Davis Stampede 5K-Robin-2020

Date/Location:	2/23/2020 Davis, CA
Distance:	5K
Time:	24:48
Place:	2nd (W45-49)
Teammates:	1/2 Marathon: Dana Haldeman, Martin Sengo, Troy Soares 10K: Melissa Penwell 5K: Ariel Soares, Anna Soares

I injured my hip over a week ago and I have a marathon coming up next weekend. I want to play it safe but still want to test it out today so I’ve changed from the 1/2 Marathon to the 5K.  It’s been a tough setback emotionally and it’s been a spiritual struggle as well.  But, God is faithful.  I know this but my attitude needs an adjustment.  He gave me this verse this morning…

1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:1-3)

He wants this injury to be used for His glory.  I have my mission.

Troy suggests that I run 8:30 pace.  Ariel is going sub-8min pace and Anna much faster.  Ariel wants to break her PR of 24:42.

We see Troy off in the half marathon.  I am sad he won’t be running with me but I see our friend Dana Haldeman.  I hope he can run and find some others.

I see our friend Courtney Cardenas annoucning.  I give him a quick hug since I know he’s busy!

Anna lines up up front with Melissa Penwell from track.  She’s doing the Olympic Trials next weekend!  Ariel and I line up together further back. 

Ready, set, go! 

I feel good starting out. I’m not sure if my hip is going to hurt.  I can see Ariel up ahead.  I can see her looking at her “Virtual Partner” on her watch.  I look at my pace and I’m just under 8:30 pace.

I’m catching up to Ariel which means she’s not on her goal pace.  I want to help her.  It’s a risk to pick it up but I decide to try.  I catch up to her and we start to pick it up.

Mile 1 is 8:17.  I’m feeling really good.  If I took the hip out of the equation, I really think I could run even faster.  Ariel and I catch up to a mom and her son.  She says “this is a long time from the stroller days!”.  “That’s for sure”, I say.  I realize we both pushed our kiddos in the stroller races in Davis years ago!

Mile 2 is 7:58.  Ariel is running strong but I can tell it’s tough.  I tell her that we need to stay with the mom and son.  I encourage her to swing her arms like she’s trying to elbow someone behind her (but of course not really) to avoid swinging across the body. My hip is doing well and I still feel strong.  As we go down into a tunnel, I can feel something so I back off and tell Ariel that I’ll catch up.  I am able to catch up on the uphill.  A second tunnel is coming so I take the same approach. 

At a 1/4 mile to go I tell her it’s only a lap on the track now!

Mile 3 is 7:59.  It’s going to be close for Ariel!  The mom and son start to take off.  I try to pick it up too but my hip seems to be warning me.  I tell Ariel to run ahead and push it.  I see her pass the mom and son.  I tell her to keep pushing.  As she rounds the last turn I can see the son and another guy going into a full sprint.  “Go Ariel!!”.  She hangs on and stays ahead.  She gets her PR too!  Yay!  Thank you God! 

I feel pretty good finishing but I am concerned how it’s going to feel later.  For now, I just appreciate God letting me be able to help Ariel.  I love you Lord!

Davis Stampede 1/2 Marathon (Troy)

Date/Location:	2/23/2020 Davis, CA
Distance:	13.1 mi
Time:	1:44:05
Place:	7th (50-54)
Teammates:	1/2 Marathon: Dana Haldeman, Martin Sengo 10K: Melissa Penwell 5K: Ariel Soares, Anna Soares, Robin Soares

I was supposed to be running with Robin, helping her get a 1:45 in preparation for her marathon.  But unfortunately she has an injured hip and had to switch to the 5k today.  It won’t be the same running without her, even with 350 people around me.  One of those people is Dana Haldeman.  I tell her she’ll be way ahead of me like she was at the Manda Run a year ago but she says her coach has her going easy, but picking up the last 3 miles.  My plan is 8:20 pace because Anna just told me that is what she got at her 1/2 marathon.  Robin, Anna, Ariel and I pray and my prayer is that Robin won’t feel pain during the 5k.  If she does, it could mean the injury is worse than we thought.  I’m trusting the Lord.

Go!  I watch the 1:45 pace sign move ahead and am surprised that it is pulling away.  I go a little faster as we cross onto the bike paths.  I finally realize that 1:45 is 8:00 pace and I want 8:20 pace which is a 1:49.  Ok, I can settle back down.  Good thing, too, because even this pace feels hard.

