Monument Avenue 10k - Well That Sucked

I love the Monument Avenue 10k. Of all of the races I've done, it is my absolute favorite. Richmond Marathon is a really really close second place, but Monument Avenue wins because it is where this whole journey started for me and because it is where the journey starts for so many people in the metro-Richmond area. My friend and fellow fantastic runner/writer Chris once called the Monument Avenue 10k a "gateway race" and he is exactly right.

Monument Avenue 10k is also the only race that I have a streak going on too; I haven't missed one since my first in 2010, making this my 7th in a row. I am very determined to keep this streak going.

Not only that, but after running the hell out of the Marine Corps 17.75k last Saturday and then having another speedy negative split 4 miler with Kit on Monday, I was thinking that maybe I could PR my 10k. 

So imagine my irritation when, on Tuesday night, I started feeling ill. For the third time in the space of five months, I've got myself a pretty awful cold. That night at yoga, I arrived early and actually fell asleep on my mat waiting for class to start. In denial as usual, I laid out my running clothes and was looking forward to running through Bryan Park to see the spring azaleas the next morning but woke up feeling even worse.

I slept late and took the morning off, but went in to work that afternoon. I stubbornly went to work all day on Thursday too, and picked my bib for the 10k that afternoon. On Friday I went to my gait analysis appointment with BFF Steve, which required me to run on the dreadmill for 10 minutes. I felt like I was going to die.

That evening, Kit and I met for a "shake out" run. The problem with Kit and I going on a shake out run is that we are VERY BAD AT SHAKE OUT RUNS and we ended up doing 4 miles at a sub-8:00 pace.

Besides being slightly crazy, all runners are also more than slightly boneheaded. This morning I woke up thinking that I still might PR this race. That feeling lasted until about three blocks into the race, when it became all too obvious to me that I was not going to be able to run a 7:00 pace for 6.2 miles. I stayed in step with Kit for Mile 1 and then told him that it wasn't my day and that he should just go ahead and go for it.

The next 5.2 miles sucked. The Monument Avenue 10k is such a spirited race with so many bands, cheering squads, spectators, and runners that it should have been easy to just slow down and enjoy myself. But I couldn't enjoy myself at all. I felt horrific. The thoughts going through my mind were:

• "Oh my God, am I finished yet?"
• "You ran a BQ marathon 3 weeks ago... what is wrong you, pansy?"
• "This is the longest 10k of my life."
• "I kind of just want to stop at the med tent and quit. I've heard you get to ride a golf cart back to the start. I love golf carts." 
• "There are a lot of people passing me and I don't even care."
• "Am I finished yet???"

GB snapped this photo of me looking grim on the course, around mile 4ish.

 My lap times tell the tale of a steady crash.

Mile 1 - 7:00
Mile 2 - 7:25
Mile 3 - 7:44
Mile 4 - 7:48
Mile 5 - 8:12
Mile 6 - 8:05

3 and 6 aren't accurate; during 3 I saw my buddy Lauren and Coach Scott in the median cheering and, knowing that I wasn't PRing, I stopped to say hi and chat for at least 30 seconds. Same during mile 6, when I was looking for any excuse to stop for spell, I saw my friend Mark taking photos and stopped to chat with him. Out of habit, I cut off my watch each of those times but of course the race clock kept ticking on. My Garmin time was 48:04, but clock time was 49:07.

After I crossed the line, I found Kit and then went directly to the med tent. (Kit killed it after ditching me, running a 42:25 and missing a PR by seconds.) Thanks to my cold and the fierce wind, I had been not quite able to catch my breath along the course and had felt some tightness in my chest. I figured I was ok, but I always try to ere on the side of caution and wanted a medical professional to take a quick listen to the old ticker to make sure I was ok.

DON'T WORRY MOM, I'M FINE.

I'm super bummed about today; not because I didn't PR, but because I really didn't enjoy any of the time that I spent running. I've run this race to PR it and I've run it "casually." Either way, I always have an overall good time. Until today, I thought it was impossible to not enjoy the Monument Avenue 10k. So that sucks.

Thankfully, it's a rare day indeed when I completely hate every second of a run. And even though it sucked, I'm thankful I was able to continue my streak and for the lessons that this experience taught me: that it's pretty foolish to expect to PR three weeks after a BQ marathon and while in the midst of an illness. I've asked a hell of a lot of my body over the past month and it decided today that it would remind me that despite my desperate attempts to convince myself otherwise, I am not super human. I am the "Delicate Beast," as Kit calls me, and the Delicate Beast needs some rest.

(... at least for the next two weeks because maybe I'll try to redeem myself and PR at the Carytown 10k on the 24th...)

Despite my crappy race, I have smiled much and been able to revel in the happiness of so many others who had a fantastic race this morning. I got to shepherd my coworker Laura through her first Monument Avenue 10k experience (you guys know my soft spot for first timers). I saw local visually impaired runner Antoine Craig on the course with his guide and got to tell him he was doing great. He was so sweet and thanked me, then told me I was doing great too - before promptly taking off and beating me to the finish of course. He is so inspiring to me and it really lifted my spirits to see him. So many first timers have been proudly posting on our RVA Runners Facebook page, saying they're already signed up for their next race. My newsfeed has been filled with smiling faces of friends who ran and friends who cheered others on. Marcey crushed her goal time - on her birthday!

That's the thing about the Monument Avenue 10k - it is an event that has become so much more than a road race for this community. It is a joyful day that brings together people of all kinds, all ages, and all abilities. I'm so grateful that we have it. 

The Difference

The professional photos taken of me during the Shamrock Half and the Monument Avenue 10k are so amusing because they clearly show the difference between a runner who is d*cking around and a runner who is on a serious mission.

La-de-daaaaa... oh hi photographer!
How bout a thumbs up?

Beast mode.

For the first time ever, I ordered the overpriced photos from Marathonfoto - three total from Shamrock. Here are the other two:

Pre-race, freezing to death in the corral as we waited for the delayed start.\
We fake happy well, don't we??

Post race medal-biting PR celebration.

And damn those Marathonfoto people, I'm strongly considering buying my 10k boss photo - mainly because for the first time ever I look like a real runner on film.

Our post-race official photo is also pretty amusing.

Do you guys buy race photos? 

To this point I have resisted, but lately it's been hard because mine have actually been turning out so well.

But I assure you, I also have bad race photos.

You can plainly see my love for the run in this photo, right?

Race Report: Monument Avenue 10k

It's truly a miracle that I survived high school. Not only was I the biggest band geek you ever saw and the Valedictorian, I was a massive Star Wars nerd to boot.

Now I'm all those, plus a run nerd. Good lord, it's a wonder I don't get beat up now!

I'm telling you this because I want to start this post with one of my favorite lessons from Star Wars:

Image Source

Forgive the pun, but today the force was definitely with Greg and I as we set out upon our mission to break 49:00 at the Monument Avenue 10k. Here's how it went down, strategy by strategy.

Strategy 1: Choose a very visible race day outfit to maximize ability to stick together in a crowd.

Hello neon pink.

Race Day Outfit: Head to Toe

Headband: BIC Bands Big Bling Sparkle Silver

Tank: An old Adidas Run Tank

Sports Bra: C9 by Champion Molded Cup Racer Bra in Neon Yellow

Skirt: Lululemon Pace Setter in Inkwell/Ocean Stripe

(Honestly I shelled out the $60 for the stripe)

Calf Sleeves: Pro Compression Marathon Calf Sleeve in Pink/Black

Shoes: Brooks PureCadence 1

Greg went with orange.

This strategy worked beautifully - we never really got separated, but if either of us was a few steps ahead of the other, it was easy to quickly glance over a shoulder and spot the other person without a hassle.

Strategy 2: Proper pre-race precautions.

Step one: We were both very good and did not run on Thursday or Friday. I stretched whenever I thought about it and took the dog for a walk on Thursday night. 

Step two: On Friday, my pre-race dinner was pasta-based and I drank what seemed like tons of water. Greg tells me he ate an Italian sub... not what I would be able to handle but hey, whatever works.

Step three: Get the Big Man on our side. We each arrived at the race site with ample time to drop off bags, stop at the port-o-potties, etc. In fact, we are both so chronically early that we actually made it to Monroe Park in time to go to Sacred Heart Cathedral for the short "Blessing of the Runners" service held at 7:30 am. I figured we needed all the help we could get, so asked Greg if he wanted to go and he was on board.

I had never actually arrived with enough time to partake in this before and I have to say it was a nice yet surreal experience: here were all of us runners decked out in our race gear, sitting in one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in all of Richmond, singing hymns and listening to a homily about running. 

Even if you aren't particularly religious or Catholic, it is a nice experience and I'm glad we did it.

Strategy 3: Start as far to the front of our corral as possible.

We made our way to the corral area at 8:00 am; a full 30 minutes before the start of the race. As a result, we were the front of the corral, literally holding up the rope that divided Corral C from BB.

Greg demonstrates his holding-the-line skillz.

This really helped us. I have never been at the front of the corral before and it was a big rush to see nothing but pavement ahead of us as the race announcer counted down "3...2...1...GO!" Because they actually stop and give some time in between the start of each corral, we were not overcrowded at all and had nothing but empty Broad Street ahead of us, with the folks from corral BB already yards away. 

The traffic that we had both been pretty worried about simply didn't exist!

Strategy 4: Choose a designated pacer/leader. 

Greg was our official leader, but we really didn't end up having to run one behind the other very often. We spent most of our time side by side with each of us keeping an eye on the Garmin. Strangely, I ended up being more of the pace-keeper, probably because just into Mile 1 I realized that we were running way too fast and that if we kept it up, we wouldn't last. So, I kept an eye to the Garmin to make sure we were on target but not killing ourselves.

However, at the end, I have to give all credit to Greg who literally grabbed my hand and pulled me forward during the last bit. It was the boost I needed to finish strong.

I think we make a pretty awesome team.

Strategy 5: No Facebooking, picture taking, bathroom breaks, or water stops. 

Phones were securely zipped into our running belts after I took the holding the line photos in the corrals. 

There were no bathroom breaks, but it got warm pretty fast and we did end up taking water at 2 water stops (I believe at miles 2 and 4). Because we were not in heavy crowds, I don't believe that it slowed us down very much at all and when you need to drink, you need to drink. 

Strategy 6: Have fun, like we always do. 

