Saturday, March 20, 2010

Get Lucky! 7k Race Results

I set my alarm for 6:30am so that I would have plenty of time to get ready for my Get Lucky! 7k. Thursday I started to get a sore throat and cough and I was not feeling 100%. I debated last night on whether I should run or not. I figured with a good night sleep I might feel better. I did not but I wanted my medal and hoodie sweatshirt!! I ate a small breakfast and read a few blogs:) I then went upstairs to wake my hubby up. We drove into Minneapolis and arrived there at 9am:)
It was cold! Here in Minnesota we had been blessed with a few days of temperatures in the 50's and 60's. This morning it was twenty-five degrees and I was whining:( Maybe a month ago I would of been jumping for joy for a temperature of twenty-five....this morning, not so much!

You can see by the look in my face that the wind was a wee bit chilly!

Here I am with Mr. Julie:)
This guy was amazing!!
Here I am at the start line. This is before it got packed with runners and there was still room to move around.
Here are the people who were lining up after me.
Here is my view of the people who lined up before me. They did have pacer bunnies but no pacers. I saw that they had an eight minute mile and an eight-thirty minute pacer. I went back and forth between the two. I have never run a 7k before and really wasn't sure if I could run the eight minute pace. Last year my PR for the 5k was 23:10 which is a 7:27 minute mile. I was also in my prime at that time. I knew I would not be able to do that today:( I decided to start with the eight-thirty pacer bunny and figured it really didn't matter. There were originally 3,000 runners registered for this race but today only 2,591 actually made it! So here is how the race played out for me.....
We all moved up to the start and when the buzzer went off it took a bit for us to shuffle forward. Boy, did it seem like we were moving slow! I absolutely hate the beginning of these huge races because it seems to take so long for me to get to my true start pace. It seemed like I was just lulling along and I was seriously frustrated. Eventually things started to thin out and I felt that no other runner was in my personal space. I was shocked when I saw the mile one marker...I looked down at my Garmin and it read 7:50! Holy crap, I thought that I was moving slow! I just kept moving and tried to stay at a steady pace. I do not remember much of the race other than there were a few bridges that we ran over. The first bridge had a little hill and when I looked down to see my pace I was at 8:50. I really needed to pick it up a bit. After the first bridge I took a right turn and just kept on going. It was here were I took off my hat, mittens and tied my jacket around my waist. I was actually getting warm! There were two water stops and I skipped the first. When the second came up I grabbed a cup expecting cool water but got something blue! Yuck, not what I wanted! I ran a few more feet and grabbed a water. I kept on going keeping it steady and I was feeling pretty good! We came to an area where there was a cobble stone street to run on. I did not like this and was very happy when the road went back to normal pavement:) I knew that the race was going to end on the Old Stone Arch Bridge and I could see up in the distance that people were turning onto the bridge. It was at this point where my husband yelled, "Jules, you are almost done! You have a little less than a mile! He told me to toss him my hat. I was holding my hat so I threw it at him and I also whipped my jacket off throwing it down onto the grass right next to where he was standing. I started to pick up my pace. I did not look down at my Garmin and just ran steady and strong! The bridge finish strip seemed to take forever! When I was lined up before the start, the guy standing next to me warned me about the bridge. He told me that it is looks longer than I would think and to be ready. I kept on taking quick strides and sprinted in the last 400 or so. When the clock first came into view it read 34 something.! I walked a bit after I finished just so that I could catch my breath. I felt pretty good considering I wasn't feeling the greatest! My last two races were half marathons so this seemed like a walk in the park for me!! As I was walking forward on the bridge I heard someone yell Julie! I looked and saw Chris! Chris is also a blogger from Minnesota and I was hoping that I would see him! Chris was there with his girlfriend Lindsey and they both finished a little before me. It was so nice to meet him and chat with him and Lindsey for a few minutes:) Chris, you totally have a baby face! What is it about male runners and their baby faces? I had to wait for my hubby to make his way across the bridge. There was no way in hell he was running it, so I knew I would be waiting for a few minutes.
Here I am being presented with my very cool medal!
In this picture you can see the flow of people still coming from the finish line. I went on line and looked up my stats. They are..... 385/2591 overall, 113/1722 gender, 11/205 for age group and my chip time was 35:08! This turned out to be an 8:07 minute mile pace for me:) This was my first shorter race for the season and I am happy with my performance:)
Here I am with Chris after picking up our very awesome Get Lucky! sweatshirt hoodies! I was very happy to get my sweatshirt since my hubby did not remember to pick up my jacket and mittens:( Grrr! It is a good thing that my jacket was a Champion Target clearance item and my black mittens were one buck!!!
After the race we headed to Kieran's Irish Pub to collect our free beer!
Inside there was an Irish band playing:) They were very fun to listen to!
Here I am with my cold beer! Cheers! I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekends!!
Angie is hosting a Chia Seed giveaway!
Suzy is hosting a birthday Starbuck's giveaway!
Marcia is hosting a Runningskirts.com giveaway!
Molly is hosting a God Never Blinks book giveaway!
Misszippi is hosting a Rockin' Refuel giveaway!

63 comments:

  1. Hi! Sweet sweatshirts! that's awesome!
    Cheers! happy saturday nite!;-)

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  2. Looks like a great race and a new pr in a 7k. Guinness - you are tough

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  3. You did very well! Way to go :)

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  4. Awesome time, Julie! Your time rocked! Those sweatshirts are pretty nice too. Sadly I judge a race by how good the swag is! LOL.

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  5. Well done Julie, a great start to kick off the spring season for racing.

    You do get lots of free stuff in those US races of yours. RB.

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  6. congrats on the race! i too have a head cold and a race this morning. hrr, why do we get sick before races! you look great in the pics!

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  7. Great race Julie. I am glad you had a good time and did well. Nice hoodie and medal...score!

    I am so proud of you for doing well even in that cold weather. I am a big baby when it comes to cold weather.

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  8. Super good Julie! Great race report and it sounds like you had a great time!

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  9. Nice job, Julie!!! That looks like such a fun race!!!

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  10. Way to go! Great pics and I love that sweatshirt.

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  11. Congrats on a great race! That's an awesome pace so early in the season! You look beautiful as ever!
    Thanks for the giveaway shout!

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  12. How fun to meet up with a fellow blogger! Sorry you felt so lousy, but you ran a great race! Loved all the pics, especially the one of you and the hubs!

    thanks for posting my giveaway again, feel better soon!

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  13. Congrats on an awesome race Julie...and I agree, the hoodie sweat was totally worth going for :) Great pace!!!!!

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  14. Now that is some cool race. Congrats. Love your report.

    BTW, I am trying to e-mail Meg about the b-day card for Jill but I seem to be messing up her e-mail address. Could you please post that address again?

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  15. Great job! Looks like a really fun race.

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  16. Nice job, Julie! Way to run at a nice pace and have fun! I love the picture of you getting your gold medal and it's fun to meet Mr. Julie!! Rest up today, you've earned it and have a great week!!

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  17. Nice job on the fast pace! You will really rock when you are at your best! It sounds like a fun race other than the huge crowd. I am seriously jealous of the medal and the hoodie!!! Was it expensive to enter? Even though I raced in the 60s yesterday it was in the 20s today and spitting snow!

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  18. Woot woot for Jules!

    Great RR and fun pics! Way to suck it up in the cold to get your hoodie and free beer!

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  19. I have tried to email Meg twice about the card for Jill. Not sure what I am doing wrong.

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  20. Looks like an awesome race! Sounds like you had a good time, both literally and racewise, way to go.

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  21. It's a great running time considering you was not feeling 100%. Congrats for the accuracy in race's report.
    I wouldn't mind a glass of that red Irish beer!

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  22. Julie, Congrats on the race. 7K in an interesting distance. I hope you feel great today. And, thanks for putting my giveaway out there too! Most of all - how cool to see Mr. Julie!

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  23. Woohoo for an awesome race! Great job! What a fun distance to run too. Oh, I would have totally gotten up to run too for that hoodie...it looks super comfy! :)

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  24. I'm so happy for you! That's an awesome pace! Great job! I love the pics, particularly of Mr. Julie :). That sweatshirt is pretty nice too. Have a great week!

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  25. Hey Julie,
    Great pics, great race report, and of course great finishing time. 25 degrees at the start is raw! I'm SO jealous that you got nice "swag," a sweatshirt, and even free beer! I wish I lived closer to Minnesota so I could run it next year. Thanks as always for your nice comments on my blog.

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  26. congrats on a great race! sounds like you ran a great pace for what you call "not being at your prime" :) love the medal and hoody! definitely worthy of tolerating 25* again.

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  27. Way to go big sis! 8:07 is a great pace for this time of year. You are gonna rock it later this summer!

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  28. I love races like this. Ones that are more of fun event than anything. Great job Julie. I like how you mingle and try to get to know as many runners and peeps as possible as well. Fun!

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  29. Hey Julie! It was great to meet you too, I was hoping I would get to see you guys there. I do like the sweatshirt, I have been wearing mine all weekend.

    The reason I may have a baby face is cause I am still only 32. Maybe after spending a few more winters here, I may get the ole' winter hardened face. haha!

    Hope we get to run some more races together and thanks for mentioning me in your post! Have a great week!

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  30. Way to go Julie! Great race, especially with the cold weather and you not feeling so great. And who could turn down a race with free beer?!
    Keep up the great training & racing!

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  31. Yay, Julie!!!!!! Great race with the result to prove it - in spite of the cold! I am with you-no more 25 degrees, please. You look beautiful, as always, and an extra treat - a glimpse of Mr. Julie! Keep smiling and have a great week!
    Kathleen

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  32. I thought I commented earlier? Hmmm!

    Anyways, Congrats on the great time. I raced it too and had wished I had checked out your blog to know that you would be there. That Finnegan's was one fine beer to have after the race, wasn't it? And the food was great too!

