Zoo Zoom 10K–Robin

Date/Location:	April 14, 2013 – Sacramento, CA
Distances:	10km Run
Time:	43:02
Place:	2nd
Teammates:	Rich Alesci 5K – Charity Marshall, Leonie Wynhoven, Troy Soares Kids Race – Reed Alesci, Anna Soares, Ariel Soares

I’m looking forward to racing today.  It’s a reunion with Team Rionie (Rich, Leonie & Reed Alesci) and our friend Charity is racing her first 5K.  I am a little apprehensive however because I’m physically fatigued.  Yesterday, the girls and I took a day trip to the Bay Area to visit my old roommate Teresa (Clark) and the Ridder Family.  It was a great time but I didn’t get much sleep.  I even took a “nap” on the way to the race.  I don't even want to think about the long bike ride back from Sacramento to home afterwards.
We register and meet up with Charity at the start.  Troy and Charity warm-up while I hang out with 5 kiddos, mine plus hers.  Ariel is in heaven because she gets to hang out with her buddy Moriah.  I find Leonie and Rich and hang out with them a bit.  Troy was supposed to do the 10K with me but he is nursing a hurt calf/hamstring.  So the 5K is better for him.
The 5K goes great for Troy, Charity and Leonie. They all finish strong!  Troy ran pain free…praise God!!  Charity finished 4th in her age group and Leonie finished 6th!  A great way to start the day!
Time for my race!  I warm-up and head to the start. My goal today is to run 7 min pace. Troy comes over to pray with me.  It’s just what I needed…love him!  My mind is reset and put back on Christ.  This is His race.  Troy heads out and reminds me to stay right so I can give some high 5’s to the girls. 
Ready, set, go!  I see the girls waiting for me and I make hand contact…yes!  I see I’m going too fast so I pull back and keep an eye on my watch.  I can see a bunch of girls ahead of me and for now I’m content to let them stay out there until I figure out my pace.  I see Leonie and Reed cheering for me.  Reed is so cute clapping along with his mommy!
Mile 1 is 6:59.  Good, right where I want to be.  Some of the ladies start coming back to me and I start to pay attention.  There is a Fleet Feet girl I start to real in.
Mile 2 is 6:57.  I catch up to the Fleet Feet girl.  I tell her good job.  I look ahead and can see a yellow GVH (Golden Valley Harriers) jersey.  I remember racing that gal recently but cannot remember where.  It would be cool to catch her but Lord I’ll be content if I don’t.  For now there is a River City Rebel racer I’m working to catch.
As I’m heading back to complete lap 1, I see Troy and the girls cheering. What a boost as always! Troy tells me I’m 14th.  Cool! 
I pass the RCR gal as she is cheering for her teammate Karen.  I remember Karen joined us at our track workout a while back.  Wow, she’s really up there!
Mile 3 is 6:52.  Wow, thanks Lord for the energy.  I’m halfway and know I could fall apart any moment…yet, I clearly see 6 girls not too far including the yellow gal.  Lord, I’m going to keep pushing and see what happens.  I could get top 10!
Mile 4 is 6:51.  Alright, holding steady!  I’ve caught up to 2 girls now.  I feel like I’m loosing energy so I take a Hammer gel.  I start to feel a bit stronger so I pass the girls. 
Mile 5 is 6:56.  Slower but still under my goal pace…yeah!  I remind myself that it’s almost over and to dig deep.  Lord, You are my strength…we can do it!  I real in the yellow gal and 2 others.  There is one more girl left and she’s not slowing down!  I keep pushing and very slowly close the gap.  The finish is so close now!
Mile 6 is 6:39.  Wow, thanks again Lord!  I push but it’s going to be too late to catch that girl.  I see Anna waiting to finish with me.  I tell her to start running.  I know those girls I passed are not far behind and I want to make sure Anna and I can stay ahead and out of their way.  Anna digs deep and pulls me across the finish line.  I hug and thank her for the help.  We just barely beat the next girl by 6 seconds!  Wow that was tough but a great effort!  Thank you Lord!  Now it’s time for the Zoo and the kids races!  Yeah!