I was so excited about meeting this challenge that I basically jumped out of bed when my alarm went off at 5:45 am. On the way to the race, I pumped up my Run playlist and had a dance party in my car as I made my way to Richmond. By the time I met Greg at Monroe Park, I was literally skipping and hopping with excitement. 

I was HYPED.

The service at Sacred Heart calmed me down a bit, but by the time we were at the head of our corral, I was all energy, literally bouncing in place. 

But as soon as we took off, this race felt different. Greg and I are usually very chatty during our runs, but our conversation was kept to a minimum as we both concentrated on the matter at hand. Actually racing the Monument Avenue 10k was such a strange and new experience for me... usually I can tell you about the funny spectators, the music the bands are playing along the way, the cheer stations, the costumes I saw. This time, none of that sunk in. 

I'm not saying I didn't have fun. I definitely had a great time. I hooted and hollered for the elites as they passed us on the other side of the street. I cheered back to my favorite bands and cheer squads and waved for the cameras. I smiled at signs, grabbed a free high-5 or two, yelled my thanks to volunteers, and urged on a young boy who stopped to walk just ahead of me during mile 4. 

But my main focus was my run. Continuing to put one foot in front of the other. Watching the Garmin to be sure that we were on pace. 

At the 5k turnaround, we were 24:05. I said to Greg, "I think we have this, man."

At Mile 5, it truly dawned on me that all we had to do was run for 8 more minutes and we were going to completely blow our goal out of the water. I think I was in shock. I said, "Greg... holy crap... we are going to do this."

As we crossed the Mile 6 marker, I felt like I was losing steam. I wanted to finish strong, but wasn't sure if it was in me. I knew we were going to make the 49:00 and that was enough. Then I saw the finish line and the realization of what we were about to accomplish really came to me. Greg pulled ahead and I said, "Don't leave me, don't leave me!" and pushed my tired legs to just keep going... just a little bit more.

About 100 yards in front of the finish, I was one or two lengths behind Greg. That's when he grabbed my hand and raised it above me. Back at mile 5, we had planned our finish line pose. He was employing it early - and it gave me that extra jolt I needed.

Once we finished and saw our results, I can tell you that this race quickly earned the title of "most fun ever."

Strategy realized: End result

So how did it turn out? 

Friends, not only did we make our goal... we exceeded it.

A few minutes after we had made our way through the chute and parked ourselves in the grass for much-needed stretching and consumption of water, our text alert with times from our tags came in.

Somehow, both of us finished in exactly 47:49.

Here are the splits:

This gives us a 47:48, but official results gave us each the 47:49.

Do you see that average pace? A full minute less  that my average pace at this race last year. 

I still can't quite believe we did it. I have to admit that this morning when I got up, I was excited about the race but in the back of my mind, I was preparing myself not to break 49:00, but to just get a PR. Some part of me didn't really think that we'd be able to pull this off. 

Even now, hours and hours later, it still feels like some kind of surreal dream. 

I can't say that I've ever had a "perfect" race day before. I have a feeling it doesn't happen very often to very many people. For me, it's either raining, or too cold, or I get to the race a little later than I wanted to and feel rushed and nervous, or I lose my running buddy, or it is windy, or my [insert body part here] starts to hurt - you get the picture. 

But today was perfect. I basically waltzed into a parking spot exactly where I wanted to be and had an hour and half before go time. That hour and a half was spent in comfort, as the weather was (for once) absolutely perfect. There was plenty of time to drop off my bag and make a trip to the port-o-pottie just because, not really because I needed  to go. We were in our corral and happily hanging out up front with just the perfect amount of time to stretch and then get pumped up. During the race, nothing on me really hurt. I didn't have any wardrobe malfunctions (until I lost my bib in the chute afterwards which we somehow miraculously recovered almost 30 minutes and thousands of people later after I realized it was missing), I didn't get elbowed or stepped on.

It was just perfection.

Afterwards, we walked to Lift to obtain the iced coffee and bagel with cream cheese that I had been dangling in front of myself as a reward since the first step of Mile 1. 

It was heavenly.

My runner's high lasted well into the afternoon, until about 3 pm when I finally crashed on the couch.

Conclusion

As I've said before, I'm not a big fan of clichés. But darn it, running just keeps making them all come true. This time, it was "Dream it, do it." 

I think so many of us will never know what we can truly accomplish because we are too afraid of potential failure. Or because we have become jaded. I know that I often fall into the latter category. A lot of us just don't end up where we thought we would in life, even if we did all the things we thought would get us there. 

Today, as I had a second private dance party in my car on the way home, I realized that maybe the reason I love running so much is because I have been able to set ambitious goals for myself and then see them realized where other life dreams have yet to be fulfilled.

Have I been scared along the way? More times than I can count.

Have I failed? Abso-freakin'-lutely. 

Have I wanted to quit? Hell yes. After the Army 10 Miler, I swore I would never run that far again. Ever.

But this sport has taught me so much about what I really can do if I can just convince a little part of myself to believe that I can. That I can still make things happen if I really want to.

It's crazy, really. Something that I used to detest with every fiber of my being has now give me my ambition back and become part of who I am.

Mind. Blown.

Monument Avenue 10k Strategy

Back in January when I was seriously waffling about whether or not to even sign up for this race, I had a few caveats for participation, and I quote:

"If Lizzie comes early, I won't be running the race. And, if I am experiencing any pain or discomfort after the 10 miler, I won't be doing the race either."

