Blossom Time Run

Sorry for the brief report ahead of time, just super busy! (And having a blast!)

When I met my husband I entered into a life that include the Blossom Festival in Chagrin Falls every Memorial Day weekend. This is the big event in town, alum from the town come back each year for the carnival, parade, and many class reunions. In addition to all the festivities the towns Jaycee's also put on a 5.25 race each year. The race is usually relatively competitive and draws out a lot of runners. You have the staple of Fred Kieser winning the men's race most years and the women's race usually draws a local up and coming stud and sometimes a handful of local "ringers." It's competitive enough to give you some competition but is still a bit of a "small pond" for those of us up and comers.

Past reports from this race can be seen here:

2008 34:44
2007 37:49
2005 37:57

I went in to this race with the goal of running the same pace as the Cleveland 10k or better. The course is hilly and it is hot so even though a little shorter than a 10k I thought 6:03 pace would be a good hard effort. On top of that depending on who showed I was hoping to be the first female. I wanted to run competitively and try to get out of my comfort zone a bit.

Stayed at the in laws the night before (this will be the last year in their house as they are moving to Phoenix, so another reason to try and bring home the win) and walked to the pre race packet pickup. Relaxed and chatted with friends before getting in my warm up and some dynamic stretching and strides. It was warm out but better than last year.

The first two miles of the course are rolling uphill so I figured I would be a little slow the first two miles then start picking things up to the finish.

The gun was shot and we were off and I pushed my way towards the front. I had my eye on MB because I knew last year he finished just ahead of the first woman. I know he is a good steady racer and I knew we'd be shooting for around the same time.

Waved at my husband on my way to the first mile marker in 5:59. A little quick but I was fine with that and ready to settle in a bit. Clipping away but I was sure I was slowing down a hair. I was fine with that as we were still heading uphill. As I neared the second mile marker SG scolded me for going out too fast, saying I had lost about 12 seconds in the 2nd mile (he was right 6:14). I picked it up and closed in on him and MB to try and get back in a groove and take advantage of the rolling downhill in this mile.

Normally I wouldn't take water in a race this short but it was pretty warm so I did opt to take water at the 3 water stops. I was so paranoid any females behind me would see this as a weakness but decided if SG was taking water I certainly needed to!

Around the 3rd mile one of the guys I was with asked what kind of mileage I was running and I replied with about 70 mpw. He retorted that he obviously wasn't doing enough. Thanks I think?

I got back into my groove on mile 3 with a 5:55. The rest of the course headed out of the shade and I just continue to push. Tried to focus on relaxing my breathing and staying close to MB. I was getting nervous that someone would catch me at this point. I knew I was pretty much pushing as hard as I could so I knew if someone came by it wouldn't be pretty. Mile 4 I hit in 6:05 and I started to up the effort and close in on MB.

The last mile you have an uphill near the cemetery before you get to hammer down and then flat to the finish straight ahead. Cheers of first lady in my head became "go ladies" and I thought for sure some one was catching me. I just kept driving in my paranoia, catching up to MB at mile 5 where I could hear my coach yelling out the 5 mile time. Hit that mile in 6:03 and I swear coach said something like 30:15. I knew that was slower than Cleveland but I was running the best I could. The crowds started to cheer and I decided I better suck it up and give them a show, I could hear my husband cheering, so I drove as hard as I could to the finish, I wasn't quite on my toes but that is pretty much the closest to a sprint I could come at that point finishing out the last .25 in 1:20 for a 31:38 finish and sealing first place for the females. I threw my hands up in victory and was promptly bear hugged by my father in law waiting at the finish.


Once the adrenaline wore off a bit my head did get a bit foggy so I am sure I was a bit dehydrated, but I was stoked to have run another race well and met my goals.

Spent the rest of the day celebrating with friends and family. It was fantastic!

