A Couple Race Reports and PR's ...

Yep, it is a Chocolate (edible) Medal!

Race Report #1: LifeTime Fitness 10K Chocolate Run

Today Annie and I ran in the inaugural LifeTime Fitness Lake Houston 5K/10K Chocolate Run. The course was setup by our friend and Run Club Coordinator, Coach KT White, and she did a wonderful job for the first year event. She had over 100 runners signed up and the premise of the race was simple: Run and then eat chocolate. This is something most of us can support!

The 10K was scheduled to start at 9am followed by the 5K at 9:15 and, as luck would have it, it was the coldest day of the winter so far for us in South East Texas. The wind was cutting and the Real Feel Temps were in the high teens to low 20's. It was freaking cold!

My plan for the race was to take it out slow and then settle into marathon pace (7:00/mi) and just cruise on in for some chocolate. I had run 20 miles yesterday (and 60 for the week) so today was to be nothing more than a flush out the lactic acid type of run.

The starting cowbell rang and the group took off. Within a few steps I was up in the front with a couple other guys and it was absolutely freezing. I was flapping my arms around like bird wings trying to stay warm - this had to look ridiculous! I looked up and saw my buddy Dennis on his bike as he was to lead the front runners along the course. At this point I decided it was so damn cold that running faster would get me back indoors that much sooner. A new plan had been devised! I dropped down to about a 5min pace to catch up to Dennis on the bike. I looked back and no one had come with me so within less than a quarter of a mile this was my race to win or lose.

When I got within earshot I yelled for him to slow the hell down so I'd have someone to chat with. Dennis was freezing too so he was down with my plan of going faster than planned and I told him to keep his bike speed around 9mph (6:30 running pace) and we settled in to that pace.

The rest of the run was rather uneventful. I was running at a good pace but not one that had me redlining or even really hurting that bad. I was concerned with blowing up my legs so I held back just enough to lay down a respectable time. The last mile of the run was into a pretty viscous head wind and this one hurt a little bit as I maintained the same pace but it was over quick.

Dennis dropped off with about 400 meters to go and I cruised on in at the time of 40:20 for the win. I wish I would have paid more attention to my watch (it was tucked under my sleeve) and ran a little harder as I was just 21 seconds short of going sub-40. Still a 5min PR!

Jeff Irvin

LifeTime Fitness 10K Chocolate Run

Humble, TX 2/12/12

40:20 - 6:29/mi avg

First Place Overall

1st Place Award - A vase of Chocolate, the entire thing is filled with Hersey Kisses and bars!

Race Report #2: Bridgefest 5K

Saturday, Feb 4th - This was the second year in a row that I have run in the Bridgefest 5K. Last year it was icy and freezing and I was coming off a bout with Bronchitis. I finished last year in 19:54 and my current 5K PR sits at 19:43.

My Tri Club sets up a tent at this race since it is local and this means we have to get there early to get this accomplished. The race starts at 9am and we had the tent up by 6:15am - just before the skies opened up!!!

Yep, another Bridgefest with crappy weather!

It literally just poured on us all morning long with high winds, thunder, and lightening. The organizers pushed the start time of the 5K back by 45 minutes as the radar showed a little break in the weather and would allow us to get in the run. The radar was wrong - this is called foreshadowing (-;

After a couple mile warm up a few friends and I got ourselves positioned towards the front of the starting line and were standing by as they made the pre-race announcements. The course is a simple out-and-back that has us running the first half mile along the tree lined West Lake Houston Parkway and then we run up and over the one mile bridge going over Lake Houston. We turn around at the base of the bridge and run back -- easy peasy!

My plan was race this hard and just go until I blow up.

The gun went off and we were off. The local High School track and Cross Country teams were there and all the 115lb kids shot off like they were fired out of a cannon. I settled into a 5:38 pace and was actually feeling pretty good - and then it happened - started to POUR rain again. It was coming down in buckets!

I made the turn at the base of the bridge and was feeling pretty good even at this pace? I started back up the slight incline and it was here when I realized why the first 1.55mi of the race went so well - we had a tailwind. And based on the now headwind I was fighting it was a very solid tailwind!

The last half of the race absolutely wrecked me. The rain felt like little daggers hitting you in the face and the wind felt like you were running against a wall. The amount of water made it difficult to take long strides so my cadence seemed to be extremely fast. Not very good times!!

Anyway, I finished with the time of 19:11 and got myself a new PR. My Garmin showed the course as being a little long and my pace per mile was 6:02 on the watch - which was my overall goal. I was the 4th non-HS kid to finish and picked up 3rd Place hardware in my Age Group. They had the AG's at 30-39 this year and a couple of youngster 30-year olds aged up on me -- hehe!

Jeff Irvin

Bridgefest 5K - 2/4/12

Kingwood, TX

19:11 - 6:10/mi avg

3rd/41 AgeGroup & 14th/619 Overall

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff