Sunday, March 17, 2013

Race Recap: Hot Chocolate 5K

Long over due race recap!

I signed up for this race months ago with the intent on running the 15K. It was the first race I signed up for post compartment syndrome, but I was excited that so many of my blogger friends and NuunKOTB teammates would be there running. I couldn't not sign up!


A couple of weeks before the race I almost bailed on going. Mostly because I have been really tired and because I didn't realize it was so close to the half marathon that I used for a training run. At the last minute I decided to see if I could downgrade to the 5K. Thankfully it was an option so mid week I officially decided to go. In the back of my mind I really hoped for a 5K PR.

I was able to leave Spokane at a decent time so I had plenty of time to get to the expo on Friday afternoon. Using the term "expo" isn't really appropriate because it was only a packet pick up. You could also purchase Hot Chocolate gear if you wanted. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the technical sweatshirt was. The only downside was that it ran super small, but they let you exchange sizes if you needed. I was glad that I checked my bib before I left because they had me in corral B. I was able to switch it to corral A with no problems.

I had a code that I used with registration which was how I got the tech hat for free- loved the extra swag. The drawstring bag is actually really cute too!

After the expo I decided to check out the Brooks outlet before my friend Adrienne got off of work. I put the address in my navigation which told me it was only about 20 minutes away from downtown. Liar. The traffic was horrendous! It took me forever to get there and by the time I did arrive Adrienne was already home. Bad idea on my part. I have been wanting to go to the Brooks outlet for a long time so I was really excited when I found it. I was a little disappointed in the clothing selection, but they had some great deals on shoes. I couldn't pass up the pink pure cadences! I think that my adventurous trip was worth it, but I probably won't make the special trip next time.


I am like a magnet to hot pink

Excited to try the Pure Flows out for running and FGF

On Saturday, Adrienne had to go into work so I hung out and enjoyed Seattle. I did what I really do best....drink coffee, shop and relax. 

Blogging at Starbucks and catching up on my "social" life

When Adrienne got home we went to the Ram Brewery for some dinner and pre race fuel. My turkey burger was delish, but so was the beer. Yes, that is a pretzel bun and no I didn't know what one was before Saturday. It was pretty amazing. I will be eating many more pretzel buns in the future. How did I not know what one was?!

Nom Nom

Gear ready to go, alarm set....night night!

Garmin: Forerunner 610
Zensah: Compression sleeves

Race morning started really early. I was up just a little after 4:30 am. I figured that parking would be a cluster so I left Adrienne's apartment a little after 5 am. I was cursing the race director as I drove downtown. Who starts a 5K at 6:45am?!

I found parking easier than I had anticipated and sat in my car until it was time to warm up. I did a very slow warm up. My legs felt like bricks! Running 19 miles two days before will do that to you. After I ran around I went back to my car and used my massage stick on my right calf since it was still feeling pretty tight. I stretched out and then grabbed my bag to take to gear check. I waited until the last minute to turn my bag in because it was cold outside. Really cold. I finally turned it in 10 minutes before the race started and then jogged the 1/2 mile up to the start to get into my corral. I was cursing at myself for not wearing throwaway gloves. My poor hands were so frozen. I was worried I wouldn't be able to start my garmin when the gun went off!

I don't know what to say about the course. It was really hilly, like lots of hills. Within the first 1/4 of a mile we were already going up and then had a super steep down hill followed by a rolling hill that took us into mile 1. After mile 1 it leveled out before another downhill that had a turnaround at the bottom. Of course that meant we had to run back up! I knew going into the turn around that I was in a good position because I could see the women in front of me. I passed 3 women going up the hill. I don't think I could have gotten the energy to do so if it weren't for Zoe shouting out "GO TASHA" as she was running down the hill. It was tough to get to the top, but the good thing was that I was at the half way point. Mile 2 was in the Battery Street Tunnel. The tunnel was way longer than I had anticipated and was hard to find a good portion of the road to run on because the road was slanted. I hate slanted roads! Mile 2 was located in the tunnel. After I looked at my watch I wasn't sure if I would get my PR or not. I knew that I only had a small chance, but was willing to dig deep to see if I could get it. After the tunnel we had another stretch with an incline. I massively slowed down at this point because my poor legs were so thrashed. I knew that I could hold a decent pace to get across the finish, but that I wouldn't PR. With 1/2 mile left I realized that the finish line was on top of a hill by the Space Needle. Who does that?! You don't put a finish line on top of a hill. Not cool!!!!! I passed the 3 mile mark and was dead (See Stacie's photo below for proof). I was so close to the finish line, but yet it seemed so far. I heard someone shouting my name at the finish, but I wasn't sure who it was. Once I crossed and looked at my watch I was so mad at myself. If I would have ran 58 seconds faster I would have PR'd. I grabbed a water and then saw Stacie who had been cheering for me at the finish. I was so excited to see her! She told me that when she pink coming up over the hill, that it had to be me.

