June 08, 2013

Kona 10-Miler race report

First, I want to say thank you for the nice comments both on the pictures Stephanie took of me and my family, and also on Jerry's post from yesterday. I'm super proud of Jerry for all the work he's done to lose the weight, so I was very excited to show him off ;)  I think his head swelled from reading all the nice things you all said about him!


I was registered for the Kona 10K race today, and last week, I e-mailed the race director to see if it's too late to switch my registration to the 10-Mile if I should decide to. When he e-mailed me back, he said it wasn't too late, and that he switched it for me. So I guess that decision was made for me :)

But today couldn't have been better weather for a June race! Mid-60's, low humidity, overcast, and a gentle breeze. Unfortunately, my body didn't care how perfect the weather was; I woke up just as congested and snotty as I was yesterday. I also had a bad stomachache this morning. It just wasn't looking like a great race for me, so I figured I would just treat it like a training run. My long run pace is supposed to be 8:57-10:18/mi, so I figured I would start at the fast end of that and see how I felt.

I drove by myself to the race, but I knew Jessica and Renee were going to be there, so I figured I'd meet up with them. Stephanie was there also, but she was running with her son (he's 11, and did the 10K!). The Kona Run (called the Solstice Run last year) is a tropical-themed race. Last year, Jessica and I wore grass skirts, seashell bras, and leis. Today, I just wore a green sparkle skirt and a hot pink tank.

I picked up my packet, then waited in line for the bathrooms, where I saw Jessica, Renee, Courtney, and Jessica's friend Gail, who I hadn't yet met. We sat in Jessica's van for a little bit since we were early, and then headed to the starting line.

The 10K was scheduled to start at 7:15, and the 10-Mile at 7:30. Stephanie was running the 10K, so we watched for her at the 1/2 mile mark to cheer for her and her son. While I was there, someone asked me if I was Katie, and I discovered she was a reader of my blog, so I chatted with her for a minute (Hi, Crystal!). We saw Steph go by, and then someone else recognized me--she pointed and said, "Runs for Cookies!" I wish I'd gotten to meet her. Then it was time to line up at the start.

I still had no idea what pace I was actually going to be running, so I just wedged myself in where I could. When the race started, I ran next to Renee for a couple of minutes, but soon, she left me in her dust ;) I was having a really hard time breathing, because my nose was so stuffed up. Ty was there spectating (she's dealing with a knee injury, so she couldn't run), and she took a pic as I ran by.


The race is extremely hilly, and the peak of the biggest hill is at mile marker one. That hill was a monster, but my legs still felt strong, and (from what I remembered) the rest of the race wasn't too bad (I remembered wrong). I was kind of surprised that my pace was 9:08 for the first mile--I felt like I was running faster than that.


At around mile two, I started paying attention to my heart rate, and it was sky high. No wonder I was feeling so crappy. Every time I would get it into Zone 3, another hill would come up, and it would shoot up near Zone 5. I decided to just run by my heart rate rather than a particular pace, because my body was just NOT feeling well.

I knew Jessica would be running close to the pace I was running (she's gotten a lot faster since our marathon, too), so I was thinking I might slow down so she could catch up. But then I thought she may have already passed me. I really wanted someone to chat with, but everyone was wearing headphones, so I didn't try to start a conversation with anyone.

Despite the fact that I was feeling so crappy, the race actually went by pretty quickly. The last couple of miles, I managed to pick up the pace a bit, just because I knew I'd be done soon. I was relieved to finally cross the finish line. I grabbed a bagel and a banana, and then watched for Jessica for a few minutes. When I didn't see her, I figured she probably finished ahead of me.

After walking around a bit, I spotted the rest of the group. We took a picture with our finisher's medals:

Jessica had ended up finishing just a few minutes behind me. She said she could see me ahead of her almost the entire race! If I had known she was right there, I probably would have ran with her. My results:




Even though this was certainly not my best race, I still beat last year's time by a LOT. Last year, I finished in 1:49:09 (10:54/mi pace). 