Mile 1. 8:16. Up the overpass a guy who looks like a pro goes by fast pushing a kid in a stroller.  Weather today is perfect.  Bright and sunny.  On the long straight-away I try to go into the zone.  The hardest part right now is my sore achilles tendon.  it’s been a problem for a long time now.  I’ve learned to use my hips more and less up-and-down so I’m sure I’m going to make it, just will take a lot of focus.

Mile 2. 8:02. That was a pretty fast mile.  The 1:45 pacer is about 20 secs ahead. 

Mile 3. 8:05. I better ease up, too fast.  I think about Anna, Ariel, and Robin running the 5k right now.  I pray for each one – Anna and Ariel going for PR’s and Robin running slow hopefully with no pain.  A gal next to me comments that I’m holding a good pace and it’s helping her.  She also says she likes the verse on the back of my hat.  Phil 3:14 “Press on towards the goal..”  “It’s my favorite verse”, I say, “reminding me to focus on God even when it gets tough, like the end of the race will be for me!”

Mile 4. 8:14.  I learn that the gal running with me is doing her first race since breaking her femur.  I get her name (Tami) and pray for her and her femur.  I imagine Anna, Ariel and Robin done at the finish line now.  Dana starts to pull ahead.  Cloud cover has rolled in.

Mile 5. 8:11.  Ah, onto the dirt path.  Feels good and looking forward to the dirt/gravel path around the golf course.  I feel like picking it up.  I encourage Tami and tell her I hope the soft path is easy on her femur.  I increase pace a little.  My achilles hurts sometimes but I try to find a form that feels good on it.

Mile 6. 8:09. A guy next to me hates the path and asks how much longer it goes.  “About a mile”, I say, “I like the different terrain.  And there’s a wooden bridge up ahead which is going to feel nice and springy”.  Sure enough it feels like a little boost and I comment that it’s what those new Nike shoes probably feel like all the time.  He says he’s wearing them now, but they don’t give you spring on gravel so he’s looking forward to the bike path again.  I pull ahead, use the porta-potty quickly and catch back up again to my Nike friend.

Mile 7. 8:30. Cutting back onto the bike path I cheer for Tami a ways back, which leads to meeting another gal next to me who also says she’s doing her first race since a big injury.  These injury stories remind me of Robin who I pray will also have a great come-back from this injury.  I stop and tighten my shoe to help my sore achilles.

Mile 8. 8:07. Getting pretty sore now. Eating Cliff Blocks.  Average pace is 8:12.  Want to keep it until Mile 10 and then push it a little.

Mile 9. 7:58. Now it’s really tough.  A long straight-away.  But excited to see Mile 10 soon.

Mile 10. 7:55. I didn’t see a Mile 10 marker.  We’re sent around an industrial park loop.  I see the overpass and the 1:45 pacer.  And then Dana 10 secs behind.  And then Martin Sengo, race director from Auburn, comes up behind and says, “Hey, Troy, do you want to see if we can catch the 1:45 group!?”.  I tell him no way for me but he should try.  He says, “Little by little I’ll give it a shot”.  He pulls ahead on the overpass.  I start doing math in my head and realize that it wouldn’t be too hard to catch up..

Mile 11. 7:56.  Only 2 miles to go and I just need 2 7:30’s to catch the 1:45 group!  I feel pumped.  I’m going to try.  I steadily pick it up more and more.  On an out-n-back I see my Nike shoe friend and then Tami.  We cheer for each other.  Now I pray that Robin isn’t hurt from her run and if one of us is going to get hurt, that it would be me, right now, instead of her.

Mile 12. 7:07. Wow, thank you, Lord, this is exciting. Martin is 8 secs ahead.  The 1:45 group is 10 secs ahead.  Through the tunnel I try to make up the gap on the descent.  Martin catches the group. Then I catch the group.  Robin, Anna, and Ariel are cheering for me.  I look at Robin and she says she felt ok.  Thank you, Lord.  One more loop around the parking lot…

Mile 13. 6:53.  Final stretch with my family cheering.  Great finish.  I feel so blessed to learn Anna and Ariel set PR’s and are very happy and Robin didn’t have any sharp pain.  And my race was a surprise to break 1:45.  We pray and I tell them about the gal who liked my verse.  At that moment her and her husband find us and we all get to meet and thank each other for the motivation out there.  Dana and Martin also join in and there’s a lot of joy all around.

