The Polar Dash 10K is getting to be a New Year’s Day tradition. This is the third time Mike and I have ventured out in Minnesota winter weather to run the race, and it’s the third time that we were impressed with the race organization and had a fun morning. Shuttle buses picked us up just yards from our car and we headed over to heated tents to wait for the start. Here we are waiting and staying toasty warm until the last minute:
I know that I’m wearing huge sunglasses inside the tent. It was really windy out this morning and they help keep my face warm. They also hide the fact that my eyes are closed for 99.9% of all photos.
Here is a picture of Mike in the group at the start. He’s in the middle and looking down.
I lined up just in front of the 9:10 pacer and that worked out very well. That group passed me in the first mile but I passed them back around mile 3. It wasn’t too crowded and the course was nicely sheltered from the 40 mph winds. The wind wasn’t a factor at all and the roads were mostly clear of the couple of inches of snow and ice that we got last night. In previous years, the 10K was the longest distance offered. This year there was a half marathon. If it worked with my schedule, I would consider doing the half in the future. The course is well supported and it’s hard to find a local race that is longer than a 5K this time of year.
I was a little worried that my legs would be tired from my long run on Friday, but I felt really good. Today was the first time since I started heart rate training that I’ve run all out, and I was thrilled that I was able to pick up the pace. In fact, I PR’ed! I ran 54:18 which is 2:44 faster than my previous PR from July 2008. It was also 5:22 faster than my time at this race last year, although last year I had the Disney Half Marathon the following weekend so I didn’t run all out. Still, it’s always nice to get a PR and to see improvement on the same course in similar conditions.
Here I am with my medal:
Mike also PR’ed! Here he is showing off his hardware:
He seemed a little less impressed with himself since his PR was by just 5 seconds, but I told him that when you are going super fast like him, there isn’t as much room for improvement. He was 37th out of 815 runners, which I think is really impressive, especially since he just ran 20 miles on Friday. I finished 11th out of 79 in my division and my overall pace of 8:45 made me pretty happy. The rest of the day included a nap and lots of family time, so 2012 is off to a great start. Happy New Year!
{ 9 comments }
Hi Beth! Thought I’d stop over at your blog as well! Congrats on the PR! That’s so great for that course with those hills! The wind didn’t really pick-up till the last turn around on the half-marathon, so that was definitely nice! Team Ortho always does such a great job with these races and yesterday was no different! Good luck with the rest of your training!
Great Job Beth! You still continue to inspire me!
PRs all around – great start to the new year!
Congrats on the PR. Sounds like a fun day for the family.
Looks like we got a little of that cold weather in the south, but nothing compared to what you get everyday.
What a wonderful way to start the new year: 2 PR and 2 beautiful hardwares.
….and this is only the start……
Brr… It looks cold there! Heated tents would be nice. Congrats to both of you on the PR’s!
Awesome job Beth, and congrats on the PR to both you and Mike! How exciting! I remember that day being somewhat inhospitable, so way to overcome the conditions as well.
Your year is off to an amazing start. Keep up the great work!
Holy smokes that looks cold. I hate running in snow, etc. I inevitably dress incorrectly — wear too much when it isn’t really that cold and too little when it really is that cold. But a PR, in the snow is awesome. Thankfully, this winter has been mild here in NYC!
Awesome performance…sweet PR!!! Congratulations, Beth. And that medal looks beautiful!
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