Race Report: Gate River Run 15K

Let me just start out by saying that I only got 4 hours of sleep last night (I was sooo nervous!), but amazingly enough, I woke up not feeling the least bit groggy. In fact, I felt quite refreshed. Thanks, adrenaline!

I woke up at 6 a.m., ate a piece of bread, drank 16 oz. of water (a pre-race ritual), got dressed, then headed out the door with my husband in tow. We then went and picked up my friend Heather who was also running the race, and her husband and little girl. We made it to Jacksonville by 7:30, but didn't actually make it to the starting line until 8 a.m. We were in bumper to bumper traffic for two miles...eeek! I guess that's what happens when over 15,000 people come out to run a race in the early morning hours.

I'll just get down to business by saying that I LOVED this race. Loads of entertainment at every mile (including the UNF drumline...seriously awesome), very scenic, not too hot or cold (thank goodness for misty fog, we didn't see the sun ONCE during the entire race),and tremendously challenging.

My goal was to finish the race in 1:35:00. I'll get to my final time in bit.

Mile 1: This mile was flat and straight throgh the heart of downtown Jacksonville. The smell of coffee was strong as we passed the Maxwell House factory. It's a perfect morning smell, actually. I felt great during this mile. Outstanding, in fact.

Mile 2: This part of the race took us over the St. Johns River via the Main Street Bridge. The top of the bridge, for about ten yards or so, is made out of metal grating. It was pretty sweet to look down through the grating and see the river below. The climb to the top of the bridge was okay, not to steep, and I've climbed worse. Again, I was feeling great during this mile.

Miles 3 and 4: This was one of my favorite parts of the race. We were running adjacent to the river for awhile, and it was just so beautiful! I love having things like that to take your mind off of running. These miles flew by, and I didn't start feeling too fatigued until just before the 4 mile mark. I pushed through it, and then took a short 30 second walking break at Mile 4.

Miles 5 and 6: Not too much to report, I felt tired, but not tired enough to take a walk break. Plus, this section of the race went through a very beautiful neighborhood in Jacksonville. Theses houses were amazing, and the I loved seeing the spectators on their camp chairs in front of their houses. People were even giving out orange slices and strawberries. But I didn't partake, even though the scent of oranges was STRONG and it smelled delicious! My stomach has serious issues with any type of food consumption right before or during running. Once I passed the 10K timing mats, I stopped and took a 1 minute walk break. I had forgotten to take it slow at the water stops and ended up feeling water logged at this point. Too much water also makes my stomch hurt. Yuck.

Mile 7: This was by far the hardest mile for me (mentally, at least). I hit the dreaded WALL. I tried my best to push through it, but because I knew I had the climb up Hart Bridge during Mile 8, I slowed it down and took two quick 20 second walk breaks during this mile.

Mile 8: Physically this was the most grueling part of the race. The climb up Hart Bridge was intense! 186 feet in half a mile. Now, I've climbed steeper routes before, but never after having run over 7 miles already. It was tough. I cranked up my iPod, listened to Disturbia by Rihanna at full blast and slowly made my way up. Even though the climb was tough, the view was amazing. No wonder people from the East call the rivers in the West creeks. The St. Johns river is HUGE. I made it about half way up the bridge, took a quick 15 second walk, then made my push up the rest of the hill and for the finish. I made up a lot of time on the downhill.

Mile 9: I can't even tell you how amazing it felt to see the 9 mile mark and knowing that I only 3/10 of a mile left. I stepped up my speed, and couldn't slow down even if I wanted to, because now the spectators were lining the streets, and I'd probably just feel like a fool if I had to walk during the last 3/10 of a mile. The finish line was in sight, and I pushed myself even harder to reach it. It's a tradition. I always sprint to the finish. It probably annoys other runners, but I certainly don't care.

So, how fast did I finish the 9.3 miles? Here are my splits:

5K: 31:26:00
10K: 1:04:31
Final: 1:38:44

My pace? 10:35.

Overall, I was quite pleased. I fell short of my goal, but not by much. And seriously, I only trained for 3 weeks. It was an AWESOME race!

Me and Heather after the race. Yep, I was chowing down on the free food

My cute husband, who is always so supportive of me, and always makes it out to my races. Oh, and that's the Jacksonville Jaguars Alltel Stadium in the background

Yeah, we're pretty tough. 9.3 miles? No sweat!