New Record

I used to be a "runner."  Then my left knee went bad, I found other fun sports, and running just became a ski coaching and CX conditioning activity.  I ran enough in the great white north so I could do the Milk Run, but nothing more than that.

With my knee's history, I never expected to be a runner again.  However, all it took was a change of location and climate.  A series of events has transpired in the past 12 months that resulted in increased running activities...

running trails within 1 mile of my house

Sideburnz is now a runner (and a darn good one, as long as he's on trails)

Xterra trail running world championships is 40 miles from my house

I tried triathloning, and it was ok

My coworker introduced me to a masters running group that does intervals on the track once a week (and I join them frequently)

So now, I guess I'm a runner again, and with that I now compete in running events.

Yesterday, I ran the Straub/Kapiolani Women's 10K with 1798 other women.  I made the mistake of seeding myself where I actually belonged (between the 8 min/mile and 10 min/mile signs).  I spent the first mile dodging the walkers- who in their right mind thinks they can walk a 9 min mile?  Then I got my run on.  With the assistance of my new Garmin Forerunner 310XT (yes, its the hot one), I learned that I can still max out my heart while running.  I thought that I was still in bad enough running shape that I couldn't reach max capacity.  I finished the race 56th, 49:03 total time, 7:54 min/mile average pace. 

Now here are my records for the event:

1st 10k race

1st race longer than 5k where I've broken the 8 min/mile barrier since 2000

1st time since who knows when that I've seen 202 bpm as my max HR

I can still walk today (although I'm a little slow)

Photo credits to Sideburnz