2008 Blossom Run Race Report

My original spring plan was to race Boston and 5 weeks later race Traverse City marathon. Unfortunately I didn't check the calendar very closely when I signed up for Bayshore, and a week or two before Boston had the realization that Bayshore was Memorial Day weekend which is also Blossom weekend for Chagrin Falls, aka big deal to the in laws who live there. AKA better not race around 13 hours away that Saturday and risk missing Blossom Sunday if I wanted to stay out of the dog house. So since Boston went relatively close to my goal I decided to pass on Bayshore and save my sub 3:20 effort for another day (more on that in another post).

All of this ended with me not training very hard the past few weeks and just trying to recover from Boston and get in a few of the fun local races. The Blossom run is 5.25 hilly miles around Chagrin Falls. I have done the race twice and managed to place in my age group both times. The race draws a huge crowd and quite a few local studs for both the men's and women's races. I checked out times from the past two years and got it in my head that perhaps I could place top 5 this year and win some money rather than the regular age group trophy. Because of the hills I figured my pace would be similar to what I ran at the Martian 10k two weeks before Boston. So I had hopes of holding about 6:30 pace and coming in top 5 going into the race.

The week got a bit out of hand with 3 unplanned days off in a row M,T,W, so as I warmed up with Solar and TKins and my legs were still feeling groggy I wasn't sure what kind of day I was going to have. Did a few strides before lining up about 3 back from the start with some of my SERC guys. Blossom is a no chip race with about 1000 runners so as you can imagine aiming for top 5 I didn't want to waste any seconds lining up too far back. Still had to dodge a few eager youngsters who were lined up at the front as the gun went off (as the anthem was finishing, talk about no real warning!). I just tried to run based on perceived effort, it had worked at the Martian 10k and I didn't want to run too fast at the start like I did at Mom's day 5k. It was hard to tell how many women were ahead of me as it was really crowded but I saw two and figured there were probably one or 2 more that I couldn't see.

I kept behind JT, knowing that he and Frank were in better shape than me I knew I shouldn't go out with them like I did at the 5k a few weeks ago. Commented to Hawthorne that I better beat the chick with headphones or I would be pissed. He assured me I'd take her down by mile 2 and thankfully I didn't have to wait that long passing her well before the mile marker.


Last time Frank would be behind me on Sunday!

Blossom starts uphill then you go down a steep hill by the roller rink and head back up again. Frank pulled ahead of me at the bottom of the hill as I waved to my hubby taking pictures and I just tried to keep my effort even. First mile was right about where I wanted to be at 6:34 and I had hopes of holding that pace the rest of the race. I wasn't comfortable and I couldn't see any girls in front of me but knew I had to hold pace if I wanted to stay in contention for top 5. Unfortunately the spectators weren't really helpful in that I didn't get any snippets of what place I was in through the course. I knew I must look bad because I felt bad and so I wasn't quite as cheerful of a runner as usual. The crowds definitely respond better to happy runners than run down ones!

My second mile was 6:40 and I was a little upset that I was slowing but I thought that I remembered my 2nd and 3rd miles being slow here last year and being able to pick it back up again the final miles so I held onto that to keep me going. I could see Frank up ahead, slowly getting further and further from me but I could not see a single female runner. Not giving me much hope for passing anyone I held onto my effort as best as I could knowing that I was likely some females bait and didn't want anyone to take advantage of me faltering.

As the effort gets harder in races or track workouts I tend to dissociate. I start to look down at the ground in front of me and just push, often letting my thoughts take over. I tried really hard to focus on the path ahead of me but was having a hard time staying "in" the race. Thankfully for me this dissociation at fast paces doesn't seem to slow me down too much, but I am sure if I could just find the energy to hold my head high and focus on the horizon rather than the ground it would result in better performances.

Mile 3 (6:47) was slower than mile 2 and I was starting to get a bit hard on myself. Trying to convince myself that 2.25 miles was not that far and this pace was not that hard. But every fiber in my being was telling me that I was full of s^&t and that this was incredibly hard and 2.25 miles was still a helluva a long way to keep this pace up. Grabbed a water and pushed on as best I could. I was still holding out for the last two miles to be faster and was grateful that at least this year it wasn't hot like last year.

Mile 4 I got back to 6:40 but for some reason I wasn't happy with that. I don't know why during a race a totally reasonable split can feel like a lackluster performance. I guess I just had really high expectations of myself and couldn't see at the time that I wasn't really that far off of them. During that moment it felt like I was just falling short. I tried to take advantage of the few small downhills here before heading up the hill past the cemetery and towards the finish.

Then to add to my self doubt around 4.25 I got caught by a fellow SERC gal CG. Thankfully she had supportive words for me and I managed to get out of my dark cloud and suck it up to stick with her. I still wasn't sure what place we were in but I knew if I let her pass me or anyone else catch me I was likely risking the top 5 goal. So I tucked my head and upped the effort as best as I could. The whole time just thinking about how hard this felt and how insane I must be.

I am a thinker. I've constantly got something racing through my head. I guess that's one of the reasons I like Ultras, it gives me time to just go out and think about anything all day. Well at this point during this race my competitive thinker was going full speed. I was thinking how I had to out kick CG because she is a masters runner and if I let her pass me I might be risking top 5 but if I beat her, she would still get top Masters. As competitive as I am I still don't want to see a friend do poorly and I certainly don't want to be the chick that cost them an award or placement they were looking for.

As we upped the hill near the cemetery I felt that it was a lost cause as I was pushing as hard as I could but CG looked so much stronger than me. I thanked her for pulling me and she urged me to stay with her. I fell back a little but as we crested the hill I pulled back even with her. I knew my husband would be on the right near the finish but that the women had to go through the chute on the left. I moved to the middle of the street so that I wouldn't have to race from one side of the street to the other and pounded my way through mile 5 in 6:38.

I saw my husband and heard him yell that I needed to finish strong and I could hear Elizabeth screaming that I was in fourth and I needed to push hard. With a quarter mile to go I tried my best to hammer in. CG had fallen back a few strides but I have never seen her finish so I wasn't sure if she was a late kicker and as the crowds were all yelling "go girls" and not "go girl" I knew I did not have any room for error if I wanted to hold my place. I had absolutely no kick left in me and if she had sprinted past me I would have been done. I pumped my arms furiously as that was about the only part of my body that I felt had any strength left in it. I somehow managed to finish the last quarter mile under 6 minute pace in 1:25.

I crossed the finish line and was just grateful that I managed to hold on. CG hugged me at the line and we both congratulated each other. We both had great days and we thought we placed 4th and 5th, but the headphones girl finished after us and informed us she was 7th so we were actually 5th and 6th girls. Man was I glad I sucked it up and hammered it in! I know I would have been upset with myself working that hard and missing my goal by one place.

I had asked Salty on Thursday what she would do if she was me having missed M-W running and needing to get in a long trail run as well as wanting to race well on Sunday and she gave me a mini plan of attack. I thought I had understood the whole thing and in that plan I was supposed to do an hour cool down and then 3-4 easy last night to loosen up for my 2 hour trail run today. Last night after the 3 miles easy I realized that I was actually just supposed to get in 10 miles in the morning, not close to 14. Ooops! But at the time I thought I was doing what I was supposed to so after congratulatory hugs and kisses for the hubby I headed out with Hawthorne to run the course backwards super easy. Got lots of funny looks and lots of "you're going the wrong way" comments. But we sloughed our way through 5 miles and I added another 10 minutes with Daisy and Salty to get to an hour.

Rewarded myself with some vinegar fries and headed over to the awards still sweaty and salty and covered in dead bugs that clung to my sweaty sun screened skin. Gross! Got there just in time to get my 5th place award and cheer on all my SERC buddies who placed in their age groups. Not sure what it looked like my priorities were as I was one of the only ones still in their race outfits and I was carrying around a Pepsi and vinegar fries :) At first they accidentally gave me the 1st place prize so I was shocked to receive a $50 gift certificate. But they got it sorted out and I actually received a $25 gift card, which was still super awesome! Also realized that once again I got beat by a gal that in the past few years has placed one above me in age group at this race. All I know is she must have had a fantastic race because I never saw her. The first gal ran a 32 something. I just can't fathom running that fast on that course. I can't even run a flat 5k at that pace yet!


