Loop the Lake 8K recap

One thing I wanted to do in my running this year was try a different distance. I saw the Loop the Lake 8K advertised, and I decided that was perfect. Plus, I enjoy running at Gray's Lake but don't do it very often. It's only a 15-minute drive, but it's just not as convenient as some of my other running trails. It was an ideal spring race.

The temperature at the start was in the lower 30s and there was a brisk wind off the lake, so it was kind of chilly as we waited for the event to start. I ran into a co-worker and chatted with him. And, as always, I ended up chatting with other random runners. I have a habit of doing that. When we finally got started, the first mile was really smooth. The second and third where a little rough, but then something else kicked in. And for the last half-mile or so, I seemed to have found an extra gear. Check out my pace there at the end:

By the way, I'm still learning how to dress for all the different race day temperatures. The internet told me pants with a fleece-lined top would be good for this. I think I could have gone with a thinner top, honestly. I got a little warm about halfway through the race.

Of course, after I signed up for the race, the rest of my Saturday started filling up. The race started at 10 a.m., and I had to work at 1 p.m. and then head to a football game. I knew squeezing in everything would be a challenge. I figured it'd take me at least an hour to run and then another 20 minutes to get to my car, which would leave me less than an hour to shower for my shift. I was more than a little nervous about this timeline. It turns out I had nothing to worry about.

While I'm not overly concerned with my speed, I like to set benchmark finish time goals for each race. Here were my goals for this event:

Good = 1:00:00 - 1:05:00

Great = 55:00 - 59:59

Awesome = 54:00 or faster

My official final time:

55:42

My watch was slightly off, and I'm not sure how they determined my time (there were no chips involved), but oh well. Either way, it was a GREAT race, and since it was a new distance, it was an automatic PR. I love that feeling. 

+++++

Last week's workouts

Friday: Off
Saturday: Loop the Lake 8K
Sunday: Off
Monday: 3-mile run
Tuesday: Yoga at home
Wednesday: Off

Thursday: 2-mile run

I had laid out a workout plan on Monday, and then it fell apart as the week went on. But I'm still happy with the workouts I did get in.