Thanks for the pictures Stacie!!!! (Yes, I was falling apart in the first photo)

Mile 1- 6:47
Mile 2- 6:51
Mile 3- 6:48
.13         :52

Not a huge fan of chocolate before 7:30 am, but this was a nice treat. I would have liked more than 1 marshmallow and maybe for my hot chocolate to be a bit warmer. 

After my race I did a nice long, slow cool down and cheered on the 15k runners. I met up with Lindsay and then we both headed over to a blogger brunch meet up. It was a lot of fun and I was excited to meet some of my favorite bloggers IRL. Being surrounded by such fabulous and supportive women makes me that much more excited about running. You ladies rock!

Photo hijacked from the fabulous brunch organizer- Andrea!
Left side: Jenny, Andrea, Jon, Becky, Lindsay
Right side: Irwin, Dawn, Robyn, Nicole, ME
side note: Jenny, Becky & Dawn were some of my NuunKOTB teammates from that super fun relay I missed. :(

On my way home I stopped in Ellensburg for gas and a Starbucks "pick me up" when I happened to check the race website to see if results were posted. That is when I saw this:


Really?! 6th OA out of 4027? I was SHOCKED. I still keep looking to see if they made a mistake! LOL. Definitely made my trip to Seattle so worth it! Even Mr. Healthy Diva asked if I really placed that high. No, honey. I obviously made that up. 

Even though I secretly wanted  a PR and I am disappointed I didn't get one, I am still happy with my time. I was less than 1 minute off of my PR on a much hillier course. I also ran this a week after my 1/2 marathon training run in the thick of marathon training. My splits were very consistent, no total bonking at the end. The race was a success and has me excited to run another 5K ASAP (never thought I would be saying that!)

--Tasha


42 comments:

  1. Ok, your hot chocolate experience looks a LOT better than mine! I ran the 15k in DC in 2011, and it was a mess! We started over 90 minutes late and had to stand outside in the freezing weather. And then, we had to rush to check out of our hotel since it was so much later than planned and we didn't get any chocolate.

    Anyway...boo for all of the hills, but heck yes for the blogger meetup and SIXTH OVERALL!?!? You rock!!!

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    1. I kept thinking about what you told me about your experience Nikki. I am glad that they got their act together. I was a little worried when the announcer kept saying that they were running on a time....I thought that he shouldn't have to keep saying that "we think we will be starting on time..."

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  2. Congrats girlie, awesome job! You're so speedy, that shirt must have been a pink blur ;)

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  3. Awesome job! I was just telling my husband I am going to start running again tomorrow. I am going to go back to enjoying it and not even take a watch. I am going to go out and just love it again!! Erica

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    1. Yay, good for you Erica! You probably haven't had much time to run with the 30 day challenge you just did.

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  4. I want to go to a Brooks outlet!!! There are no outlets in Montana... :(

    Great job on the race, you did awesome.

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    1. Thanks Christy. There is only one Brooks outlet and it is in Bothell close to HQ.

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  5. Awesome race Tasha!!! I know the roads that you are talking about and that sounds like a tough course and you rocked it!! You will surely PR your next 5k. Do you think FGF has helped with your hill running? I really would like to try some of the pure project shoes but sort of concerned about the minimal shoe running. Love the pink ones they are super cute!!

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    1. Thanks Kris. Not sure how much FGF has helped with hills per say, but it has helped my cardio. I love the pure project shoes, but like any minimalist shoe you have to work your way into them. Took me over 2 months to be able to run in them for more than once a week.

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  6. Tasha! Your time is amazing! Awesome job and congrats on you 6th place finish! :)

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  7. Congrats and I've never seen a Brooks outlet!

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    1. Thanks Abbi. There is only 1 Brooks outlet and it is in WA. :-)

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  8. Way to go speedy legs! Thats a great time!
    Never been to a Brooks Outlet, but I wonder if there is one anywhere in FL. I'm going to have to Google that now thanks! It'd be pretty neat to meet all the Nuun team, but I guess that's part behind the HTC team ;) One day I hope!

