Flying Pig 10k and 5k

The first day of my Skyline 3-Way Challenge went very well.  I was a bit concerned about going out too fast, warm weather, getting a blister on day one, etc.  Everything was just fine and I'm now prepping for the half marathon on Sunday.  Overall, I'm feeling good as I'm not really racing so much as just completing the 3-Way Challenge this weekend.  Saturday was all about GF's 5k PR attempt!

We did get a chance to take some pictures at the expo.  GF even got one with a flying pig!

10k

I headed to Great American Ballpark for the start of the 10k.  GF stayed in the hotel to get some extra sleep prior to the 5k.  The weather was perfect at the 8:00 start with overcast skies and temps in the high 40s.  I lined up in Corral B and we started right on time.

Miles 1-3- The first half of the course was beautiful.  We made our way around the stadium and headed over the first bridge to cross over to Kentucky.  I started out with a 8:38 first mile and I'm guessing I was pretty steady from there.  My GPS had conked out so I was going by feel.  The course meandered through Newport prior to the next bridge taking us back into Cincinnati.  The course was very pretty during this stretch.  We had a few hills but nothing major.  I felt great and knew I would get a great time.  I was around 24:30 at the halfway point.

Miles 4-6.2- We passed back by the stadium and made our way around a nearby downtown area.  This part of the course wasn't nearly as scenic and was just kind of bland.  I was still having fun, though.  We did hit one major hill during mile 4, at which point I quickly called GF to make sure she got her wake up call.  I'm pretty sure she found that both funny and horrifying!

I was able to use the downhills during the final section to pick up the pace some, even though I wasn't technically racing, and finish with a great time of 49:10.  Overall, a great race!  I quickly collected my first medal of the day and headed back to the hotel to pick up GF.

5k

GF has done an amazing job training for the Flying Pig 5k.  She was set on beating her previous best of 47 and change.  She's been killing it on her training runs and we recently found that short bursts really work well for her.  She was nervous before the race, but I knew GF would get a new PR at this one.

GF before the race!

What almost worked against us was the number of participants.  We started off at a good pace, but we really had to pick our spots for GF to fit in her quick bursts.  There were so many people in the 5k that we spent most of the race weaving in and out of people.  But GF started out at a great pace and held it steady the whole time, despite the fact that it was also getting quite warm.  We hit one big hill about a half mile in and GF used the downhill to her advantage.  She hit the first mile in 14:43.  That's about 40 seconds faster than I had set as a goal for her.

The second mile was very dull.  It was a flat straightaway, but it at least provided some opportunities for GF to fit in some short bursts.  I could tell roughly half way into the race that she had a PR in the bag.  She was just over 22 minutes at the halfway mark and was doing a great job.  We hit another uphill in the downtown area around the two mile mark.  She again hit the mile in around 14:44.  Very steady splits!

The final mile presented a few downhills which really helped.  I reminded GF that there were Skyline Coneys available at the finish (because I was also getting hungry) and she sped up.  :)  She did an excellent job over the last quarter mile and really kicked it in for a strong finish of 45:27.   The course came in long at around 3.17, so I'm certain she did 3.1 in under 45:00.  That's a huge PR for GF!  We were both thrilled by her effort.

Oh, and we did have a few coneys!

Next up is the final race in the 3-Way Challenge, tomorrow morning's half marathon.