Also ran into the guy with the stroller.  He ended up running a 1:25 with stopping a few times for his kid!

Davis Stampede 5K- Ariel-2020

Date/Location:	2/23/2020 Davis, CA
Distance:	5K
Time:	24:35
Place:	1st (W10-12)
Teammates:	1/2 Marathon: Dana Haldeman, Martin Sengo, Troy Soares 10K: Melissa Penwell 5K: Anna Soares, Robin Soares

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go! I start running slowly because my mom and I are in the back and it’s crowded. Mommy is still recovering from a hip problem so that’s why she’s running with me. I run fast and leave mommy behind. I run across a path made of wet grass. At the end of the path, it says 5k turn left, 10k and half turn right. I turned left of course. I look at my watch and see that I‘m behind the pace dad set for me which was 7:50 pace. He says I don’t have to be spot on but try to stay close. I already start getting tired. I go through a tunnel and back out. I hear mommy say “Ariel are you alright.” I reply “yes.” I keep trying to not let her catch up but she did. I stay with her. She’s going at a good pace. There's a mom and boy right in front of us who are going at about the same pace. Mom says to stick with them. I go through a tunnel. I love tunnels because you feel like you are in a movie because it’s so quiet and you can hear every breath and footstep you make.

Mile 1: 8:10. I run past the mile marker sign. I go on a small road and past a park. I see the aid station. I get water and start drinking it. I drop the cup with a small remaining amount of water. I run through another tunnel. Mommy is helping me keep a steady pace. She also is giving me tips. She tells me to pretend to elbow the person behind me when I run. We’re running on a bike path. I can’t wait until I finish.

Mile 2: 8:06. We run by the 2-mile marker. My watch says it’s not two miles yet. In about .1 from the sign, it said 2 miles. I keep running. It’s very flat. We run by a lot of houses next to the bike path. I run into another tunnel. We cross a street to another bike path. And then turn. I hear people and see them. I’m so happy. I run past the playground. Mom tells me to go beat the boy in front of me. I go to a sprint. I turn the corner hoping to run right into the finish line but then I see them directing us to take a loop around the parking lot. I go around the parking lot keeping my sprint.

Mile 3: 7:47. Right as I turn into the finished chute, I hear mom yell “Go, Ariel, go!” I start sprinting as fast as I can. I look at the clock and realize it says I didn't beat my time. I’m so sad. But then when we check the results and I realize that I did beat my time by 11 seconds. I finished 1st in my age group at 24:35.

Davis Stampede 5K- Anna-2020

Date/Location:	2/23/2020 Davis, CA
Distance:	5K
Time:	19:12 PR! (Previous PR 19:40)
Place:	2nd Female Overall; 1st W13-15
Teammates:	1/2 Marathon: Dana Haldeman, Martin Sengo, Troy Soares 10K: Melissa Penwell 5K: Ariel Soares, Anna Soares

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go! I start off running and am excited but I slow down to make sure I don't go too fast at the start. I look at my watch and it tells me I have to speed up. I'm trying to get a 6:20 pace like the race I did in San Diego. I’m not completely trained up so I’m going to give my effort to God that way I know I'll do good. The pace feels hard already but I try to relax. There is a wheelchair racer that’s right in front of me. He seems to have an advantage because he could coast after he gets fast enough. But I soon hit a grassy landscape that I have to run over. I realize that the wheelchair has a lot more difficulties than I thought. I start to notice the cracks as I begin to run on the road again. It must be tough in a wheelchair to have to go over all those obstacles. As I’m running on the path, I begin to have a side cramp. I breathe deeply trying to not let it get worse. I think about how my dad likes it when I start off with easy breathing. I can’t do that now or I’ll get a side cramp. I start to descend downhill a little bit to go into a tunnel. You can’t see anything but the runners ahead. The runner's breath and footsteps echo all around me. I come out on the other side and think about the movie Overcomer that I just saw. In the movie, the girl's dad tells her to pump her arms up the hill, so that’s what I do when I climb up the short hill. I am back onto the flat and I see the 1-mile sign. Almost done.

I continue to run on the paths through parks and it's peaceful. In many places tree branches and bushes make an arch to run under. I’m running fast and feeling good. I come up to an aid station and grab water. I can only take one sip because I'm tired and breathing hard. I look at my Garmin and I’m at an average 6:24 min pace. I start to pick it up. It’s starting to get hard and I’m really pushing. I know if I can keep this pace up I will be truly giving my all for God and Dad today. After running on the road for a bit I see the 2-mile sign. Yes, one mile left.