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    1. Thanks Beka! There is only one Brooks outlet and it is in WA. :-)

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  9. Wow! That's an awesome time for such a hilly course! I avoid hilly 5ks at all costs... they are painful enough as is. :) I'm glad you were happy with it, you should be!

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    1. I wish I would have looked at how hilly this 5K was! Haha. Joke was on me, but now it looks like I will have an even hillier half in San Fran next month. Seriously, I might die! :-)

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  10. Kick ass run! Seriously - I ran a race in Seattle last summer and the hills are no joke! Congrats! Also, I had no idea there was a Brooks outlet store there! I'm planning a trip back to visit my fam this summer and I am certain this will be on the "must stop" list!

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    1. Thanks Amy! You should definitely hit up the Brooks outlet. It is in Bothell and super easy to find.

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  11. Way to go Tasha! You totally rocked it! To be honest, I didn't notice the hills as much as I should have. I was just trying to keep up with my son and his buddy, making sure they were always in my sights and they didn't get lost:) I was shocked at placing so high in my age group too! Crazy! Glad you got some cute shoes:)

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    1. The hills probably wouldn't have bothered me as much, but I have been running so many of my workouts on the course where my marathon will be on. The course flat so I am not getting much hill workouts in these days. That is going to have to change soon. My half next month in San Fran might kill me!

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  12. That is an amazing place and a fantastic time, even if you were hoping for that bit faster! Well done, especially as I find it hard going from long runs to speed runs and vice versa (I am so slow right now in climbing to half marathon length runs!). It sounds like a really great weekend all up :)

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    1. Thanks Kari! It is really hard sometimes to push speed runs when you are training for longer distances so I can relate to what you are saying.

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  13. SO awesome!!! Way to go on your awesome place and awesome time, love all the swag!!

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  14. What a fun-filled post!!
    First off, I am coveting that trip to the outlet. I would LOVE to go to the Brooks outlet, and just need to plan a trip specifically for that- and to tour headquarters :) Great finds there!! I have never worn the cadences, so let me know what you think of them :)

    About the race- the swag is so cute! The hat is adorable and it's always nice when you get something like that just for entering.

    Tough tough finish on a hill, but you must have done it well to finish so well in the pack! Proud of you!! Glad to see you are running well. :D

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    1. Thanks Raina. The Brooks outlet is okay, but not worth a special trip. Trust me. We get way better stuff through ID. I promise. However, if you are in the area then you should at least check it out. :-)

      Hoping that you are feeling better. :-)

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    1. 5ks are the worst...I swear. The make me cringe just thinking about them, but at the same time they are addicting. :-)

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  16. This post makes me happy for sooo many reasons.

    1. You are amazing and killed it for that course! 3rd for your AG, 6th overall... Ah-Maz-Ing!!!
    2. I'm a dork and the next time I'm in Washington to visit family, Brooks is on my list of 'touristy' things to do. :)
    3. I am in love with the Pure Cadence!!!

    I am going to drop down to the 5k as well for this weekend's Hot Chocolate Run, but am glad to hear that apart from the traffic, it was a well hosted race.

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    1. Thanks Melissa! Definitely check out Brooks if you are in the Seattle area. At the outlet they had tons of Pure Cadence shoes. You would have gone crazy. I personally can't run in them, but I had to get that one pair just because they were pink. The hot chocolate race series is awesome. You will have so much fun! I would recommend anyone to sign if they are in a close by city.

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  17. Looks like a cute run! Love all the swag they gave you!

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    1. It was a really fun race. I would recommend anyone running the hot chocolate series. It seems pricey, but you get your money's worth.

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  18. I might be crazy, but i think your hot chocolate race has a better post race spread then ours? or maybe you just have very tiny hands, haha! I think running a solid race is a precursor to a PR, so i bet it's in your near future :)

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    1. LOL. I do have tiny hands, BUT I was super irritated I only got one marshmallow. Boo!

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  19. Do I spy an Erin Condren planner in your starbucks picture!?!?! Oh my, I love my planner!

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    1. Why YES you do dear! I love her stuff! I even got my coworkers hooked!

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  20. you are seriously so bad-A!! awesome placing! and super fun blogger meetup :)

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth! It was a super fun weekend. I wished I lived closer so I could go to more meet ups. :(

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