Well, neither of these things have happened. Krystal and I chat every day and she has informed me that Lizzie is not going anywhere any time soon, though I really do wish she would hurry up and come out to play. And, 3 days out from the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, I feel 100% fine. 

So it looks like I am running the 10k this Saturday. 

When I signed up, Greg and I made the deal that we were only running this race if we raced it: all out, balls-to-the-wall, do or die, kick some serious assphalt - all those fun things. So we  agreed that if/when we run the Monuemnt Avenue 10k, we are aiming to break 49:00. 

For me, that is a very ambitious goal. My last 10k PR was last year's race during which I ran a 53:22, average pace of 8:36 minutes per mile. To make the 49:00, we're talking about shaving off 4 minutes and maintaining an average pace of 7:54 minute miles.

Um... I've never done that math before. Eep.

ANYWAY, because we have set this insane, sepcific goal for ourselves, we need to do something that I've never really done before when it comes to the actual racing part: strategize. 

Usually my race day strategy consists of things like "don't pee yourself, don't poop yourself, don't fall down, don't break anything, just keep running, and finish."

These basics aren't going to get me to a 49:00.

So here is the grand strategy Greg and I are employing in hopes of getting there.

1. Choose a very visible race day outfit. This is a very crowded race and we are going to have to do bobbing and weaving. At Cherry Blossom, Greg wore a gray shirt and when we would be temporarily separated as we worked our way through dense traffic, it was very hard for me to spot him again. I was wearing white, so it was probably not much easier to spot me. So, I'm wearing a neon pink top along with neon pink compression knee socks and Greg is wearing orange or yellow.
2. Proper pre-race precautions including refraining from running on Thursday and Friday so that our legs are as fresh as they can be on Saturday morning (stretching and walking are cool/encouraged); proper fueling strategy; don't eat any Mexican or drink wine on Friday night; go to bed early; etc.
3. Start as far to the front of our corral as possible. Initially I was assigned to seeded corral G and Greg was in C but I sweet talked the "problem fixer" at the expo into moving me into corral C, so we'll be trying to be as far forward in the corral as we can get to cut out more traffic.
4. Choose a designated pacer/leader. Again, because of the crowded nature of this race, we will likely not be able to run side by side. One of us will have to be the leader to find openings and cut through other runners, while the other simply follows. Greg is taller and faster, so he has been designated as our leader - I'll be doing my best to keep with him.
5. No Facebooking, photo taking, bathroom breaks, or water stops. We won't be running tourists this time around. No time for any of this. Weather is looking like high 40s and low 50s during the race, so we can easily make it through without stopping at water stops. Obviously if one of us absolutely has to have water or make an emergency bathroom break, we will. If it's an emergency. 
6. Have fun, like we always do. I love running races because I love to feed off the energy of the crowd and have fun. This is why I usually don't set ambitious time-based goals for myself. To me, every mile and every race is a big accomplishment no matter how long it takes to do it. I don't want to lose sight of that this year.

Waffling

It is time once again to register for the Monument Avenue 10k. I have been having a really hard time deciding on whether or not to run this race.

After I found out that I was chosen to run the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler (which was totally unexpected), my initial thought about Monument Avenue was that I wasn't going to do it. The Cherry Blossom is on April 7 and the 10k is on April 13. Far too close together for my comfort. If this had happened pre-break, I would've been fine but now I am no longer the throw-caution-to-the-wind runner that I used to be.

But the 10k keeps calling out to me. It's in my Facebook newsfeed, its commercials are on the television, and everyone who knows that I am runner keeps asking me, "Are you doing the 10k?" (To all non-runners, if you live in Richmond and run, then obviously you are doing the 10k.)

To help make the decision, I decided to make a pro/con list, otherwise known as the Do It/Don't Do It Inner Monologue.

Found this gem. God, I loved Daria. 

Do It

1. It's your only "streak" race. You have run it every year since beginning your journey. Yes, it's only been 3 years, but at this point it's the only streak you have. Do you want to give it up?
2. You are a runner and you live in Richmond, therefore the 10k is a no brainer.  If you don't do it, you know people will wonder what's wrong with you (even if they never say it out loud). It's just what you do, ok?
3. Simply put - it's a fun race. Plain, easy, fun. No pressure.
4. You qualify for a seeded wave this year. You have never qualified for a seeded wave before - how can you pass up that opportunity?
5. It's only 6.2 little miles. By the end of half-marathon training, you will be conditioned enough to be able to run 16 miles in the space of 5 days. All you need to do is run the 10 miler on Sunday, cross train during the week only, and run the 10k on Saturday. It'll be FINE.
6. Conversely, if  you get nervous and think 6.2 miles after a mere 6 days after the Cherry Blossom 10 will cause you to break yourself again, just don't run. The race fee is $30... it's not like it is $75 or $100. No big deal.
7. Stop thinking so much you idiot, and just do it.

