The 8k is an interesting distance to race. Maybe one of these years I’ll learn to race it right! This was my second year to run the Rock Run 8k (4.97 miles) and while I did set a “PR” by a whopping 6 seconds I know I have some work to do.
Pre-Race
Friday night Anna had a softball game that didn’t start until 8. We got home around 9:45 and it seemed to take everyone a little while to wind down. Waking the kids up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning was as fun as it sounds. The race started at 7:30 so we needed to be on the road by 5:45.
The Rock Run 8k is the 9th race on the Arkansas Grand Prix schedule. Proceeds benefit the Easter Seals of Arkansas which provides numerous services for those with disabilities in Arkansas. I love supporting local races like this, especially when it benefits kids. There were quite a few of the recipients at the finish line cheering on all the runners. This made the finish really special!
The start
The Race
My pace plan was to run between 6:00-6:10. Having run a 15k in February at a 6:14 average I thought shooting for a 6:10 would be somewhat doable. Unfortunately, my fitness level is still not back to where it was at my peak- the Little Rock Marathon in March. I love marathons but they require a few weeks of recovery and running Hogeye in April set things back even more. After a few weeks of easy running I’m back into training mode now so hopefully I can get it back within the next couple of weeks!
Mile 1
Photo credit @ Coker Fit Photography
Photo credit @ Coker Fit Photography
Almost to the finish!
Splits: 6:06, 6:24, 6:26, 6:21, 6:10. Basically I got way off track for the middle miles. I don’t know why but I never felt great or in the zone. I was just trying to get through it from the beginning which is never a good race feeling. Fortunately, I was able to pull it back together towards the end.
Official Time: 31:18. 1st Female. Official Results can be found here.
Once I grabbed some water I headed back to find my kids who were also running the 8k. My daughter is the oldest and I knew I’d see her first. She had looked strong when I saw her at the turnaround and I hoped she was having a good race. She looked strong and focused when I saw her heading towards the finish. She ended up finishing at 40:21.
Almost to the finish!
My son is in the grey
Once I found my son I turned to run back with him. He had a little over a half mile to go. We just stayed nice and steady and finished together. He ended with a 47:02.
The best part of any race is being able to finish with one of my kids.
Proud of these two!
All of the Searcy Rush team who ran the Rock Run 8k
Our team ended up winning the race which was great considering we were missing a few of our regular runners. Thankfully we have some strong junior high runners!
Post Race
About 24 hours after the race my quads became pretty sore and this lasted almost 48 hours. DOMS! I guess I pushed harder than I thought. It had also been 5 weeks since my last race so this was the hardest my body had worked in a while. Time to get back into race shape! The next Arkansas Grand Prix race is not for another month so hopefully I can get in a few good weeks of training before then!
Coming Up Next
I’m so excited about the next post! It’s actually an interview featuring a mom I love to race. Stay tuned… 