Iron Horse 15k recap

Yesterday I ran my very first 15k.  As I mentioned before, I was very nervous about this race for a few reasons - the main one being I didn't want a repeat of last week's 8 mile post run.

I woke up nice and early on Sunday morning and put on my running outfit for the day -

Gotta rep my Sweat Pink sisters!

I met Sharon at her house and we headed to the race.  In the past, I haven't eaten anything before a race, but I'd also never run more than 6 miles.  I decided that my body probably needed more fuel, so I had a Zone bar on the way to the race, half a Luna bar when we got there, and a GU before the race started.  We picked up our race bibs and packets and finished stretching and getting ready to run.

Sharon was running the 5k while I was running the 15k.  Both races started at the same time, so we wished each other good luck and went off to run our own races.  I started off slow since I knew I had to go 9.3 miles and wanted to conserve as much energy as I could.  I would share my splits with you, but my Nike+ app has a mind of its own and actually tells me I've gone more miles than I actually have, so they're very inaccurate.  It said I was finished when I had a good half mile to go.  I hope to get a Garmin watch soon to help resolve this problem  (hint hink, wink wink honey!)

I took a GU at miles 3 and 6, and always made sure to drink the Accelerade they had at all 5 or 6 water stations.  I also had strawberry lemonade Nuun in my water bottle to have if I needed a sip between the water stations.  I knew I was at the back of the pack, but I just wanted to finish the race in an upright position.  The course was nice...a few hills but nothing too serious.  Some of the fraternity brothers of the Kappa Alpha fraternity at several different spots on the course cheering us on (well..some of them were...others were sitting down looking bored...I called them out).

Sharon was getting worried about me and actually texted J to see if I might have mentioned to him when I thought I might finish.  She then texted me  -

Thanks for worrying about me Sharon!

FINALLY...the end was in sight...I kicked it up and crossed the finish line - official time was 2:03:51.  I had hopes of finishing in under 2 hours, but I didn't miss it by much, and it will definitely be my goal to beat that time.

Done!

 For running the 15k, we got medals.  The series of races (5k, 10k, 15k and half marathon) is called the Locomotive Series, so the medal was a train.  

 

Sharon had a water waiting for me and we walked around since I needed to keep myself moving.  We saw the Muscle Milk truck, and Sharon has been raving about their Cookies 'n Cream, so I gave them a whirl, except I got Vanilla.  It was pretty good!  Definitely something I would consider drinking for recovery.  Panera Bread was also there with their Cinnamon Crunch bagels...they were very tasty!  We saw people walking away with a full box of them!  I also grabbed a Powerade and we just walked around the vendors and chatted until we decided to head home.

After I got home and showered, I slipped into my Zensah compression sleeves and even ended up sleeping in them that night.

 I also cracked open a Skinny Cherry Cheribundi to help my muscles recover.  It was a very low key rest of the day.

 Things I learned during this race :

1) My phone will not stay charged if I run any distance longer...it was dead about 5 minutes after I crossed the finish line.  Reason #2 why I need a Garmin. :)

2) I REALLY need to make sure I fuel my body and keep it as hydrated as possible...I felt so much better after this race as opposed to my training run last week

3) My Nike+ app is so incredibly inaccurate with calculating the actual mileage run that I feel like I've wasted the money in purchasing it.

Thanks for all of the positive thoughts and comments on my previous post.  I really appreciate it!

Another piece of exciting news - while we were on our way to the race, I received an email welcoming me on board as a new Girls Gone Sporty Ambassador!

What is Girls Gone Sporty all about?  It's about embracing fun and adventure...it's tips on not only health and fitness, but beauty, fashion, and lifestyle.  Check out their website to learn more!

Until next time,

Jen