Don't Do It 

1. You are being reckless. Don't know if you remember this, but you are only 5 months gone from a broken foot. That you broke because you pushed yourself too far too fast. You are running a half marathon on March 17 and a ten miler on April 7, and now you want to do a 10k on April 13. Do you want to end up on crutches again... 3 weeks before your trip to Italy, where crutches would decidedly be a disaster?
2. BFF is set to hatch on April 17. If little Lizzie decides to come early, you will need to be hightailing it to Maryland for the big event. 
3. Did I mention that you had a broken foot?
4. Doing Monument Avenue means that you will have effectively filled every weekend in April. And you already feel overwhelmed about April. Is that really smart?

After much dwelling on these items, I have (rashly) elected to register for the Monument Avenue 10k. 

I just can't give up the streak. And I have to stop always worrying. 

There are, however, two caveats: If Lizzie comes early, I won't be running the race. And, if I am experiencing any pain or discomfort after the 10 miler, I won't be doing the race either. 

I am going to blame 50% of this decision on peer pressure. 40% on my own craziness and 10% on advertising pressure. Congratulations, Sportsbackers, you've suckered me in.

Inner monologue says I'm an idiot, by the way.

Monument Avenue 10k - Take 2

Today I had the enormous pleasure of meeting up with my friend and Hot Mother Runner Marcey for a redo of the Monument Avenue 10k.

You might recall from my race report that poor Marcey ended up not being able to run the official Monument Avenue 10k last Saturday. The new, strange, and unexpected road closures that morning prevented her from getting to her usual planned parking spot. As a result, she had to fight with the 40,000 other people descending on downtown Richmond to find parking. By the time she found one, she was so flustered and angry that she accidentally locked her keys in her car... while the car was still running. She had to stay with the car and wait until her husband came to her rescue and missed out on the race.

Marcey was just crushed by the situation and I was also upset for her. All I could think to do to remedy things was to offer to run our own Monument Avenue 10k.

Which is exactly what we did today.

I must say that today's Monument Avenue 10k had many improvements over the previous iteration.

1. No trouble parking.
2. Insanely beautiful weather. Perfect, even: 63* with a slight cool breeze.
3. Awesome company for 6.2 miles.

The only problems were that they didn't close the road for us and there were no water stops.

This was Marcey's race the whole way. We took it at her pace and we had a wonderful time. In fact, I hate to say it but I'm glad we got to do this today because I got to spend an entire 6.2 miles hanging and chatting with Marcey, which wouldn't have happened last Saturday.

Marcey, after completing our exclusive
Monument Avenue 10k. Seriously, I love this woman.

Afterwards, we walked to Lift for some delicious celebratory frappuccinos and split a bagel. Cause what's a race without a bagel? (I should note that apparently the actual Monument Ave 10k didn't offer bagels. So this is another way today's race was better than the original.) 

Marcey also gave me a birthday present that could not have been more appropriate:

Everything down to the card was cake-themed.
Yes, that is a cake server with a pink zebra "high heel."
Hell. Yes.

It couldn't have been a more perfect way to spend the afternoon.

When I got home I put together this Portobello and Asparagus Egg Strata for tomorrow's Easter brunch. I've never made anything like it before, so I'm kind of anxious to see how it turns out. Hopefully it's good.

While I was chopping and cooking, I distracted Mason with a Busy Bone.

Allow me to demonstrate how much this dog hates
having his photo taken. First I took this picture...

and as soon as I snapped the first photo, he picked
up the bone and moved 10 feet away from me. Brat.

Next week's weather is looking absolutely fabulous. I can't wait to get out and run in it!

Race Report: Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k

Each year that I run the Monument Avenue 10k, I am reminded of just how far I have come. Because it was my first race and it is the only race I've done every year, it is inevitably the one that I use to measure my progress.

The first year I completed in 1:07:30. I had to stop to walk at mile 5. By the time I got to the finish I my arches were killing me and I was so tired it was all I could do to jog across the line.

Last year, I did significantly better, finishing in 56:55 (my 10k PR). I remember still feeling pretty miserable near the end and I don't think I walked although I did slow significantly during mile 4 and 5.

This year, I surprised myself with a new PR - 53:22! Shaving 3:33 from my previous 10k PR. Looks like all of that speed work may be paying off after all.

Despite the PR, I unfortunately must report that this year the Monument Avenue 10k disappointed me. It was a disaster from the beginning, as you will see. Remember how I have explained that I am a planner extraordinaire and that I don't react well when things don't work according to my plans? Well... nothing  about this race experience went according to plan.

Expo/Packet Pick Up - C

This is the expo/packet pick up experience that has made me hate the whole notion of packet pick up. Every single time I go, no matter what time of day, this expo is an absolute zoo. This year, two of co-workers and I went together on the first hour of the first day of pick up and it was still a frustrating and crowded experience. We heard one man remark that he felt like a salmon swimming against a current - which might just be the best way to describe this experience.

The expo is held in the Arthur Ashe Center, which I think is just too small for the 40,000+ people it has to serve for this event. But there really isn't a venue in Richmond that is bigger and has ample free parking too.

Bib pick up

I had to pick up 3 bibs today: Husband's, BFF's, and my own. Of course the tables for my waves seemed to have the longest lines. The volunteers were still only 15 minutes into this experience, so they weren't quite running like clockwork yet. I had to tell the girl at my wave table my bib number 4 times. She found it and sheepishly says, "I'm not very good at remembering numbers." "You will be by the end of today," I told her before going to stand in another line 6 people deep to pick up Husband's bib.