A guy passes me but I try to stay with him so I can get an average 6:20 min pace. I keep my fast pace up and pass him. I look at my watch and see that I have 3 laps around the track left. I think about track season and I know I need to push hard to practice for track. I'm hurting and want to stop but I know I can't. Two laps around the track left and I start to look for the finish. I know that you pass a playground before you turn into the finish so I look around for a playground. I see a lot of playgrounds and they all look the same. So much for that landmark. I look down at my watch, 1 lap around the track. I run down into a tunnel and come up the other side. I see the finish and the expo and can’t wait to finish. I run past the cameraman and smile and point to God. Without Him, I couldn't have finished the race. As I’m about to round the corner I have a thought that maybe I would have to run around the parking lot then finish. I hope my thought is wrong, but when I come around the corner I see you do have to run all the way around the expo to finish. I’m tired and hurting but I can’t slow down. I try to speed up but I can’t go any faster then I’m going now. I finally round the corner and see the finish line in front of me. I can barely pick it up because I'm exhausted. I finish the race and am happy to be done.

I stand there for a moment and work on my breathing so I don't throw up. I say good job to some runners then I thank God for giving me an amazing race. I ended up getting a time of 19:12 with a pace of 6:18. God blessed me with a great race.

Praise The Lord For He Is Good, His Love Endures Forever

Happy Kids Du #3-Ariel-2020

Date/Location:	2/22/20, Granite Bay
Distance:	1mi R – 3miB – 1mi R
Time:	Ariel: 27:00
Place:	Ariel: 1st, 11-12 Year Old Girls

Run

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go! I start running. Yesterday, I injured my ankle and a week ago I hurt my Achilles. I was thinking they were going to hurt but, when I started running it didn't hurt. I ran up the hill. I'm trying to stay close to the girl that always beats me. I run fast because I know the trails coming and I don't want to be stuck behind any kids but I still try not to run too fast so my Achilles and Ankle don't hurt. The girl is getting farther and farther away, but I can still see her. I feel slower than normal. Surprisingly my ankle and my Achilles are not hurting. I try to run a good pace. I go past a lot of Driftwood and down a small hill. I go across a Driftwood bridge over a tiny little puddle. Kids are passing me but, I keep most of them behind me. The turn is marked with a driftwood curve that leads to a long path. There's a younger girl ahead. And I think I can see the lead girl, too, but she's very far ahead. My ankle and my Achilles are not hurting, but I'm still feeling very slow.

I realize something odd. There is always a big puddle to jump over but today there isn't. I think maybe they dried it up or maybe it dried out. I run up a small gradual hill. I’m still trying to set a steady pace. I set my goal on a person in front of me. I keep getting close to him but every time I pass him, he passes me back. I’d pass him for a while but then later he comes back and catches me. I pass him again and this time I try hard to stay in front. I know I'm close to the Finish and to the start of the bike. I want to stay ahead to the transition. I run around the corner and see people. I hear Daddy yelling at me saying “Go, Ariel!” I run into transition and get on my bike and run my bike to the starting line.

Bike

I’m off! I go up the big hill and onto a road that is turning gradually. I see the little girl in front of me. I want to pass her so I speed up. I go down a hill onto a long road. I'm getting closer and closer to her. My legs feel like I’m about to give up but I don't stop. I keep pedaling. I pass her. I set my goal on getting closer to the really fast girl. I know she's 13 but I still want to get closer and closer to her until maybe I can catch her. She's a tough competition. I bike down a small hill onto a long bumpy road. This helps me see my competition. I look down the Rocky hill that holds the road up to see if there are any really slow runners down there but I don't see any. At the end of the road, I drink some sports drink. I need it to have more energy on this bike. I bike faster hoping to get closer and closer to her. I get to the long and tight turn. I go up and down a lot of hills. I keep trying to get closer to the kids in front. I bike into a big, long hill. I go up a hill and then down into a sharp turn. I remember what they told me at training “Raise your foot that is on the inside of the turn" but instead I continue pedalling fast on the turns. I hear someone behind me and I go faster. He passes me but, I stay right behind him. I pass him back. I can see the hill coming. I plan to wait until I’m right at the bottom before switching to a lower gear. However, I don't switch to a low enough gear and I notice my mistake. I switch again to the lowest gear and it still feels a little hard. I know I started up it too fast and now I watch him get farther ahead. I don’t let him get too far before I pick up the pace. I go down the hill into a really tight turn. I hear the person at the turn say “nice turn!”. I ride up and down hills. I get back to the long turn and back onto a curved road. I get back on the really long road and peddle faster. I get to the end and rush down the hill into transition. I take off my helmet and put my bike up.

