2011 Wildflower Run 10K

So I got a Garmin 305 Forerunner with the purpose of being able to monitor my pace more effectively and it paid off in a big way in this race. You can look down and see your current pace as you go. I could see when I was falling off and needed to get up to speed again. I could also set lap times as I passed the mile markers and monitor where I was at compared to my 10K PR that I was trying to beat. That time was 57:42 from last year's Jamestown Run. I started a little quickly with the crowd and got separated from everyone that I needed break free from in the first mile. Then it was just all about monitoring pace and hydration. It was perfect weather, right around 65-70. Splits: 8:44, 9:24, 9:22, 9:31, 9:28, 9:13. That put me at 55:42 at 6 miles. I finished in 57:07, which means that I did the final .2M in 1:25. That's a 7:05/Mile pace. I leaped across the finish line knowing that I had beaten my PR and forgot to hit the stop button on my Garmin, which meant that I had to wait for 2 1/2 days to get my official results. It was a beautiful day. My wife ran the 5K and did well for her. We spent the rest of the morning eating and shopping, which is a great day for her. We didn't spend a lot, just shopped and got her a dress for a future event. Overall it was a lot of fun. I have another chance to beat this PR in 2 1/2 weeks when we do the Jamestown Run again.

Current Weight is around 167 again.
Body Fat is at 21 1/2.
Need to focus on fat intake again.

Race and Injury Update

So the Jamestown Run got snowed out! That was a bit of a relief, I can't lie. I really want to do well there and the hamstring is not 100%. Maybe around 70% or so. I can't push it until it is good. It doesn't even feel right. So they will reschedule the race and hopefully that will give me time to recuperate fully and retrain to perform at the level I have been running. Otherwise I will focus in on the Morgan Hill Wildflower Run on 4/10. If I'm good by that one, I will go for the 10K and see what I can do. Main focus now is to be 100% for the Bay to Breakers in May. This will probably be my featured race for the year. It is the 100th running and should be something very special to participate in. Check it out!
http://zazzlebaytobreakers.com/index.php?page=what-s-new-for-2011

Taking it Easy

Sorry that I haven't posted much lately, but I haven't run much lately. I strained my right hamstring in the race in Ripon at the Almond Blossom Festival. I went ahead and run the 5K and jogged the mile at Henry's March at CSU Stanislaus to see if I could, but it didn't feel right. My hamstring tightened all up again, and maybe worse. That was on 3/6. So I barely jogged/walked a mile on 3/14 to test it. That was OK. I'll probably try to go 1.5 or 2 miles today. I want to do the 2 mile on Sat. at the Jamestown Run and forget about the 10K for now. I can do the 10K in Morgan Hill on 4/10 at the Wildflower Run. That should get me ready for the Bay to Breakers on 5/15. I'm taking it slow so I don't keep re-injuring the hamstring and prolong the injury. I'll be back to speed soon. I promise!

Almond Blossom Run(s)

OK. So I ran the mile and the 5 mile at the Almond Blossom Run in Ripon, CA on 2/26/2011. Times:

1 mile = 7.28.3 15th overall and third (bronze) in my AG
5 mile = 44:01.5 116th overall and 11th in my AG

Previous best 5 mile was 48:59 on Thanksgiving of 2009 for the Turkey Trail Trot in SF.
Trimmed almost 5 minutes from my PR.
Splits were 8:18, 9:10, 8:55, 9:00, and 8:38. Started and finished pretty strong. Proud of that.

Official results: http://www.shadowchase.org/results.htm

Next race is 3/6 Henry's March 5K and mile at CSU Stanislaus in Turlock, CA.

Don Osborne Run in Oakdale, CA

1 mile time: 7:19.8 and 5K time was posted as 26:30.5. The clock said 26:20, but whatever. I forgot to check my stopwatch. It was still pretty good for running again after only a 30 min. break. The mile started at 9 AM and the 5K at 9:30. I saw some friends out there and met some new ones! Joined the ShadowChase Running club. Next race will be Henry's March at CSU Stanislaus on March 6, again doing both races, but this time it is the 5K first so I should get a better 5K. Racing my kids in the mile and I think I'm going to get smoked! Oh well, it will be fun.

Ready to Race

OK, so tomorrow I run my first races of the year. I am doing the mile at 9 AM and then the 5K at 9:30. Will post up the results here and on DM. My 13 year old son ran a 6:55 mile today at school. I don't think I can touch that. We are going head to head next month. My PR is 7:12. Don't know if I'll be able to touch that either. I'm thinking 7:30 for the mile and 26:00 for the 5K. Would love to do better, but trying to be realistic. You can check my race schedule page and look for Don Osborne to check out the race!

Race Calendar for Feb-May

2/12 Don Osborne Run in Oakdale, CA
1 Mile and 5K. Did the 5K last year.

2/26 Almond Blossom Run in Ripon, CA
1 Mile and 5 Mile. New to calendar this year.

3/6 Henry's March in Turlock, CA
1 Mile and 5K. Did both last year.

3/19 Jamestown Run in Jamestown, CA
2 Mile and 10K. Did both last year.

4/10 Wildflower Run in Morgan Hill, CA
10K. Did the 5K last year.

5/15 The 100th running of the Bay to Breakers in San Francisco, CA
7.46 (12K). Never tried this race or distance before.
They are expecting 50,000 participants.

5/21 Chocolate Festival in Oakdale, CA
1 Mile and 5K. Did both last year.

I will probably schedule something for April, either a 5K or 10K and then a half marathon for early June.
Also plan to run the half marathon at the Giant Race at AT&T park in August.

I'll post more when I schedule more. I'm running well right now, averaging 8:20-8:30/mile.