the Family Fun Run as well as the 5K races start and then it was time for my race. The weather was amazing – sunny and warm – and I had chosen the perfect outfit. I was very comfortable and had no issues with anything.

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And I was off and running with 183 others [a pretty small group]

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We started on a slight downhill towards the front entrance of the school and out onto the main road. I had no idea what I was in for, since I am not familiar with the terrain in Westford. One word describes it – hilly!!  On the way out, it was mostly downhill, which meant that the way back was mostly uphill. Some of the hills seemed like they went on forever, but I must have been ready for them because I found myself passing some folks on the uphills. There was quite a bit of fan support along the route with people setting up in the front lawns and drive ways to watch the runners. There were also 2 water stops, which I tried to take advantage of, but really couldn’t run and drink from a cup at the same time.

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I liked the fact that I could see the finish line on the home stretch which was approaching the town common circle. I had no idea the route started at the school and ended elsewhere. There were many folks in the common as I passed by and stepped on the timing mat.

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I was so happy to have made it [without walking], but did end up with some bruised toenails – probably from the downhills as well as the compression socks and loose laces. Considering this was my longest race, I was tired, but okay when I finished [and definitely not as bad as the 3.5 mile race in Hawaii].

Here are my results:

139  18/24   10KF4049   SANDRA MULDOWNEY     Merrimack NH       42 F  1001 1:01:18.3  9:52 31:32.1 1:01:27.5

 

A destination race

A destination race

Dragon 3.5 mile Dash  – April 21, 2013 – 8:00am – Kailua-Kona, HI

As soon as we booked our Hawaii trip, I started looking for races on the Big Island. I was lucky enough to find one on our last day there, so I decided to do it. I emailed the race organizers as well as the local running store to get information, but quickly realized that this was a very laid back race, with no registration or fee required.

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The 8:00am start was clearly on Hawaiian time, which meant that nothing was really going to start happening for at least 30 minutes. Here I am with mostly locals waiting.

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Here is a Peaman giving us instructions. It was hard to hear him, so I just followed everyone else. The most important part was the finish. I had to grab a popsicle stick [you read that right] with a number written on it and then take it to a woman under the canopy. She would ask for the stick as well as my name and age.  This was their timing method, which I was not really sure how it was going to work.

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The small group of runners advanced toward the start [no clear starting point] on the street near the pier. The sun was blazing and I was already hot, just standing there.

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I tried as best I could to enjoy the scenery, but I was so hot. Although I was “dying” I did not want to stop to grab water at the 1/2 way point. I couldn’t wait to be done. This picture is of me approaching the sea wall near the pier where Brian and Brenna were waiting.

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As you can see, the finish line was merely a banner and the woman under the umbrella off to the left side of the picture was the “timer.”

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After quickly finishing off 1 bottle of water, Brian went off to the ABC store to get another. I also had my first energy gel packet after the race. It was definitely my hardest race to date. The climate – sunny, humid, 80s and the terrain – constant climb 1 way left me wiped out.

My time was 35:29 with a pace of 10.08 – definitely not a PR race, but still happy to say that I ran a race in Hawaii!

 

Race #2 of 2013

Race #2 of 2013

March 10, 2013 – Ras na hEireann U.S.A. – Somerville, MA

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This picture makes it look like I’m all alone, but I was not.  This was by far the biggest race yet for me with over 3,000 people registered

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We saw lots of interesting folks, many of which sporting very festive outfits.image

 

I learned an important lesson during this race. Do not change your race day outfit last minute! I was barely past the start line and I already had my pants falling down and my shirt lifting up. Thank goodness I was wearing a skirt to cover me up. I had done a practice run with my race clothes and then went shopping and bought a pair of new pants, which then did not match the top I had planned to wear. Long story short – my whole outfit was new except for my homemade skirt. New is not always good!

I placed myself in the 10-minute pace group, but soon realized I should have been in a faster group because I found myself having to go around and pass people who were slower than me. With so many people running together, it was easy to get tripped up, so I was constantly avoiding people and running on sidewalks to get away from the crowd.

