Race Report: Spokane Bloomsday 12k

This year was my third year running Spokane Bloomsday. Bloomsday is a 12k run which takes place the first week of May every year. Approximately 40 to 60 thousand people participate. It is not an easy course by any means. It features a tiring hill late in mile two into mile three. Then there is the famous Doomsday Hill at mile five.

This year I felt pretty good the morning of the race. I wasn't nervous. It just felt like any other race to me. The weather was gorgeous. I was able to walk to the start in a tank and three quarter length tights. What I hadn't anticipated for was the sun. H and I didn't pack any sunscreen (my husband did the race this year too). My shoulders and chest got very burnt.

I had to start in the Orange group this year (the starts are staggered by color code, based on expected finish time). My husband had signed me up and I don't know what time her put but I was pissed I was in the Orange group all along. H and his friend were two colors ahead of me. Another friend was in the one group ahead of me. Here are a list of comments I heard from people in the orange group:

"Let's just run the first mile then we can walk"
"I wonder if people will be handing out popsicles"
"It's hot, can we go home now"

There were many more. I had to pass a ton of walkers and even a lady on crutches. My goal was to catch up to my friend in the Green waive (the waive ahead of me). I was able to at mile six, despite a bathroom break at mile four. The course was as I remembered, except the first hill always seems more wicked than previous years. It is probably because Doomsday takes the lime light. Here are my splits:

Mile 1  10:15
Mile 2  10:25
Mile 3  11:45
Mile 4  11:17
Mile 5  12:15
Mile 6  11:57
Mile 7  11:30
Mile 8  5:33 (10:43 pace)

My average pace per mile was 11:18. I'd post my time up Doomsday but I walked it. I tried to run it the first year and it completely wiped me out for the last 2.5 miles. With the heat this year by mile 5 I was starting to feel very dehydrated, so I wanted to take my time and walk through the water stations drinking every last drop. My final time was 1:26:18.

2013 Seahawks 12k

This is now my third time running this race. In 2010 I ran the 12k and in 2011 when I was pregnant I ran the 5k. Each year the race has grown in popularity. This year there were about four thousand runners.

The course runs a long Lake Washington. The half way point/turn around is at the Seahawks training facility (for the 12k). Seahawks players hand out water to the runners as they go buy. The course is pretty flat with a couple rolling hills.

I hadn't trained well going into this race. My longest run had been miserable Easter Day 7.5 miler in which I probably walked about two miles of it. Around mile four I began to get really tired, but then I saw my friend Phil running back (his mile six) in first place! That gave me the energy to run the next two miles. Miles six was tough, but I knew I could get through since at that point we were almost done. Here's my mile splits:

Mile 1   10:34
Mile 2   10:37
Mile 3   10:28
Mile 4   10:18 (thanks Phil!)
Mile 5   11:05
Mile 6   11:04
Mile 7   10:45
Mile 8   9:44

You can see by my splits, the distance I have been running on most of my weekend runs (four to five miles). I definitely petered out at mile five. My final time 1:21:33, a 10:40 pace. Not even close to a PR, but I will take it.

We had a lot of fun. I hope to do it again next year, maybe with the Super Bowl winning Seahawks.

Spokane or Bust!

This weekend is the Spokane Bloomsday 12k! For those who are not from the area, it is an annual race held in Spokane, Washington. The website says it is in it's 35th year. It is currently averaging 50,000 runners a year. Last year, my first time running it, there over 55,000 people signed up, with just over 50k finishing. Seattle Rock and Roll limits their registration right now to about 30,000 people. The population of Spokane, Wa is estimated at only 205 thousand people. That is a lot of runners. You also have to finish the race to get your race shirt, which is a little different. Needless to say, I am really excited! It is hard not to when you see how much the whole town gets into this race. Last year my time was 1:19:36. I expect to be much slower than that this year. I think I am going to go for around 1:30 for a goal.

After passing so many people during my last race I felt inspired to purchase this shirt from Zazzle.com. On the front it reads "running for two" and on the back it says "you just got passed by a pregnant runner". I am excited to wear it and to see what kind of response I get during the race, although I don't think I will be passing a lot of people. I do not look pregnant either, so we will see if anyone really notices.

I was actually able to run four miles yesterday! That is the first time I have been able to since March 6th. It was hard and slow. My average pace was close to twelve minute miles and I have to stop to walk on hills because my heart rate gets too high (which makes me feel nauseous and dizzy). My average heart rate was still 150 with a max at 178. I feel pretty comfortable with that. I need to watch those 170s though.

H and I had an attempt on making onion soup out of my Best of Clean Eating Cook Book (my Amazon Associates Account isn't linking properly. I'll fix it later. Grrr). It did not turn out good at all. If we try to make it again we will skip adding the vanilla to it. When we were done it tasted a lot like water with onions floating in it. We ate the cheese croutons as a snack and ordered pizza. Better luck next time.

Races for 2011 so far

I just signed up for my first two races this year. The first one is going to be the Valentine's Day Dash 5k around Greenlake in Seattle. The second race is the Seahawks 12k in Renton Landing.

This will be my first 5k race and my first Valentine's Day Dash. I am shooting for just under a nine minute mile pace.

Last year at Seahawks I my time was 1:13:19. That is a time I am really proud of. I think it worked out to be about a 9:33 pace per mile. I am hoping I can repeat that, but it is pretty far off.

I am starting to pick up mileage a little bit again. I am mostly just lengthening my week day runs to have the shortest be 4 miles instead of 3 miles. I am still doing a maximum of nine miles on the weekend.

Planned training for the rest of the week:

Saturday - Long Run (8 miles) or 4 miles and cross train (depending on weather)
Sunday - What ever I didn't do Saturday
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 4 to 5 miles
Wednesday - Gravity with my favorite trainer and elliptical to warm-up
Thursday - 4 mile treadmill intervals (1 mile warm up, .5 mile at 8:30 pace, .25 at half marathon pace, repeat, .5 mile cool down)
Friday - Rest