Irish Run St. Paul

So this was a busy weekend of racing for me. I was expecting/hoping for warmer temps for the weekend races but it is Minnesota so you never know what you're going to get for spring weather. 

I signed up for the Irish Run St. Paul earlier this year as part of the MDRA Grand Prix series. Then I decided that I wanted to run the MDRA Lake Johanna 4 mile because it would get me out to a new location to run. The race was free to MDRA members so it wasn't going to cost me anything. I ran the Lake Johanna 4 mile on Saturday and averaged of 7:02 miles. Then I ran the Irish Run St. Paul 8k on Sunday and again averaged 7:02 miles. Hey if nothing else, I am consistent.

I think the girl to my left thinks I am crazy for wearing shorts.

I picked up my bib the day before which was so nice. It allowed me to stay at home until 12:45. The race started at 1:20. I drove to a location about a mile from the start and finish line. I didn't need to park so far away but this distance away would allow me to get at least a mile warm-up and cool-down.

I ended up running about 1.5 miles for my warm-up. Midway through my warm-up, I ran into my fellow Oiselle teammate Melissa. It was great to have a chance to wish her good luck. She is super speedy. I also saw her out on the course because it was an out and back. It was fun to cheer for her in the middle of the race.

Pre-race, I did some strides and dynamic stretching. I was wearing shorts and it was chilly out so my legs were pretty red by the time the race started. I didn't know where to line up to start. I lined up in the middle of the pack. I figured that would be a good spot for me. I might have started a little too far back because I was weaving a lot in the first mile and got stuck behind some other people for a while.

I was hoping to maintain about 3:30 1/2 miles. I have my Garmin set up to tell me my 1/2 splits. Sometimes, I look at it during the race and other times I analyze my pace post race. The race starts out going down summit ave toward the Mississippi river. It is about 1k down hill and then you turn around and climb for most of the next 4k. Then you turn around again and head back down the hill toward the finish line.

I did a decent job maintaining 3:25:-3:35 1/2 mile splits. I ended up running next to a girl for about 2k but there was an uphill in the last mile and I just couldn't hang with her anymore. Something I realized this weekend, I really need to work on my hill climbing. I seemed to lose contact with the women running near me on the hills and then I was unable catch back up after the hill.

I finished the 8k in 34:53. Overall, it was fun to get out there and push myself again. I am looking forward to the Spring racing season. Hopefully, I can improve my times a little. I also realized how much I love to run this weekend. Whether, I am racing or just out for a run by myself, I love it. This really isn't something new but it is nice to have an occasional reminder.