Monday, August 24, 2015

Race for Arts 5K - another PR for me: 26:11

Last year when we had run this race, we thought it was super fun and had decided to do it again the next year. The only difference this year was that our baby ran with us. Shavi ran with him in stroller and was way behind in the pack at the start line.

I was dying at mile 2.5 mi, pushing myself with all the energy I had and then I got what I just needed at that time. Shavi came right behind me and pushed me into finishing strong. I was almost ready to take a little walk break at that time. I improved my PR by 1 mins and 21 secs. Thanks to Coach Shavi for pushing me in the last half mile! He still finished ahead of me even with the stroller. He of course was the first one to finish with stroller.

The race was in William Land Park near Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale town. There is plenty parking around that area. Arriving at least 30 mins before the start time is better since you might have to walk a bit from the parking. There were 728 people running it. Shavi was 84th position and I was 102 and 6th in my age category out of 42.

This is a great race for kids also and great entertainment post-race. It is a scenic park and they usually have great free performances by kids going on in the amphitheater in the park. During the race, they have one aid station at around mile 2. The course is quite shaded due to trees in the park. I did not need a sun-shade even when the race started at 8.30am. It is a fast course even though it has a few u-turns. This race is organized by CRRM and is a fun event. The last year I did this race, I had a PR of 27:50 and Shavi had 22:55. This time, with stoller, Shavi finished in 25:11. Great work!

Susan B Anthony Women's 5K race - PR for me: 27:32

Just like last year - SBA was a great race organized by Buffalo Chips club on August 8, 2015. They had lots of pre-race goodies and gave a full-sleeve great quality shirt this time. They give out cheaper entries at Kaiser Women's festival race in June. So, look out for them post-race.

In the race, they have one aid station at around mile 2.2. The course has a few turns and it is mostly in the residential area which is quite shaded. The race is not too crowded and they have a lot of porter potties for the runners at start line. I did a 2-mile warm-up before the race start which helped me run faster in the race, especially since I had been sore due to my boot camp classes that week. Good advise by my runner husband: It is always good to start in the front pack at the start line for small 5K races.

This race also has a free kids fun run before the 5K women's race. It is really fun and would do that again!