by smuldowney | May 1, 2015 | Race Recaps
4/26/15 – 9:00am
I had a good night’s sleep and woke up at 5:30 feeling good. It is rare that I don’t feel nervous before a race, but I was not very nervous today. I got ready, made some oatmeal and left home at 6:40. I ate on my way, but did not finish it. I set off with Google maps and arrived at Cranes Beach at 7:50. I found a friend on her way and followed her for a few miles to the parking lot. Upon arrival, I had to pay the $5 parking fee to the parking ranger and was allowed to park in the large beach lot. It was a cloudy chilly 41 at the beach, but I planned my outfit perfectly and was very comfortable. After much deliberation, I decided on a short sleeved tech shirt and my Saucony arm sleeves. After getting my race shirt, I decided to change into it because I loved it and how it fit. There was a tent with bibs and shirts which was pretty empty and very organized and maybe 10 port-a-potties. The start and finish in the parking lot were one in the same and very clear. I met up with four coworkers just before the start. There were no pace markers or corrals, so we were asked to seed ourselves appropriately. Four of us started together, but I ran my own race. The main hillI packed 1/2 cup of raisins into a snack bag, which I divided in half and sewed. I fueled at miles 3 and 6, but did not eat either portion in its entirety. My handheld water bottle was filled with cold coconut green tea and honey. I sipped this and did not stop at the water stops.
The course was really pretty. We left the parking lot and ran out and into the entrance of the The Great House on the Crane Estate. The first 1.5 we ran around historic Castle Hill, which included about a 1/2 mile hill. The rest of the course was rolling hills through some nice quaint country, with only a short piece of the main road. I felt pretty good the whole way and did not walk any of the course, although I was watching a main who had a run/walk method for hills. [In the end he finished 3 minutes behind me, not that I was watching or anything.]
This is definitely a race that I would consider doing again. It was only $40, had Smuttynose beer [which I did not partake in, but others did], Stoneyfield farm yogurt, nutrition bars, water, and pizza.
343 52/140 F4049 SANDRA MULDOWNEY Merrimack NH 44 F 520 1:34:04.6 9:25
by smuldowney | Mar 10, 2015 | Race Recaps
3/9/15
This past Saturday was the first time I got up and ready for a race and did not feel nervous. It was like I was just going out for a run. Mind you, I have not run outdoors since December 14, 2014 and the most I have been running in one outing is 3 miles. The weather was perfect – sunny, no wind, and 28*. I planned my outfit perfectly and got to wear a new UA headband and new Saucony running mitts, both of which were great. I chose an all women playlist, which I loved!
We arrived in Downtown Manchester about 1 hour before the race started and parked in the municipal parking lot, which had plenty of open spots and was free. Street parking was pretty difficult given the snow banks. We made our way over to Hanover St. to TI Fitness Training where there was a very small expo, free glitter tattoos and bathrooms.
This was the 1st Annual Skirt Chaser 7k. Women took off first and men, followed 3 minutes later! Men, catch us if you can!
We took off down Hanover St. and turned left on Elm St. The roads were not closed but I had no issues with traffic. There were volunteers and police officers at most intersections which stopped cars so we could keep running. There were two hills starting at 1.5 miles which were gradual but definitely hills [elevation gain 122/elevation loss 120]. Most of the course ran through residential neighborhoods with quiet streets. There were no spectators except for those walking on Elm St. or sitting in cars at lights, waiting for us to pass by. The lead man passed me at 4:25, which means he ran the same distance I did, in 1 minute. Crazy! This shot from behind was taken as I rounded the turn towards the finish line. Next time I wear a tie-tutu, I will tie it in the front, so I don’t have a long tail hanging between my legs by the end of the race.
I felt good the whole way and my breathing and stride were even. My paces per mile were 8:45, 9:16, 9:00, 8:51, 7:57. At the finish, my husband told me that I did not look like I had just finished running a race. I finished strong with a sprint, but could have probably pushed myself more on the flats, where I tended to coast. Overall, this was a good first race of 2015!
Finish time – 37:26 Average pace – 8:55
Overall 42/137
Females – 24/92
Females 40-49 – 8/25
by smuldowney | Dec 30, 2014 | Race Recaps
Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014 • 4:30 pm NH Motor Speedway • Loudon, NH
This was race #14 in 2014 and was a last minute addition to my calendar. Brian encouraged me to do it since I had done 13 in 2013. I am happy I decided to do it because it was the best “race.”
I went into it thinking that it would be a jog through the thousands of Christmas lights. Brenna was doing it with me and she had not been running so I was focused on enjoying the sights.
Here’s a quick selfie while we waited for the race to start and us at the starting line just before the race.
We took off just as the sun set and all the lights were on. We used our new lit hats and took off at a decent jog. Brenna asked to walk as we hit the .7 mile mark and so we did for a very short time before she set off jogging again. She only asked to slow down one other time at about the mid point. The last half of the race was a strong one and she never stopped. One of our favorite parts was running through the tunnel of lights. As we approached the last .3 miles, Brenna took off and I was never able to catch her. She passed by Brian who thought something must have happened to me when he did not see me with her. She was ecstatic that she beat me. I was so happy that her last race was her best! Unfortunately, I do not think we will do this race again. It was a nightmare exiting the parking lot and took us more than 1 hour to get out!
