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