15 minutes later, we moved into the next section - race merch. This year I was contemplating spending money here because I do love the Running Man logo shirts...

....but I was so annoyed after the bib pick up that I didn't really feel like giving them any more of my money. Besides, I had a specific goal in mind for this expo: to get a 13.1 sticker for my car and find some black arm warmers for the race.

After race merch, we emerged into the expo, which was an absolute zoo. I thought that the Shamrock expo was crowded, but it doesn't hold a candle to this one.

After making our way through the crowds of people, I finally found the One More Mile apparel booth and got my 13.1 sticker and some great arm warmers (you'll see them later).

40 minutes into our pick up, we finally got our race tees, which are so horrifically ugly that I'm not even going to post a picture of them here. Of course each person I was picking up for had requested a different sized tee, so I had to wait in 3 separate lines. Again.

Expo. Fail.

Race Day Arrival/Parking/Start Area - D

For two years, I have had no trouble parking and getting to the start line in time. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Then, this year happened. I'll take part of the blame for this; I got onto the event website on Friday evening to try to see about road closures and what I should be aware of. The problem was, I was having trouble finding detailed information about parking and street closures. So I just gave up and decided to do what I have done before.

Big mistake, because this year they must have really changed around road closures because we could not get where I had planned to park in the way that I had planned on going. We got there eventually, but in a round-about fashion that ended up wasting a good 20 minutes.

It also screwed up my buddy Marcey big time. She called me, apologizing (and maybe cussing) profusely explaining that she couldn't get to her planned parking spot either and that she was worried that she wouldn't be able to meet me at our pre-arranged time and place before the race started.

In the meantime, our group (Husband, BFF, BFF's Husband) walked about 1/2 mile to Monroe Park, the start/finish festival area. It wasn't too terribly crowded when we got there around 8:00 am.

We found the port-o-johns, which were plentiful, clean, and had no lines.

And took some pre-race photos.

BFF and I. She's almost 6' tall, I'm 5'2". I stand on tip toes, she stoops.

Showing off my One More Mile Arm Warmers:
"I thought they said rum"

Race Day Outfit (toe to head)

Brooks Ravenna 2

Pro Compression Socks - Trainer Low

Lululemon Turbo Run Shorts in Ghost Herringbone

Lululemon Striped Rib Cool Raceback in Paris Pink

Lululemon Energy Bra in Black 

One More Mile Arm Warmers: I Thought They Said 'Rum'

BIC Bands Skinny Sparkle Gunmetal

After photos we started to walk toward the spot that I had planned on meeting up with Marcey, Prabir, and possible one of my co-workers. As we made our way through Monroe Park, it started to spit rain. Not cool.

As soon as we got to the meet up spot, Marcey called me with the good news and the terrible news. The good: she had finally found a parking spot (I had directed her to where we ended up). The bad: She had been so flustered from the whole getting-to-parking-experience that after she parked, she had gotten out of the car and then locked her keys into the car ... while it was still running. I felt so terrible for her, but she was her wonderful self as always and just said, "It's obviously not my day - you run without me and do good!"

After Marcey's call we stuck around the meet up spot, waiting for Prabir. We stretched while BFF's Husband (henceforth known as BH) thought he would be funny by taking pictures of us in mid-stretch.

This was my favorite since we are all in different positions.

My phone buzzed again and this time it was Prabir... who was running late. By now we needed to start moving to our starting corral, so the chances of us being able to meet up were pretty much nil, so we left the meet up spot and walking (in the rain) to the start line.

40,000 people ran the race this year, so there are what seems like 5845042 corrals that kind of pop up as the rolling start progresses. When we got to the start area, our corral hadn't popped up yet and I was confused - I don't remember that ever happening before.

Eventually our corral flag popped up and we went to join the other 2000 people (or so it seemed) assigned to corral MA. By now it was raining at what seemed like a pretty good clip and I was feeling pretty miserable about how the whole morning was going up to this point.

So, because of parking calamities (even for a 3rd time participant and Richmond-area resident), running buddy calamities, and corral confusion, I'm giving race day arrival/parking/start line a big fat D. It was just not the smooth, easy experience that I had had for the previous two years, and it made me very irritable. Not how you want to start a race.

Course - A+
 The course is my most favorite thing about this race. I love the whole course experience so much that it is why I try to encourage people to make this their first race or, if it's not their first, to at least come experience it.

The Good

• Pretty much flat (there is a barely noticeable incline in miles 3 and 4 but really it is just so shallow that I don't even think it counts).
• Beautiful scenery. Even though I run Monument Avenue week after week, it never gets old. The beautiful homes, manicured lawns, flowering trees, Monuments, churches - I just love everything about it.
• On course entertainment, number of "fans" and cheering groups simply blows every other race I've ever done out of the water. The grassy median (a danger zone, if you'll remember) is a great place for spectators, bands, and organized cheer groups. Some of my favorites were the Lululemon cheer group (mile 3) and the Richmond Tai Chi folks. They look so beautiful and relaxed that I wanted to jump off of the course and join them. I have a really good time getting high fives and interacting with the spirit groups during this race. This is definitely a race where you want to leave the iPod at home because you will have a better time if you take part in all the hoopla around you. I promise.
• Water and port-o-johns are plentiful. I think there are 3 or 4 water stops and just as many port-o-johns. To be honest I really wasn't paying attention.
• People watching for this course is another great distraction. There are such a wide variety of participants, plus the costume contest runners, plus the course doubles back on itself so there is basically a never-ending source of distraction all around you. I love to check out outfits, read shirts, and just take it all in.



