Flying Feather 4 Miler

FW (Future Wife!) and I headed down to Dublin on Thanksgiving for the Flying Feather 4 Miler.  I ran this one last year and posted a good time just under 30 minutes.  This year we used the race to see how FW is doing after getting back into an exercise routine.  She had a very good day!

Getting to the race was a piece of cake.  We parked at the same high school as last year and immediately jumped on one of the shuttle buses to the start.  One complaint: We got there very early to pick up our packets but The Club at Corazon was not open for runners to warm up.  This was one of the best things about last year's race as it was pretty chilly out.  I can't imagine why it wasn't open this year but it was very disappointing.  I mean, really, poor FW had to try to warm up on her own!

 

But we did get a picture with the race mascot!

 

On to the race!

We started near the end so FW could get into a rhythm and not start too fast.  She had the goal of getting in under 1:20.  We jogged for a bit at the start and then settled into a brisk walk/jog for much of the race.  FW hit the tangents well and was really working hard.  This course has a TON of turns for the first two miles or so.  We hit the first mile in 17:48.  That was well within range of her 1:20 goal but we knew she'd have to pace during the second mile.  We continued winding around some VERY nice neighborhoods near Glacier Ridge Park and just enjoyed the decent weather for a Thanksgiving morning.  FW was still working hard but not feeling bad.  We hit the second mile in 17:54, still well within reach of her goal for the day.  I started thinking she could actually break 1:10 if she continued at this pace.

We finally made our way into Glacier Ridge Park at about the 2.25 mile mark.  This part of the course is a bit more scenic which we enjoyed.  There's still a bit of winding around during this section but not as much.  FW started springkkling in more jogging during this section .  Her time was starting to look better and better.  We passed quite a few people during this part of the race, too.  I think FW has a similar strategy as I do, as she didn't like getting caught up in large groups and would speed up to pass them.  She hit the third mile in 17:17.  She really sped up during the final mile as we had a nice, long straightaway to the finish.  She used some downhills to her advantage and jogged down, took a break, and jogged down the next one.  We made a turn toward the finish and finished hard with a 16:05 final mile, good enough for a 1:09:14 final time!  This was obviously much faster than she thought she would run at this race and I couldn't be prouder!  

FW has started getting into a groove again but she's starting to get some plantar fasciitis again.  We're hoping she'll be able to do the elliptical and stationary bike over the winter to build up her cardio.  

The final race for 2015 will be a local 5k.

Next race: Project Lifesaver 5k- Mifflin, OH