Name	Race	Age Group	Place	Run Time
TROY SOARES	5K	M40-49	5th	20:29
CHARITY MARSHALL	5K	W30-39	4th	22:26
LEONIE WYNHOVEN	5K	W30-39	6th	22:41
RICH ALESCI	10K	M30-39	3rd	37:31
ROBIN SOARES	10K	W30-39	2nd	43:02

Zoo Zoom 5k (Troy)

Date/Location:	April 14, 2013 – Sacramento, CA
Distances:	5km Run
Time:	20:29
Place:	5th
Teammates:	10K - Rich Alesci, Robin Soares 5K – Charity Marshall, Leonie Wynhoven, Troy Soares Kids Race – Reed Alesci, Anna Soares, Ariel Soares

This is a great event because the whole family can run and then enjoy the animals of the zoo afterwards.  But leading up to it I strained my calf.  I've been trying to stretch it but the sharp pain remains so this morning I'm getting down-graded from the 10k to the 5k.  Having this injury has made me think of my good friend, Dale Jackson, who suffered a long stint with calf problems.  It's a scary thought.  Despite being concerned for the unknown, I still want to get my money's worth at this race and at least attempt the 10k.  But Robin reminds me I can help our friend, Charity, doing her first 5k. So now I'm happy to do the 5k and realize it's also the smart way to go with the calf.
Charity and I warm up.  For a new runner, she runs very well.  I try to give her good advice for the race and suggest a goal pace of 7:30.. roughly the mile time she got at the track.  I also think about how my calf problem came about… it happened after my last race's hamstring problems.  Maybe the shorter-stride compensation stressed the calf.  I plan to reverse-compensate by trying extend more and land more on my heel.
We pray with Robin and the kids and then line up in the crowd near the 7min pacers.  We stretch.  And then.. Go!  We go by our cheering kids (always a boost), being watched by Robin.  I'm pushing my heel down and my calf is feeling good!  I'm going for 6:50's.  Charity is back, hopefully around 7:30 pace.  After 1/2 mi I hear a voice near me and it's our friend, Leonie!  We run together for a while.  My calf is feeling so good I pick it up and go after the 7min pacer.
Mile 1: 6:50.  Great.  I'm trying to balance speed with injury prevention.  I'm really focusing on form and efficient forward movement.  It's exciting to be going this fast.  We run by the band, it's playing a U2 song. Cool.  I'm moving up through the ranks of young kids.. jr high and high school.  I feel like I can negative split each mile.
Mile 2: 6:19. I get water.  This race is really fun.   Learning that my calf is feeling better by extending the heel more.  But I can feel the hamstring problem knocking on the door. It makes sense that extending would be more stressful on the hamstring.  It's a balancing game, but it's fun.  A young (11yr old?) girl is up ahead and running well.  We curve through the neighborhood and now it's a straight shot back to the finish.  She's pulling ahead and being cheered on by her team.  I can't catch her.  I don't know her but am just proud of this little girl's effort.
Mile 3: 6:14.  I come around the corner, running my fastest pace in weeks (since the injury) and there's Ariel.  Even though I have to slow a little, it's so great to run with Ariel and see her trying so hard.  We both finish and I'm glad to have my little girl with me at what turned out to be a great race.  Thanks, Lord!

Charity and Leonie both finished near each other and with good times.

Name	Race	Age Group	Place	Run Time
TROY SOARES	5K	M40-49	5th	20:29
CHARITY MARSHALL	5K	W30-39	4th	22:26
LEONIE WYNHOVEN	5K	W30-39	6th	22:41
RICH ALESCI	10K	M30-39	3rd	37:31
ROBIN SOARES	10K	W30-39	2nd	43:02