Yes, these people RAN in this "costume" - The Magic School Bus
They got 2nd place in the costume contest.






This was my favorite - a beer keg surrounded by beer fraus. Loved it.
Taken during mile 3.

• The entire course is paved and on a 4 lane street. Although it can be crowded, I kind of have fun ducking and dodging in between people (imagine you're a NASCAR driver or something).

During Mile 5 - love this lady's shirt: "Run Like a Mother"
Also gives you a sense of crowding and cobbled street surface.

The Bad

I honestly can't say there is anything BAD about this course. All I would say is:

• It gets a little crowded.
• Miles 3 and 4 aren't the most scenic (but still 100 times better than the Virginia is for Lovers 14k or the Shamrock Half).
• A good portion is on cobbled streets, which some people hate. It doesn't bother me at all... I really don't even notice when the changeover happens.

Finish - C

This year I was a little irritated at the finish line. The chute here is very short and they spit you out immediately into the grassy Monroe Park area, which was just a complete zoo by the time I finished. Not to mention all of the "grass" was really slippery mud thanks to 40,000 people stomping all over it in the rain.

I got a bottle of water but did not feel like fighting the crowds of finishing runners and spectators to try to find any food. I feel like this has been better managed in past years, but maybe I'm imagining that. Basically it was such a crowded mess that I wanted to get out of the area of congestion as soon as possible.

I called BH, we found each other and then walked back up the course a little bit to stand and wait for BFF to cross the line. Then we waited for Husband, who walked most of the course and did not cross until almost 40 minutes after I did.

Here's a photo from our spot as spectators, about 50 yards from the finish line:

I'm giving the finish area a C because of the crowds and the not-readily-available post-race food. I'm sure if I had wanted to keep walking around with wet, sweaty mobs I could have found the food, but I was not feeling it.

And I know it would add to the cost of the race, but come on  Monument Avenue 10k - you guys should really spring for medals. There could be some really beautiful Monument-Avenue-inspired designs.

Overall Grade - C

It pains me to give this race a C because usually it is such a wonderful experience. I talked to some other people who didn't think that it was any different this year than in the past... but not for me. From the weird road closures to the lack of a start corral to the messy chute, I just did not think this race was as well organized as usual. Of course I'm sure the rain had something to do with it. And the overall bad morning that I personally had.

At first I thought maybe all of the problems I personally experienced were the result of them allowing too many participants... but then I read yesterday that the final tally this year had actually been about 1,000 fewer people. Still not really sure what the deal was in the morning. I just know it was a mess.

Personal Performance - A

For myself, I am impressed with how well I performed given that pretty much nothing went as planned. Generally when that happens, my mental state is a mess and we all know that running is 90% mental. Add in the rain, the fact that my planned pacer (Prabir) was not with me, and my general feelings of irritation and you get a recipe for disaster.

Yet somehow I managed to pull out a major PR - a 53:22! My pipe dream goal had been to clock in under 55:00 and somehow I managed to better that by almost 2 full minutes with nothing to help me but my own two legs and determination. Better yet, this time is a a whole 3 minutes 33 seconds better than my former 10k PR.

Mile 1 was a warm up spent with BFF, then I took off...
literally!

It's obvious that all of the miles I logged while training for the half helped me out big time. I felt pretty great for the duration of the run - I was hooting and hollering and cheering and smiling for the whole thing. When I compare that to how miserable I felt last year and my first year, it makes me feel like I have really accomplished a lot.

I'm also really proud of BFF, who had her own PR of 1:05:54. When she crossed the finish line I thought she looked strong and happy (not like she was going to die or throw up - a look I saw on the faces of many others).

As for Prabir, he eventually made it to the race, starting one wave behind us in MB. He claims he was looking for me frantically for the first two miles of the race. He must not have been looking hard because the speed demon ended up finsihing with a 50:57 (meaning he most definitely passed me somewhere along the way).

After we collected Husband, the three of us met Prabir at my favorite local coffee shop, Lift, which was just a few blocks from the finish. After downing delicious coffee and sandwiches, we chatted and played an invigorating game of Trouble - because who doesn't  love Trouble??

And the winner was....

Husband! He may have been the last of our group to finish the 10k,
but he kicked our butts in Trouble.

After Trouble we collected ourselves and headed home for much needed showers.

Anybody else run the 10k this weekend?

How did you do?

Did you think event organization was a little lacking?

So You're Drinking the Koolaid

Right now you can't make a move in the Richmond region without coming across an advertisement, billboard, commercials, Facebook status, tweet, story, or other marketing device for the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k.

This race is a great event that inspires a lot of first timers to get out there and run. It was my first race and the first for a lot of other folks that I know (and I know a few who will make their debut in 2012 - I'm looking at you, Kate!). When you see giant billboards for it every day and can't escape the commercials (Anybody remember the foot-themed ones? I thought they were weird), it is really hard to resist the urge. Everyone around you is doing it so how hard can it really be? And before you know it, you find that the advertising won over your impressionable brain and you have signed up for a 10k.