I found the course to be mostly flat, except for 1 hill towards the end. I enjoyed running down the street and seeing the finish line up ahead. I missed Brian and Brenna at the finish line since we were on opposite sides of the street. My calves seized up as soon as I stopped, so I did some stretching while rehydrating.

My results were 30.28 with a pace of 9:49. I came in 103 of 320 in my age division. This was a new PR for me!!!

A great way to start the new year

A great way to start the new year

1/1/13 – Lowell 1st Run

Is there a better way to start the new year, than with a road race? I don’t think so. We had our traditional NewYear’s Eve activities with friends and I went to bed around 12:30. An 11am race start was perfect. We parked in a nearby parking lot and immediately started seeing people walking towards the starting line. packet pick up was in the lodge, which was crowded. I got my number, hat and gloves and headed outside.

 

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No t-shirts for this race, but that is okay because the gloves and hat came in handy on this cold morning.

 

 

It was a “little chilly” waiting to start.  The starting area was covered in frozen slush, which had me a little worried about slipping, but once we left the parking lot, the roads were clear.

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Waiting for the start was the worst and i was glad i wore my jacket until i got in my corral. I was freezing, but did not want to wear my jacket while running.

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I did start out wearing my blue hood as you can see in the picture. Once I got going, I was not so cold. I liked the loop course, which was fairly flat with one short hill in the beginning. Brian got a chance to use his new Nikon and got some shots of me.

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This was taken about half-way through the race – just as the theme song from Rocky began. I liked having official photographers and seeing pictures posted online.

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Here I am approaching the finish line.

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Someone was a little chilly waiting for mom to finish. I grabbed a cup of water, but we did not stick around after the race for food/drink.

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The wine stopper medal, at the finish line, was pretty cool too.  Here are my results.

Lowell 1st run 1/1/13 [1018 runners]
521  86/212  5KF4049    SANDRA MULDOWNEY     Merrimack NH       41 F   533   31:44.3 10:13   33:15.8

My first race

36th Telegraph Santa Fund 5K/10K – Nashua, NH – October 28, 2012

The Santa Fund Run is a 5K and 10K race that helps start donations for The Santa Fund, which is in its 52nd year of helping those less fortunate in Greater Nashua during the holidays.

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Here is a picture of my daughter, Brenna, and I just before racetime. She came prepared with snacks, drinks, and drawing materials [so she could make me a cheering sign]. I think she was planning to be there for a while. The tech shirt was nice, although a bit big for me. Lesson learned – get a size small. The elf hat was great, since it was a very chilly morning.  There were a lot of people wearing their shirts and hats and others had Santa and elf costumes.

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Here I am getting my stopwatch ready. I was worried about the timing chip and the mat. [what if my time did not get recorded?] I placed myself in the middle of the pack on the outside edge, not knowing how this was going to go. We started on the track at Nashua High South and ran 1/2 lap before leaving the school property and heading over to Mine Falls Park. I was winded almost immediately and could not catch my breath as we turned out onto the road. I told myself that I had to relax or this was not going to go well. As we entered the trail, it was dark and windy. I managed to catch my breath and settled into a steady pace. It here were roots and rocks, which I was not used to, since all but my runs but one, had been on the road. I was worried about tripping, especially after I saw someone injured on the trail side.  As the 10k folks continued on, I took a sharp right up a short hill back towards the school grounds. I was so happy to see people as I approached the final left turn, which led over to the entrance to the track. I ran just over 1/4 of the way around to the finish line, where I saw my daughter and husband and heard my name announced as I crossed the finish line.

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Here she is with my sign, which I didn’t see as I approached the track. We did not stick around for the festivities and headed instead for a late breakfast. I couldn’t wait to find out my official results.

 229/374  37/79 F4049 SANDRA MULDOWNEY 41 F 274 32:54.00 32:14.73 10:25

It is hard to explain the feeling of accomplishment that I felt in finishing the race, running the whole way, and feeling good in the end. I was excited and started looking for my next race almost immediately.