Mmm Pepsi! Note the lucky bib number 277. I am a firm believer that I will do well if there are multiple 7s in my bib number. Yeah it's my only running superstition :)


I must say while I have no need for plaques I did feel pretty silly walking around with a gift card instead on an official looking award. Note those were actually the first place winners goods I had at this point.


Happy Hansens.

So I guess as I keep getting faster my expectations will not always be met so easily. Races are starting to hurt a bit more and as I keep setting more aggressive goals I am coming up short a bit more than I am used to. But the awesome thing is that I am so far ahead of where I have ever been and I am just glad that I am in a position to make such aggressive goals for myself. I need to remember that at the end of the day I am not training to be a 5k or 5.25 mile runner, I am training to do well in the marathon and at ultras and that any gained speed I get in the short distances on the way to my loftier goals are really just bonus. Given the toughness of this course I think I really did a great job this weekend and I am proud of how hard I worked out there.

Super impressed by all my friends and SERC pals. Solar just keeps getting faster and faster! Glad that Salty and Daisy were able to come out and get in a good run. Congrats to everyone that raced this weekend! Official results will probably be up in a few days but here are my watch splits.

Mile 1- 6:34
Mile 2- 6:40
Mile 3- 6:47
Mile 4- 6:40
Mile 5- 6:38
Last .25- 1:25

Blossom Time

Memorial weekend in Chagrin Falls is a huge affair. It's their Blossom Time festival and everyone and their mom who has ever lived in Chagrin Falls comes back for it. This year was even more exciting because my husbands brother and wife were bringing our niece for her baptism and 1st birthday party.

Friday night I rushed out of work to go see the baby and upon arrival confirmed she is an absolute doll. She got the Hansen blue eyes, without which I would never have met my husband, what can I say I am a sucker for dark hair and blue eyes. She looks like her mother when she smiles (who is beautiful) and has the Hansen profile. She's laughing a ton, talking a bit, pulling herself upon onto furniture, and has mastered mischievous looks. Obviously the most perfect one year old ever.

I thought for sure Saturday would be a rough day for her with the Baptism and Birthday party, but she handled it all wonderfully. She didn't mind one bit being passed from relative to relative and reacted perfectly to all the right presents. Her face lit up with joy when she and grandma opened her first baby doll, which could not have pleased grandma more. She napped during all the right times and even ate a bit of her smash cake, with a little help from her mom.

I, of course, just want to play with the kid so we pushed around her Elmo vacuum and danced on the floor with her musical phone. The day had so much excitement for her that getting her to fall asleep required a chorus of lullabies ending in a long rendition of "This Old Farmer" having a cat, dog, sheep, cow, and pig. These are the memories you cherish.

When she was sleeping I was kept busy making a water balloon arsenal for the kids. They had a blast and I got some running around in as they chased me and everyone else in the yard. Also mastered my Boccie skills and even won a game of Corn Hole.

After the kids party we stayed up and played Buck Euchre. Because of cushioned seat placement I ended up sitting at the table end with the other Hansen significant others. We made an alliance and nicknamed ourselves the "S.O's" For some reason this struck me as hilarious and I laughed more that night than I have since we saw Jon Stewart Live. I claimed slap happiness but everyone else seemed to think beer and margaritas. Oh well if you can't make a fool of yourself in front of relatives who can you be a fool in front of?

Sunday morning came much to early and I definitely was dehydrated. I got around and threw on my running clothes. Blossom Time has their own annual race which is a 5.25 mile course that runs around the outskirts of Chagrin. Very pretty and pretty hilly. I've done this one once before and managed to place first in my age group. I wasn't feeling too fast with the Cleveland Marathon being one week before but I figured I could treat it as a good hard run. Warmed up with the girls to get in some extra miles then we headed to the start. No chips so if you are relatively fast you want to be towards the front. I spotted MT and wished her luck. She just PR'ed at the Cleveland Half so I was expecting she felt a bit like me, not fresh!