You drank the Koolaid. Now what?

Well, I don't claim to be any kind of sage when it comes to running. I kind of have just winged it with a lot of help from other bloggers, friends, and Runner's World. With that in mind, I'm going to offer a few tips and words of advice for the first time racer who just signed up for a 10k. Take it as you will and with the disclaimer that I'm no expert, but I have "been there and done that" so can perhaps offer a little bit of insight.

So here goes: Kathryn's Top Five Tips for First Timers

1. Get yourself fitted for (and buy) a proper pair of running shoes. Do it. Right now. Your 5-10 year old sneakers are not suitable for this task. Trust me. I did not buy new shoes (but did it for my husband... go figure... we spent $200 on shoes and inserts for him and now he doesn't even run!) and as a result experienced excruciating arch pain by the end of my first 10k.

My favorite place for shoe shopping is Road Runner Sports. They have a location in Vienna, Virginia where you can go to have your gait analyzed. It's actually pretty fun - I have it done every time I go (probably overkill). First you'll run on a treadmill in bare feet while they video tape your stride. Then you get to watch your feet in slow motion to see what's going on. They also analyze the height of your arches and balance (do you put most pressure on your heels? Have feet as flat as Fred Flintstone's?) and can fit you for a custom insert. After all of this is complete, you will be given a few recommendations for a shoe that will work best for you. And the best part? They have a 90 day love it or return it with no questions asked guarantee. Last June I switched up my shoes and bought a new brand ... then ended up hating them after running in them a few times. I returned them with no problem for a FULL REFUND. 

If you can't get to Vienna, there is a also Richmond Road Runners (no relation to RRS) in Carytown. I'm not sure if they do gait analysis. To be honest, I've only gone in there once to look for a race belt and they didn't have what I wanted so I left. But I'm sure they could help you out and suggest a good shoe regardless.

There's also a quiz called Shoe Dog on the Road Runner Sports website, but you have to do a little guesswork about your gait. Still, better than nothing.

Disclaimer - Get the new shoes a few weeks before the race. Do not go buy new shoes and try to run the 10k in them the next day. Unless you like blisters. In that case, go right ahead.

2. Join a training team if you can or use a training plan. If I hadn't been a member of a YMCA training team, there is NO WAY that I ever would have been able to motivate myself to run the long runs needed to condition for the 10k. I can say with 100% confidence that I never would've run 5 miles if I hadn't had to drag my butt out of bed on Saturday to meet up with a group of people who were going to do it with me. If you can't do a team, find yourself a running buddy (Feel free to hit me up! I love running buddies!). Setting a running date and having a friend counting on you to meet them makes it 100 times more difficult to cancel. Everybody says so. And it's true.

A training plan that you can stick to is also important. Once I get my plan, I let it be the boss of me (most of the time). Runner's World offers a basic Smart Coach for free (you'll just have to create an account). It's a pretty useful tool, even in the free version. You sign in, then plug in some basic information about you and your goals (Recent race or 1 mile time; the distance you are training for, training level, how many miles you want to run per week, race date) and it spits out a calendar that tells you exactly what you need to do. I'm using it to train for my half marathon and so far, so good. You can even go back in adjust if you miss some workouts.

When I joined the Y training team, they handed out a booklet with a 10 week training plan in it. I used it and have passed it along to many friernds to use for their first 10k. I'll post it after the break if you're interested.

3. Just keep running. You're going to feel like you are going to die. But there is a 99.99% chance that you won't. So just keep running even when you want to stop. This is kind of a personal piece of advice - this is what works best for me. If I feel horrible and stop to walk, it is always that much harder for me to run again.

I realize this doesn't work for everyone, but my hunch is that it does if you give it a try.  Of course if you are dizzy or are truly injured somehow, STOP. But usually you can just push through the ups and downs of running. One mile I feel like I'm going to die but if I power through it, the next mile is easy. My motto is the faster you run, the faster you're done so I try not to stop unless absolutely necessary. After all, the sooner I'm finished, the sooner I can go eat my reward (McDonald's Egg McMuffin, piece of cake, french fries...).

4. Get off of the treadmill. Running on a treadmill is a lot different from running outside. The treadmill helps propel you forward, can change your stride, and there is no wind inside! There's nothing wrong with the treadmill, but I think that doing all of your training on one is a big mistake. The first time I ran outside I immediately realized how much more difficult it seemed then when I was sailing along on the treadmill in the nice air conditioned cardio room at the Y, with countless distractions to boot (tv, magazine AND iPod. You know you're guilty of it too).

A piece of advice one of my 10k training group mentors gave us was that if you're going to run on a treadmill, do yourself a favor and put the incline at 1 - 2%. This makes things a little more difficult and helps mimic running outside. I took his suggestion and found that while I had been able to run 1.5 miles pretty easily on a 0 incline, adding that 1% made it a lot more difficult... but that the next outdoor training session was easier.

5. Don't eat anything dairy-based the night before or morning of the race. This includes cheese, ice cream, cream-based sauces. Don't do it. Just trust me on this one.

And a bonus tip: Remember, every mile is an accomplishment! Whether your workout was 1 mile or 20, congratulate yourself. You decided to do something instead of sitting on the couch, which is a lot more than you can say about many people.