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  33. Did you beat the guy running with the bag pipes?

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  34. I love the race report.

    I love it when I get to meet another blogger

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  35. Great job Julie. Looks like a great race and i love your shirt! Beers after a race? my kid of post race! :)

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  36. That's a pretty awesome race schwag, I'd say... and shame on Mr. Julie for you leaving you out in the cold! Ha! I hope he made it up to you later :-)

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  37. GAH! I actually meant to reference YOU in the post. For some reason I thought you and wrote her. Fixed now!!! :)

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  38. Nice work and great shirt. Have a great week!~

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  39. Congrats! I heard of a few people who ran that race, must have been popular.

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  40. Julie,

    Greta race report. You did awesome!!! It looks like it was a blast and you got some pretty cool swag as well.

    Did you drink the beer? If so, did you like it?

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  41. Nice job on the race! Looks like you had fun!

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  42. Awesome race Julie! You were #11 in your AG even without feeling your best? That's amazing to me! (By comparison, I ran my heart out in my last 5K, PR'd by 10 secs and still was only #33 in my AG! Grrr...)

    It's amazing how five miles can seem like a piece of cake race after you've done so many half marathons. That's wonderful!

    And I am totally jealous that you get free sweatshirts as race swag. How come we never get anything like that here in the city?

    So cool that you got free beer too! Did you end up liking your beverage selection?

    Anyway, great race! Hope you are recovering and feeling better after putting forth that effort. Very inspiring!

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  43. Wow, what good fun! Nice run and report!

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  44. Hi Julie! I'm a bit late making my way over here, sorry about that!

    Just wanted to tell you congrats on your 7K, what an awesome pace! I love your cold beer pic at the end, totally made me smile.

    What in the heck is a pacer bunny?

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  45. Pacers in a 7k? Medals in a 7K? Sweatshirts in a 7K? Wow girl, you are LUCKY!! I love it that you and I are the only two that I am aware of that ran 7K races...how fun is that??!!!?? You ran great, girl - so proud of you. And proud that you got in some great beer rewards afterwards, wooohoooo!

    I see you're being sneaky with Meg on the birthday thing. Sheesh you guys are going to make me cry! I wish you could come and be our cheerleader...what a blast that would be!!!!

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  46. Hey, Julie
    Nice race report! What a BIG race! Great shwag, too! What do you enjoy more so far, the HM distance, or shorter? (I totally just had to multiply .62 x 7 to figure out how far you ran:))

    Hey! email me your info at pwimberly@drsmgmt.com if you want me to send you your Gu's!

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  47. Cute outfit and good job on the race! I love the idea of putting the number on your leg, Ive never thought of that! Love that they gave you a medal plus other swag....super jealous!

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  48. Great race report! It that looked like a really fun race. I may have to consider that one for next year. Congrats on the PR.

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  49. Hi Julie,
    Great race report, and you too look and sound to be in great shape. Well done. A good start to the year!

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  50. Wow! Cool medal. And a hoodie? Where do I sign up? Way to go on your race!

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  51. Hi Julie,
    Great job!! Cute shirt and fantastic pictures!
    I love that they gave you hoodies and medals. What a great race!

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  52. Congrats you are very fast and this despite the sore throat! Beautiful pictures and very nice shirt! New running adventures are waiting for you.

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  53. Nice job! I love that you take pictures at races, I never think of doing that. I love that you guys got hoodies and metals.

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  54. Wait! I just realized the race was called the "Get Lucky!" 7K. Man, I so would love to run in that race and have a shirt that says "Get Lucky!" :-) Congrats again, Julie.

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  55. I had to come back!!! :-) Thank you for the lovely comments - I think trail running (and hills!) does wonders for leg shapeliness. :-)
    And in regard to the hair - I just started, about a month ago, to let my hair go "au natural" - ie curly - no alterations! I found a sylist who specializes in naturally curly hair, trained at the Devachan Salon in NY (curly hair salon heaven, supposedly!), who recommended I pick up the "Curly Girl" book by Lorraine Massey. If you are at all interested in letting your curls go natural, I would highly recommend picking up the book - I learned SO MUCH! It has been an adjustment but my hair is becoming used to being treated nicely and I am really starting to LOVE it for the first time. I can come home from a run, take off my hat, shake my hair around a bit, no hat hair! Yahoooo! Hope you are having a great week!
    Kathleen

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  56. Belated congrats on your great run! Cold beer after a race always sounds sooooo good...

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  57. Aww that sounds like a very fun race--slash--a race that combines a lot of things I love:

    Minneapolis/Minnesota, St. Patricks Day, running, and free stuff (including a finishers beer). You did so well!

    Reading this made me want to get back to Minneapolis...

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  58. Great finishing time! 11th in your AG of over 205 people - that's great, too!

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  59. Good job! Awesome time! I literally just ran my first 7k ever a few hours ago, and i'm going to train to reach your time! :D

    Good job!

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