Stockadeathon and Turkey Trot 2011

Stockadeathon
The Schenectady Stockadeathon is one of my favorite races of the season but last year it fell on the same day of the NYC Marathon so we missed a year. This year it was a month after the marathon. My only goal was to have fun today. The start is only 10 min from my house which means we got to sleep in and then head over. My goal was under a 1:40 for the 15K. I set out on the run with Stacey and we were doing well. I felt great so I kept getting faster. I realized after the big State St hill that I could push it in and finish under my goal time. 1:38 was my finishing time and it felt good to try to go faster! It was a perfect day for a great run!

Troy Turkey Trot
My family celebrates Thanksgiving by running before endulging. Of course, Joe and I have taken this a little further and decide to forgo the chaos of the 5K and run the 10K to get in a little more running and thus more calorie burn. I love going to races and seeing my former athletes who are still running or former students who are out with their families doing the same thing we are doing! We saw so many people we knew at the race and it just added to the spirit of the day. It was a little chilly on this morning - it was so chilly, I couldn't feel my toes for the first 2 miles of the race. As we set off, I didn't really have a goal as I have been suffering from a slight case of shin splints. I was so cold that I couldn't feel my legs the first mile which I ran in a 10:09 which isn't a bad time for me! I just decided to see what I could do at this point though. I figured I was going to cover the 6.2 miles so I may as well push hard and get some more calorie burn out of this run! This course is now a 2 loop course (yuck) with one longish hill which we do twice (double yuck). This year the hill didn't feel horrible. This made the decision to go fast a little easier. I rounded the first 5K loop in just under 30 min and was super excited for my prospect of doing really well. I set off at a pace that I hadn't done in a long time for the second lap. I realized at mile 4.5 that I may have been trying a little too hard and may not last at this pace but it is worth a try. I went into the last mile realizing I could hit a 57 min 10 K which would be wonderful for me. In the end, the pace was a little too fast for me to maintain and I finished in a respectable 58:19 which is a PR for me by just over a minute. I was able to spend the rest of the day eating and visiting with my family so this was an incredible start to a wonderful day!

This was also the beginning of a Runners World blog idea and an idea that my husband is taking part in - a streak of running at least 1 mile every day between Thanksgiving and New Years. I have been on board so far although I am hesitant to committ because I don't want to fail at something so easy. I guess I am technically in though as I haven't missed a day yet and have planned it into my schedule for the next week! I know I will feel good about myself if I do this especially since my goal is to do the Hangover Half on New Years Day. Plus, I am a runner so why wouldn't I take on this relatively easy challenge. If this warm weather continues, I will be able to run all of those 1 mile or more runs outside too which is really exciting!