The first mile I kept my sights on MT but felt strong on the hill so I pushed ahead. For being primarily uphill it was a fast first mile around 7 minutes. MT and EM passed me shortly after the hill. It was hot and humid. I partook in the first aid station and dumped water over my ahead. I kept MT in my sights and just held her there. I wasn't feeling great but my pace wasn't bad so I tried to hold it. Nearing the last mile there was a stretch of downhill and a few women passed me. Somewhere I found the energy to hold them for a bit but then let them go. Deciding a moment too late to go after them. I pushed it up the last uphill stretch and passed MT. Ladies were handing out water bottles here and they were tempting except they would be heavy. I prepared for what I thought was not going to be a very fast kick to the finish. Reached the 5 mile mark and tried to turn it on, surprising myself with a 1:30 quarter. Finish time was 37:49. About 10 seconds faster than my first Blossom and good enough for 2nd in my AG.

We had to get in some more mileage for Solar Squirrels marathon training so we headed back out before finally getting ourselves to the carnival for some food. I got my vinegar fries and we wandered around waiting for the awards. Since there were no chips it takes awhile to tally those but eventually they occurred and I grabbed awards for myself, MT, and Solar Squirrel.

Headed back to my in-laws pretty pleased to have run so well one week after Cleveland and after a long day before and a beer filled evening.

No rest for the weary though, it was time to get ready for the big Blossom Time tradition, the Blossom Parade. Every single home lining E. Washington has a yard full of people partying in it as the parade goes through. It's a mad house of people wandering up and down the street saying hello to old classmates, looking for free beer, and meeting all the new babies. This was our nieces first parade so it was fun to watch her reaction to it all. She had a very serious look on her face the whole time, as if she wasn't quite sure what this was all about but she was going to be certain not to miss anything. She had her first sucker which she was very unwilling to give up, she had a death grip on that thing. I got a great picture of her where she resembles one of the Lolly Pop Guild Munchkins from Oz gripping that sucker tight!

My husband always gets to the parade late since he has to work. This year he made it for a bit more than my favorite, the Calliope, at the end. I met some of his classmates before the parade ended and I went inside to play with my niece. She was having a great time playing with some of the other babies and didn't seem to mind me chasing her around when she wanted to crawl away. (I have bruises on my shins and knees from crawling around after her that weekend, kids are resilient!) It was nice having some one on one time with her while her parents were out stopping at other Blossom parties.

It was an awesome weekend which ended for me with yoga in the park Memorial Day morning with Trisaratops. It was lovely to look out on the lake while we worked through a series of sun salutations.

Definitely a Blossom Weekend I will remember for a long time!

Blossom Run

Yesterday was the Blossom 5.25 mile run. Blossom is a huge weekend in Chagrin Falls. They have a carnival, hot air balloon race, parade, Chagrin Falls High School Reunions, and tons of parties.

I have been going to my in laws family friends parade party for 4 years now. We always have a good time and get to eat great food! The parade is a typical parade with a few marching bands, a few bagpipe bands, one kazoo band!, tons of cars with political figures and Blossom queen and attendants, the calliope is my favorite and has always been at the end of the parade since I have started coming to Blossom.

This year I decided to do the 5.25 mile race (need to get ready for the Strawberry Run 8k!). It is a pretty hilly course but I did okay and managed to squeak out 1st in my age group. There were about 1800 runners there including the man who won the Cleveland Marathon last week.

I came in at 37:57 about 7:14 pace. I want to run 6:30-6:45 pace at the Strawberry run so I have some serious work to do during the next month. (Beyond my Chicago Tri training!)

After the race I had a funnel cake and later some vinegar fries! You have to love carnival food! My legs have been feeling pretty achy since before the Memphis Tri. They feel pretty crappy this morning. But I have been eating lots of junk food and drinking plenty of beer and wine....so, I think it is time to go without alcohol for the next few months, and I need to start eating better.

Today I want to try and swim but we are going to go check out the Blue Heron nests I think.