Johnny's Runnin' O The Green

Saturday, March 13, 2010
This was my 5 year wedding anniversary and my husband had to work for 27 hours beginning at 7:30 AM-yay US! What can you do? You make the best of it, we're celebrating a day late. So, in honor of 5 married years I signed up for a 5 mile race, a pretty big one here in Rochester, as it turns out. It's a St. Patty's Day race followed by a parade through the city. I was well on my way home during the parade in some chilly 40-degree rainy weather! I did, however, run in shorts (actually a skirt, my new favorite thing...) and long sleeves. I wasn't the least bit cold while running, yes, cold afterwards. (But that's what long pants and fleece jackets are for!)

There were around 1600 or 1800 runners, many in green and some in fun costumes, including kilts. I started out with my long run buds and three of us stayed together for a little while. Wendy and I ran the first 2 plus miles together, then she moved on ahead and I did my best to keep her in sight. It was an out and back course so we got to cheer on the front runners as we were still going out which was really fun. We even knew a couple of them!

I finished a minute behind Wendy and 2 minutes behind my other friend Mark. My normal long run group had done a 7-mile pre-run to reach their long distance of 17 for the day and they all still ran FAST races! Still I'm happy with my 7:38 average pace a week after the marathon. My splits were mile 1- 7:28, mile 2- 7:44, mile 3- 7:39, mile 4- 7:54, mile 5- 7:31.

I opted to call it a day at 5 miles instead of running 5 more with my friends-about 8 of them were still going like energizer bunnies! Maybe if it had been a beautiful day I would have kept running. But I deserve an easy weekend because Monday is Ironman Training Week One, already!!!