Fall is finally here and after two races this month I figured this would be a good time for an update. This month has felt much more “normal” in my training and racing. 
So thankful for this! I knew going into both of my October races I wasn’t where I would like to be but it’s all about progress! This was a great way to test my fitness after 2 months of training.
The first race was October 7- the Micah Rine 5k. I was on the fence about even running this one but I have a long history with this race and it benefits my kids school. I also thought it would give me an idea of what to expect before my 10k the following weekend so I registered for it the day before the race. My coach thought I could shoot for a 6:05-6:10 pace for this 5K. It seemed a little optimistic to me (I was figuring 6:15-6:20) but I’m glad he suggested it. I really hoped my body was ready to break 19 minutes but I knew it would require a really strong race and I wasn’t sure I was there yet.
From the moment the gun went off I felt good and in control of my pace. This surprised me because I was fully prepared for the 5K pain train! It got a little tough in the last mile but it was always doable and not nearly as painful as I’d predicted. Maybe I could have pushed myself a little more?
Official Finish Time- 18:50. (avg. 6:06)
Splits: 6:07, 6:07, 6:05, last .10 at 5:35 pace
Abi also ran this race and set a big PR finishing in 21:47! She’s worked really hard in cross country this fall and I’m so proud of her!
After the race I was able to go on a long cool-down with some teammates and we previewed the Breakaway 10k race.
On October 14 I ran in the Breakaway 10K. This is a special race to me because it’s the only Arkansas Grand Prix race in my town and it’s hosted by my running club. I designed the course last summer and I’ve run it countless times. It’s the course I’ve run my fastest 10k on last fall (37:51). This summer during the thick of plantar fasciitis I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to race it this year. Obviously I knew I wasn’t going to be as fast as last year but I didn’t want that to stop me from experiencing it this year.
My A goal going into it was to break 39 minutes and I knew that would be tough. I started just under a 6:20 pace and hoped I could pick it up as I went but temps were close to 70 and it was typical Arkansas humidity so that didn’t happen. I stayed with it and focused on keeping it under 6:20. I could handle that. Last year when I ran a 6:02 pace the temp was 30 degrees cooler. Big difference! I just focused on what I could control and that was pacing smart. Mission accomplished. All splits within 5 seconds of each other! Talk about consistent!
Official Finish Time- 39:24
Splits: 6:19, 6:19, 6:16, 6:14, 6:17, 6:18, last 0.27 at 6:06 pace
After the race I jogged back and found Anna who had run the first 4 miles with Lori. Lori then went on ahead and then I stayed with Anna for her final 2 miles. Very proud of my middle two kids for running this one. Anthony finished in 52:31 (which is a 10K PR for him) Anna finished her first 10K in 1:03:28! They both did great!
What’s next?
I have another 10K and a half marathon coming up so between now and then I’m focusing on getting in some good training and a few long runs. Hopefully within the next month or two I can be back to where I was this spring.
I’ve had some big workouts and I’m anxious to see how this plays out in my November and December races. We’ll see…