My stats:
- Overall Time: 21:35.8
- Pace: 10:48
- Overall Place: 587
Brenna’s stats:
- Overall Time: 21:33.9
- Pace: 10:47
- Overall Place: 586
by smuldowney | Dec 1, 2014 | Race Recaps
Sunday November 23, 2014, 11:33am
I learned 2 lessons on this sunny fall morning.
This is such a low key fun race that I thought I would dress up for it. I got my shirt at Target for 50% off right after Halloween. It came with a cape! I found the Batman socks at Kohl’s in the Men’s department and they too have capes! I was so excited about my costume, I didn’t think about the weather and whether it would be appropriate or not.
lesson #1 If you are comfortable waiting for the race to start, you are dressed too warmly.
It was a bright sunny morning, but the weather had been up and down, so the trails had a little bit of everything: mud, snow, ice, branches, etc. Being a trail race, I knew I had to pay attention to the ground, but my legs felt heavy and I was warm. I got tripped up a couple of times before the big fall. One of my feet caught something and I went flying – landing flat on my belly and scraping my left arm/hand and right knee.
lesson #1 Dressing like a superhero does not mean you can fly like a superhero.
Despite falling and really not feeling this race, I finished in a reasonable time [3:04 slower than in 2013]. This 5 Mile Trail Race through Mine Falls Park is less than 10 minutes from home, is no frills and fun, and only cost me $13.25 – lots of reasons to make it an annual event.
64 F4049 SANDRA MULDOWNEY 43 F 764 MERRIMACK NH 47:49 9:46
by smuldowney | Nov 10, 2014 | Race Recaps
This certainly was a different race – only 80 teams [160 people], no shirt, hat, etc., no bib number or timing chip. Our tiny pumpkin served as our “timing chip.”
It was held on Saturday November 1st at Flagg Hill Winery at 10am. Russ met us there. It was a cloudy, cool, damp morning, hence the headband and mittens, on me. Here we are just before the start of the race.
It was a 10K relay race with each team member doing 2 legs. I decided to do Leg 1 and 3 and Russ did Leg 2 and 4. This is what the first pass off looked like. They had photographers on the course, but unfortunately, many of the pics came out blurry.
We ran down a dirt road into the vineyard fields and took a right into the woods. The trail was narrow and quite steep at parts. We were forewarned about a spot where we had to be careful of the stream down below. When I got to that spot, I knew what they were talking about. Everyone came to a stop to figure out how they were going to go down the steep hill. I was scared and decided to kind of go down sideways and then make the sharp turn at the bottom to stop myself from slipping into the trees before turning left and heading up the next hill and out of the woods into the fields again. This is how the course went – in/out of the woods.
It was a fun, yet challenging race given the terrain and weather [it started drizzling during the race, so we both got wet and cold]. I would recommend it to someone who wants a trail race with some challenges but does not want to do the full 10K distance alone.
My previous best 10K time was 55:48.
| 70 |
TORTOISE AND HARE-2 |
15 |
SANDRA |
MULDOWNEY |
F |
43 |
MERRIMACK |
58:31:00 |
|
| 70 |
TORTOISE AND HARE-2 |
15 |
RUSS |
BEAVIS |
M |
43 |
MERRIMACK |
by smuldowney | Nov 2, 2014 | Race Recaps
October 26, 2014
We headed straight for the Newport Visitor’s Center on Saturday for packet pickup. This was easy and I like the long sleeve blended shirt I got. Afterwards we headed to my parent’s house for dinner and to spend the night. On Sunday, we woke up at 4:10 and left Somerset at 4:45. We Arrived in Newport at 5:30 and quickly found parking at the Citizen’s Bank lot just off America’s Cup Ave. After using the porta-potties at the visitor center, we loaded on the bus at 5:51. It was pitch black, 56 degrees and cloudy. After a short ride over the bridge, we arrived near the toll booth in Jamestown.
We waited in the dark on an access road with thousands of people. Going into the porta-potties in the dark was fun – NOT! We noticed the pace marker signs up and said our goodbyes, since hubby was going to walk the course and take pics, while I hoped to run it at about a 9 minute pace. I think there were lots of people walking because there was plenty of room in my pace group area until we moved down the road and onto the street where the race was going to begin. At that point everyone got all bunched up including runners and walkers. The start was not my favorite. We were very crowded and had to watch out for those walking. Daylight was a welcome as we went through the toll booth and onto the bridge.
The run uphill over the bridge was a challenge but so worth it, since the sights were beautiful. I made a point to look out to both sides of the bridge.
This was definitely an “experience race” and I was not going for a PR, so why not stop and take a selfie on the bridge. I don’t know why I look surprised or scared!
I felt good going over the bridge and coming into town where there were a few spectators, but not many. The finish line had a few more people as well as a very perky race announcer, which was fun. Here I am waiting for Brian to finish.
I was pretty pleased with my finish.
Merrimack, NH
Bib #: 1087 | 43F
Time: 37:00
Pace: 9:29/M
Division: Pell Bridge Run
Overall Place: 687/3034 | 22.6%
Age Group Place: 40/255 | 15.7%
