Tag Archives: 5K

A 5K That Was Not 3.1 Miles

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On Saturday, I ran the inaugural Margarita Run 5K Urban Run & 1 Mile Walk. This is a small local race which is for a great cause, benefitting Haines City Main Street, and close to my house. It was interesting running at 5PM but the weather was perfect. (What do most people eat when they race later in the day? I had breakfast but lunch was a difficult one. I ended up eating breakfast foods for lunch and hoped my stomach would be fine.)

Haines City has a great downtown area that is really on an upswing. I love seeing all the local businesses that are opening.

Downtown Haines City

They had a cute mini expo in Railroad Park. I loved that a local Mexican restaurant, La Fiesta Mexicana, sold nachos and tacos. It went well with the margaritas.

Haines City Mini 5K Expo

We started running through an arch of balloons. (I took this picture after they unhooked one end of the arch.)

Balloons

This course had a lot of hills (for Florida). It even took us on a dirt path and over some railroad tracks. The course sadly was not 3.1 miles.

Margarita_5K_Haines_City

At the two mile mark, I heard one of the volunteers yell that there was only a half a mile left. I looked at my Garmin and knew I could not have a half mile left because I cannot run that fast. The sad thing is that I would have had a PR if I maintained my average pace for the remained of the 5K.

At least there was a band.

Haines City 5K Band

Have you ever had a race go wrong?

Is it crazy that I will probably run this race again next year?

Please take a minute to enter my giveaway of The Swiss Cheese Theory Of Life.

Half Marathon Training Week 11 In Review

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You can follow my previous weeks training and current DVD rotation on my Workouts page.

Sunday: 30 Minutes Elliptical. 15 minutes Upper Body.

Monday: 10.05 Miles! (This is my personal distance record and I am still thrilled about this run.)

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 2.41 Miles

Thursday: 30 Day Shred Level 1

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 4.26 Miles

Thoughts: I feel really great mentally about getting over the double digit run hump. Lately, my strength training has gone out the window and I am starting to notice a difference in my level of strength. I need be more consistent but am having a hard time spending 40 to 60 minutes on a full body routine. Starting the 30 Day Shred again seemed like a good idea because it is short and I always see results.

My training plan calls for a 5K to access time goals. Ultimately, my goal is to finish the Half but I love to run 5K’s and this one is almost too good to be true.

The 2011 Margarita Run – 5K Urban Run & 1 Mile Walk.

Why is this race so perfect?

It’s near my house. (I normally drive upwards of an hour to race in Orlando.)

The race starts at 5:00 PM (It is late and close enough that J can actually attend and still get his studying done.)

It is for a really great cause.

Plus there is the promise of Margarita’s.

Do you have any upcoming fun races? Is it just me, or are small local races super fun?

The winner of the Eeyore Track Pants from OldGlory is Khourt from Life As A Convert. Send me an email to DinaRuns@Gmail.com with your address and size. Thanks to all who entered, I really enjoyed reading about your favorite fall foods.

Celebration of Running 5K

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Before I put a ton of (delicious) cured meats in my face at The Ravenous Pig on Saturday, I ran the Celebration of Running 5K. The race started at 7:30 but every minute that creaped by grew hotter and hotter. Halfway through I was dripping in sweat and wiping my face on my shirt.

The race started at the Orlando Science Museum.

Celebration of 5K

                                  

(Can you see me way in the back near the 10 plus minute mile sign in the back?)

The course took you by beautiful Lake Formosa and a place where I used to work. Down one brick lined and pothole filled street. (That was interesting, I kept picturing someone tripping and hurting their ankle.) It looped around The Track Shack and the finish was at the Science Museum.

Garmin Route Map

Celebration_of_5K_Course_Map

Garmin Stats

Garmin_Stats

Not sure why it says 3.24 miles. I started my watch when I crossed the starting line and stopped it when I crossed the finish line. Could it have to do with where I am running in relation to the road?

My official times were clock 36:36 and chip 35:29. My goal was closer to 30 minutes but as hot as it was that day, I am happy with my time.

Takeaways: I started out too fast. The first mile was at a 10 minute per mile pace which is speedy for me. I should be in the 11 minute mile range. I ran out of gas towards the end and would have felt better if I had started of slower. 

What are you best race tips?

Track Shack Swag

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Friday was kind of awesome. I got to wear jeans to work and leave early (to go to the dentist but whatever.)

After getting my teeth cleaned, I headed to an iconic Orlando store.

Track Shack

(Source)

The Track Shack!

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(Does anyone know how to take a good picture of a plastic bag?)

They are having a sale (that ends on Saturday) that is 20% off everything in the store plus it’s Florida’s tax free weekend. I needed some new shoes and to pick-up my race pack for the Celebration of Running 5K.

This was my first time in the Track Shack and it did not disappoint. What I ended up taking home.

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New Asics GT- 2160. I have already run in these twice and they feel so good. I waited much too long to get new shoes.

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A larger pouch for my Fuel Belt. It fits my phone perfectly which is great because I like to listen to Sirius when I run and need my phone for that. The longer my runs get, the safer I will feel having my phone. Just in case I end up in a ditch or hurt myself. (Or just to see how fast J will come and get me.)

The BodyGlide is for my horrible armpits. I have had some armpit irritation that is making me mental and have to concentrate not to scratch in public.(I want to apologize to Maria, who sits next to me at work and am sure has caught me scratching.) I used the BodyGlide and I can see an improvement already. I should have purchased this months ago.

I want to try some new nutrition as my runs get longer. So far, I have used Cliff Shot Bloks mainly because they are available at my local Target and nothing else is. I decided to try two flavors of GU and two Cliff Shot Gel’s and see how it goes. From what I can tell, this seems to be a highly personal process and filled with lots of trial and error. If you have any suggestions for me as to your favorite nutrition, I am all ears. What is important is that I do not want tons of chemicals. I try to avoid food coloring, fake sugars, and additives as much as possible in my diet.

All of this for 20% off.

I also picked up this baby.

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Should have a race report up tomorrow. First 5K of the season was a lot of fun. I missed racing!

What are some of your favorite running products? Have you started your racing season yet?