Monday, January 27, 2014

Frozen Buns 10k, Clermont, FL, and the Beach


Nice and cold at home...

Frozen Buns 10k – 33:18, 1st OA, Course record

I was not sure about Frozen Buns going into the race. I started to feel sick a week before the race, and I was contemplating not running. As the winner of the 2013 FB 10k, I had free entry into the 2014 race, so I figured I had nothing to lose. After a little extra sleep and a day or two of easier workouts, I was feeling okay. I drove down to St Louis on Friday for packet pick up, $5 Chinese food, and I got to see some of my Greenville teammates.

Saturday morning rolled around, and it was a wonderful 20 degrees at 8am. I wasn’t feeling great, but I was feeling much better than I had been earlier in the week. There was no pressure to run fast, so I could just go out and have fun. I did a 3 mile warm up with Josh and Ross, then I went to the start line.

Standing on the start line I knew what was ahead...10,000m of fun with a little over 200 feet of elevation gain, mostly coming in the first 3 miles. Earlier in the week Coach told me not to go out too quickly…sure, I may go out too quickly in the 5k or 8k, but I have been pretty consistent with keeping 10k starts under control.

I wish I had some fun, epic story to tell you about this race, but I don’t. It was the exact same course as last year, and I found myself alone less than a mile into the race. I never looked back to see if anyone was coming, and I knew I would lower the course record about 5000m into the race—the only question was “how low?” There is definitely a lot that can happen over the last 3k-5k of a 10k, but I was running within myself and felt very in control of the race. I ended up running 33:18 compared to 33:57 last year. After the race I did a 3 mile cool down to get my “long run” in for the week.

This is one of my favorite winter races. The course is anything but flat, and it is a good test of strength. It may not be a “PR Course” but it is definitely a fun race. It is also pretty neat to race down the St Louis Delmar Loop. It is a very fun area and the St Louis Triathlon Club puts on a quality event.
Finally a downhill section!


Clermont, FL – Staying in Groveland

I feel like I had not made any crazy life choices for a while…until two days before the Frozen Buns run. I decided I was going to pack up some stuff and head south or west after the race. I visited the Clermont area last year and really enjoyed it. I was in Colorado in September and loved it as well. In the end, Clermont was better suited for my disliking of snow. I left home for St Louis on Friday. Raced on Saturday. Left St Louis and went to Nashville on Sunday. Monday morning I took off heading south. Somehow 10 hours later I found myself in Groveland at the AAA Tri Camp with a room made up for me. To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going to be sleeping on Monday night, but things worked out just fine.

Van Fleet Trail
I have now been in Groveland for a week, and I love it. I get to swim at the NTC (National Training Center) and it is definitely the largest pool I have ever been in. It is pretty crazy to see Olympians swimming a lane or two over, or see Olympic sprinters as you’re walking through the fitness center. I am fully aware that they are regular people, but it is not something you’d see in Ottawa or Greenville.

27 short course lanes!!
There are also some pretty fun places to ride and run here. The Van Fleet Trail is just a bit down the road from camp, and it is nice for flat, fast rides and runs. There is also the clay trail just south of Clermont, and I hear it is great for a hilly 10 miler. I did a short run there, and the sun just about cooked me alive!

I'm going to get friendly with this red clay road!
Also, I am taking online classes while I am down here. I am finishing my last nursing school pre-requisite (for B.SN.., or M.S.N.) and I have been looking into a few other options.


The beach – Daytona, Ponce Inlet
 
Water!!!
Saturday, after my ride and run, we took a trip to Daytona Beach and Ponce Inlet. I love looking at big bodies of water, so it was great to see the ocean. I was very happy to be there for sunset on the beach! I have been to Daytona Beach before, but this was awesome. I look forward to visiting a few other places in Florida that I have not been.



So yeah, that has been my last couple week. Hope your training is going well. To all my northern friends—stay warm! Thanks for reading!
I love palm trees!

January 13-19
Swim: 14150 yards (8 miles) / 4:02
Bike: 211 minutes / 3:31
Run: 27.29 miles / 3:03
Total: 10:36
I felt like I had a cold coming on, so I had an off day and some down time this week.

Sunset at Ponce Inlet.
January 20-26
Swim: 16900 yards (9.6 miles) / 5:04
Bike: 458 minutes / 7:38
Run: 34.40 miles / 3:57
Total: 16:39
Had an extra ride and run this week upon arrival in Clermont. I learned the places to run and the best route to the pool.

Home squeezed grapefruit/orange juice in my Frozen Buns glass.

6 comments:

  1. First of all, great race and way to smash the course record. You know the guy that shows up for a January race in shorts, a singlet and mittens is going to be fast!
    Second, I love that you picked up and went to Florida...what a great opportunity! Best of luck down there and make the most of it...which it sounds like you are already doing :)

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    Replies
    1. Ha, good point. A lot of people were commenting before the race that I looked "serious" since I wasn't wearing much clothing. Very happy with the race--really had no idea what to expect, so it was a pleasant surprise.
      Florida was kind of a flip a coin and go deal. I had talked about going but never did. So I finally made the decision to go, and off I went. I just needed a little bit of a change. It has definitely been a great experience so far, and I can't wait to see what each day brings.

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  2. Hey!

    My husband said he met someone from Ottawa, IL at work the other day. I'm taking a guess that it's you. (My husband is a lifeguard at the NTC.)

    Let us know if you want to hang out sometime.

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    Replies
    1. Hello!

      It was really funny, because he said, "Did you say Ottawa? My wife is from Grand Ridge." So I had no idea who it could be...but I didn't even think to ask him who his wife is. So, he finally told me it was you this morning at Masters swimming. Small world!

      Definitely! I'll be in Tampa/St Petes racing this weekend, but I think I should be free most other weekends.

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  3. Awesome! Just get a hold of Eric and we'll set something up.

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete