On the Run: Run du Nain Rouge 2014

To go along with Detroit's Marche du Nain Rouge - an annual event held in Midtown during which the Nain Rouge ("red dwarf") appears and needs to be driven out of the city for another year - Tour de Trout hosted their 2nd annual Run du Nain Rouge 5K. It was a small event with just shy of 400 finishers.  Quite a nice change from the nearly 10,000 at Corktown last week!  

This was one of the most fun and relaxed events I've run.  The start and finish line was on Canfield right out in front of RUNdetroit.  Before the race I stayed warm in the store with all my running friends.  It was basically just an even bigger group run than usual!  I had gotten in 3 miles at home before the race so I did just a short jog up and down Canfield right before the start.  My hamstring had been bothering me in the warmup so I wasn't sure how I would feel.  My goal was to run it faster than Corktown and if it was only by 1 second per mile I would be happy.  Advantages were a flat course, less wind, sunny skies, very familiar territory, and not having run 20 miles the morning of the race.  Plus I had my friends Justin and Amy ahead as clear 1st place male and female winners to keep me motivated to run fast!

I started right at the front and just went for it from the get go.  At first a few people passed me but they were men so I wasn't too upset.  I knew Amy was the only woman ahead of me and I was going to hold onto that 2nd place no matter what!  I occasionally glanced at my watch for pace and every time I did I was shocked at what I saw.  I was running way faster than I thought I could but I just kept going.  Most of the course was on Cass but it also took us around pass the Masonic Temple, which was very cool to run past. There was a turn-around over there so I got to see Justin kicking butt in first place and Amy not far behind.  Then it was back to Cass, which I knew put me in the homestretch. 

Right at the end, just as we were about to round the turn onto Canfield, a guy came from behind to pass me and finish under 20:00.  I was inspired and picked it up a bit but just didn't have it in me for that final push myself.  I finished in 20:04 with an average pace of 6:28/mile.

When I saw the time on the clock and my pace I was so excited you would have thought I'd just qualified for Boston all over again!  I was jumping up and down, high-fiving friends and strangers, and telling volunteers I loved them.  (Brian later told me he was glad he wasn't there - haha!).  Everyone just hung out on Canfield in front of City Bird and RUNdetroit while the rest of the racers finished up and people enjoyed their post-run snacks of blood oranges and red frosting-swirled brownies. Carnival music was playing, everyone was happy, and it was such a festive atmosphere.  I loved every second!  I would have liked to stay for the actual Marche but had to get home to check papers and do report cards (boo!).  Next year I'll make sure to budget my time better so I can stick around.

Because I finished in 2nd place I won a $20 gift certificate from RUNdetroit.  The top 15 finishers also got a Nain Rouge beer koozie and sticker from City Bird.  Fun stuff!

And in case in you were wondering, the Nain Rouge WAS caught and banished from the city, due to his dragon being illegally parked.  Detroit is safe for another year!

Distance

5K

Time

20:04

Pace

6:28/mile

Fuel

CLIF Shot - mocha

Tunes

Sympathy for the Devil / Rolling Stones

Devil's Haircut / Beck

Devil Inside / INXS

Devil's Dance Floor / Flogging Molly

Shout at the Devil / Motley Crue

What do YOU think about the legend of the Nain Rouge?

Boston Marathon Countdown: 4 Weeks

4 more weeks!  The Red Sox tickets have arrived!  The Duck Tour has been booked!  And the running continues.  The past 2 weeks of training have been pretty intense.  In week 11 I hit my highest mileage ever - 70 - capping it off with the Corktown 5K. When you take it one run at a time it doesn't seem so bad but by the end of the week I was pretty beat down.  I also had a late night of speed work at the track, consisting of the following workout:  1 mile warm up, 5 x (400m-800m) at 5K pace, cool down

Even though week 12 was only 57 miles it felt like a lot more than that!  I probably need a rest but that's just not in my nature.  I was feeling a hamstring pain on most of my runs so I dialed back the pace a bit and didn't do the full mileage on some days.  I wasn't able to make it to yoga, which didn't help.  I finished out the week with another 5K and was able to put in a much better performance than I did at Corktown.  (Race report coming up). 

Here's a look at the past 2 weeks mileage:

Looking ahead, I have Rock CF 1/2 marathon coming up on Sunday.  It's not my goal race so I won't taper for it and will continue to stick to my Boston training plan.  I will, however, get in daily stretching for my hamstring (and my weekly yoga session) so that I hopefully won't have issues with that.  Fingers crossed for warmer weather and sunshine!

Happy running!

Previous Boston Marathon Countdown Posts: 14 Weeks, 12 Weeks, 10 Weeks, 8 Weeks, 6 Weeks

Boston Marathon Countdown: 6 Weeks

Spring is in the air!  Although I had to take my runs inside a couple of days last week due to sub-zero morning temps, this week we've seen a major warm-up.  The snow is starting to melt, roads are clear and dry (no sidewalk running yet), and the sun has been shining.  The upcoming week is looking fantastic weather-wise.  I just might be able to break out my new Guides, which thus far have only seen the treadmill and indoor track!  

I hit my highest mileage to date these past two weeks, with 64 and 63 miles.  In week 9 I went to an indoor track for my first real speed work session.  I had no idea what I was doing but was with some very experienced track runners who coached me along.  We did the following interval: 

1 mile warm up, 2 x (800m-600m-400m-200m), 1 x (800m-600m-600m), cool down

The plan was to do 4 intervals but the track was closing.  I was okay with what we did, considering this was my first track workout and I was holding a 6:30 pace (translation - I was DYING!).  Since one of my goals for the year is to run a faster 5K, this is definitely going to be the way to do it! Now I just need to make sure I do it on a regular basis.

I've been getting my weekly tempo run in on Saturday at RUNdetroit, thanks to a fast running partner.  We do the run together at or faster than my marathon pace for the full 10 miles, talking the whole time.  No recovery.  On race day we'll really fly when we AREN'T talking to anyone!  haha

Today I finally got in my first 20-miler.  I've done two 18's, both in brutally cold and snowy conditions.  Today was sunny and dry - wahoo!  I went back to Kensington Metropark to run the hills and although I obviously slowed down on the inclines, I managed a 7:49/mile overall pace.  It's no marathon pace to be sure but for a training run, I was okay with it. And I felt good at the end, so even better!

Here's a look at my daily mileage from the past two weeks:

Next week I have another 20 miler but it's the same day as the Cork Town 5K, so I'm trying to figure that out.  I'm excited about the race because I've never run it before and I hear it's a lot of fun.  We'll see how it all shakes out.  I'll keep you posted!

Happy running!

Previous Boston Marathon Countdown Posts: 12 Weeks, 14 Weeks, 10 Weeks, 8 Weeks