Run

I run out onto the run. I have to not let anyone pass me. I go up the big hill and then turn onto the trail. I run through the trees. I turn and go past a lot of Driftwood and down a small hill. I go across the Driftwood bridge. I turn along with the driftwood turn and get back on the long path. I set a steady pace but then as I get closer and closer to the finish line I go faster. I run up a short, steep hill and then go down it. I know I'm close to the Finish line. I run up a small path. I run around the corner and see people. I hear Daddy yelling at me saying “Go, Ariel!” I sprint all the way to the end and speed through the finish line. I got 1st in my age group and 2nd girl overall.

Happy Kids Du #2- Ariel-2020

Date/Location:	1/18/20, Granite Bay
Distance:	1mi R – 3miB – 1mi R
Time:	Ariel: 26:59
Place:	Ariel: 1st, 11-12 Year Old Girls

Run

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go! I start to sprint. I pass some kids and now I’m right behind the girl from last time. I think to myself I’m going to beat her. I’ll stay right behind her till the very end then pass her. She’s getting farther and farther away from me. I try to stay with her, but it’s too hard. I went too fast at the beginning and it’s very tiring already. Some boys that I passed before pass me again. I don’t give up though. I push myself to go a steady fast pace so I don’t lose the lead group too.

I go through a lot of turns. I run across a road. I run up a little hill and then on a long flat path. I think I can see her. She’s really far ahead. I don’t know if I will be able to catch up to her, but I want to make the gap between us smaller. I am almost at the end of the path. I see the boy in front of me look down at the path below us and start going down. He stops right before he touches the rocks as if it was too hard for him to get down to the path. If he did, he would be cheating. I go to the turn and then down a small hill. I run along a long path and run through the finish line.

I run into transition ready to start the bike. I throw on my helmet and bike off. Dad says I’m 1 minute behind her. I grab my glasses, get my bike and run my bike out transition where I get on and ride off.

Bike

I put my glasses on and I bike up a big hill. I can’t see her yet but I feel if I bike really fast I’ll see her soon. I bike on a flat road. I bike down a hill onto another long flat road. I see her way ahead and start peddling faster. She is already at the end of the long flat road. I don’t think I will be able to catch her but I will try. I at least want to make the gap smaller. I keep biking along this road. I go up a gradual hill and then down a hill into a sharp corner. I bike up and down some hills and then enter into big, long turn. I go up and down again. I pass some kids that passed me on the run. I see a hill coming up so I go into a higher gear than normal so I can catch up to her but it gets hard so I go back into the low gear. I make it to the top and then go down a steep hill into a really sharp turn. I go back up and down the hills.

I go back to the big turn. I get back to the long bumpy road and this time I don’t see her. I think I might see her but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t her. I know I was biking as fast as I can but she’s not even close. I bike faster because I’m setting a new goal to beat the two boys in front of me. I’m pushing myself a lot. I get really close to one boy and then I pass him. I get closer and closer to the other boy but he is really fast. I bike down the big hill into transition. I get off my bike and take of my helmet. I run out of transition and start the run.

Run

I start running again. I am ahead of both boys now. I keep running up and down small steep hills and going around small sharp turns. I hear a voice and it sounds like the place where we cross the road. I didn’t remember the rough very well and keep running straight. I get to the road but its not the one I was looking for. I see some volunteers and they tell me I went the wrong way. I run back to the path I was on and see the boys that I tried so hard to pass fly by. I realize my mistake. I was not looking and went over the yellow tape. I can see them ahead. They have gone a good distance but I don’t give up. I keep running through a path surrounded by weeds. I know the road is coming up soon because I’m starting to remember the course again. I get to the road and cross it. I can see one of the boys and make my goal to catch him again. I run up a small hill onto a flat rocky path. I see Daddy and tell him I went off the course on accident. He says “keep going…you’re almost there!” I can’t see her anywhere. I get close to the turn around. I start going faster but so does she. I push myself all the way to the finish line.

Later my Dad tells me she went all out on the bike. I ended up getting 2^nd girl over all.