I'm kind of relieved that I don't have any other races planned between now and the Chicago Marathon. There are a couple of smaller ones I may do last-minute, but a break will be nice. I really loved this race last year, but I don't think I'll do it again next year. Regardless, I'm glad I ended up doing the 10-Miler instead of the 10K, so that it could just be my long run this week. I'm going to spend my activity PointsPlus on extra wine tonight, because my friend Sarah (from Arizona) is in town. I bought two bottles ;)

Congrats to Melinda Ott, the winner of the Quantum Scale! (I've sent you an e-mail, Melinda). Hope you like the scale :)

16 comments:

  1. I met your friend, Stephanie, today. Her and her son were in my pace group. When she first came up to me, I knew I had seen her somewhere. It took me a while to figure out where; I read her story on her blog from the link in yours the other day! Her son really stuck it out that last mile and then picked up the pace when the 6 mile marker came into view. He was really happy with his new PR! That was the highlight of my day!
    Right after she saw you on the track, she said, "that was Katie", but I didn't see you.

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    1. Yes, Stephanie told me that she'd met you! I was disappointed that I didn't get to as well. Hopefully next time!

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  2. AnonymousJune 08, 2013

    I really loved this post. We all have races that don't go as well as they could. I did the utah valley marathon today and my IT band screamed out loud at me at mile 8 I ran till mile 16 then walked the rest of the way to finish. I finished 35 minutes slower than my usually marathon time. Now, I could be upset about this. But I am not. I am so happy and thrilled to have finished. I ask myself all the time "why do I run". For me, I run becuase it makes me happy. My goal in any race is to smile and have fun. And that isnwhat I did today. Sounds like you were able to see the upside as well enjoy your wine tonight! You deserve it.

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    1. Yes, considering the circumstances (the hills, and being sick), I was very happy with my time. But I really didn't even have a particular goal, so I would have been fine with any time. I certainly would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been sick, though!

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  3. It was great meeting you - thanks for chatting! You are a fantastic runner!

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  4. Way to go! You still did really awesome for not feeling very well and the course being so hilly. It even finishes 50 feet above where you started. That is just not nice!

    You are starting to get recognized a lot! Has anyone ever asked for an autograph? ;)

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    1. Hahaha, yes, actually. When I was in Key West, a couple of people asked me to sign their Ragnar shirts. I was SO embarrassed!

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  5. Great time for not feeling 100%!

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    1. This course was so tough that even if I was feeling good, I'd be very happy with my time!

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  6. It was great meeting you! Thanks for chatting with me - you are a fabulous runner! You helped calm my nerves because I usually never run or go to races alone, so thank you :-)

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    1. I wish I knew that you were running alone--I would have run with you! I was there more for the enjoyment of the race, and I was bummed that everyone was wearing headphones, so I wouldn't be able to meet and chat with anyone (my favorite part of races!). It was so nice to meet you--thanks for saying hi :)

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  7. Fantastic time... period!

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  8. What a fantastic drop in time from last year to this year...and holy WOWZERS! your pace was fantastic given the hills and not feeling well! HUGE congrats! :)

    The heart rate training is a more recent implementation in your training correct? What other changes do you think have had the most significant impact in your drop in race time from last year to this year? You are really SO amazing and inspiring!! :)

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  9. Love your running skirt! What brand is it?

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  10. I was the 10ker that yelled "Runs for Cookies" at you. I was so excited to see you. I wish we would've had the chance to meet too. I was in town from Memphis, TN a friend told me that the Kona Run would be taking place while I was there and we should sign up. I googled the race to read reviews of the Solstice Run and came across your blog. Thanks to your review from last year I incorporated hill training to prepare for this race. I am proud to report that I had a 10k PR! I love reading your blog. Your posts are both motivating and honest.

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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