RACE Day - 29 minutes, 33 seconds

RACE Day!

Oh what a day! We woke up this morning under a heavy marine layer and it was a bit on the chilly side. The race didn’t officially start until 9am, but we (Steve, Sherri and Tess) wanted to get there early enough to find a parking place. 7:30am might have been a bit overzealous, at least by a half an hour.

After we parked, we headed over to the registration tables where we picked up our racing numbers. We must say, we weren’t expecting the little “goodie” bags provided by Whidbey Island Bank. That was a nice touch. We also got a cool looking “Race the Reserve” T-Shirt. Sherri was thinking it might be red, but noooo, they were lime green with a cool logo design!

After wandering around for an hour, we finally stretched and waited for the “go”! So, off we went. Tess took the lead, Sherri was in the middle, and Steve (bless his soul) pulled up the rear – doctor’s orders. This was Steve’s first ever 5k “walk” and Sherri’s first official 5k “run”.

After the run the organization that sponsored “Race the Reserve” provided water, bagels, fruit and peanut butter to help replenish the body.

On the back of our racing number there was a disposable bar code that registered our start and finish times. This is a really great tool as it tells you where you placed in the race and of course, your run time. As you might guess by the title of this post, Sherri is beside herself - she broke her goal of 30 minutes. Not only that, she placed 24th out of 114 5K runners, she was the 8th woman to come in overall, and took 2nd in her age bracket. Just an amazing day!!!

Tess, by the way, placed 26th with a time of 29:54. We are so proud of her. As a matter of fact, Sherri and Tess pretty much ran together up to the end. Sherri believes Tess was the catapult that caused her to keep the pace she did! Thanks Tess!!

Steve placed 73rd, which is not too terribly bad since he walked the course. He almost power walks faster than Sherri can run. He came in at 43:04 which is a 13:54/M. Sherri was so excited to see him round the corner. In Sherri's eyes, Steve did great because he LISTENED to his doctor and his body. Way to go!!

This truly was a great day. A day full of many accomplishments!

Now, what is next? :)

2.0 miles - 20 minutes 58 seconds

Training Day 6

Today's run proved that having a running partner is most helpful and needful. Having a running partner,(or coach in Sherri's case), gives her the drive she needs to push a little harder and a little further. As you might have guessed, Steve and Sherri did not get to run together today.

Sherri set out for a 2.0 mile run earlier this evening. There was a slight breeze and the temperature outside was right around 70 degrees. A beautiful evening indeed.

Unfortunately, Sherri really struggled with the hills as she just didn't have the inward drive to run up them. Usually, when she hits these hills Steve is ahead of her, and that's when she focuses on his feet and speed. However,tonight there were no feet to focus on.

Between running the straight paths and walking some of the inclines Sherri finished the 2.0 miles in 20 minutes 58 seconds.

The next run is set for Thursday; where she hopes to better her time.

1.8 miles - 18 minutes 32 seconds

Training Day 5

We are so glad to report that we actually got our run in today. After the storms we had over the last 24-36 hours, we were not sure if the day was going to be sunny at all. Yes, the thunder, lightening, and rain has stopped. The skies were blue, the wind was breezy, and the temperature hovered around the mid 60's. We praise God for another beautiful day on Whidbey!

Our goal this afternoon was to run 2.0 miles. Unfortunately, we ran 1.8 miles before Steve's lower quad and upper calf started cramping. We completed the 2.0 run/walk in 20 minutes 42 seconds.

Although we had to walk the last part of the run, we ended up running the 1.8 miles in 18 minutes 32 seconds. We would really like to make the 2.0 mile run in 20 minutes the next time we try.

So tomorrow is a rest day (from running), which will be good(and necessary)for Steve. He will need to let his leg relax and repair itself properly.

It is hard to believe that there are only 11 training days left before the race. So with that in mind, the next three training days will be focused on running 2.0 miles and improving our time.