Race Recapping: 15Ks in 2014

Raise you hand if you have ever heard of a 15K race before??? {Crickets....crickets...crickets...}  Yeah, me neither. It is certainly different, not a very common race, but a nice distance to challenge yourself even further.  For some, it will take more than an hour, probably closer to 90 minutes or more.  And it can be considered a training race and stepping stone for those pondering a half-marathon in their future.  That is how I came upon this distance, and I am excited that I did!

In training up for the St. Jude's Country Music Marathon, I decided to also become a St Jude Hero.  A hero is a runner who also fund raises for St Jude, and I was very fortunate to have generous friends and family to contribute to this worthy cause.  As such, the team I was running with (WSIX), gifted me a race entry to Nashville's Hot Chocolate 15K race. It was a great day, VERY cold at the beginning of the race, but of course that wears off as you start running. I PRed the race!!! Not hard when it is the first race of that particular distance. :)  My total time was 1:47:14, which is pretty respectable.  I was hoping for a 1:45, but close enough, right?

Crossing the finish line

The second 15K was later in the year as a part of my motivation to keep running longer distances.  It was a beautiful, sunny day for September.  I have previously run part of the course, in fact I had just run it the month before in the "It's Just a 10K race", so I knew part of the course going through Shelby Bottom's Park in Nashville.  But to be honest, this is a race I would never encourage anyone to do.  It is flat, but also very, very boring.  There are no crowds to cheer you on, part of the course you are sharing a part with public bike riders, and there is no one to welcome you at the finish line after running for fun for two hours.  I can check the box for keeping up with my race-a-month for 2014, but never, ever again running this race.  Sad, isn't it?? I really like racing, challenging and racing against myself.  I would encourage anyone to race as a way to test their baseline, and later to measure how they are progressing, and what they need to work on to improve. (I am better at giving advice, as compared to taking my own).  But if you are reading this, and thinking of participating in this race, run away!