As I mentioned in my training recap, last Sunday I ran the Leesburg 20k. I don’t know what it is with me and races in August — last year I ran the Annapolis 10 miler (here‘s my race recap in case you are running the A10 this Saturday) and this year I decided to brave heat, humidity and hills again. I was so excited to run this race, mostly because so many awesome DC area bloggers were also running it. This was a fun race to run and a fun race recap to write. So, without further ado, here’s my Leesburg 20k race recap:
Julie and I decided to stay in a cheap hotel the night before the race, so we could sleep in later Sunday morning. The hotel was a bit odd, but it served it’s purpose. I brought two different race outfits with me and crowd sourced my final decision on what to wear. I decided on the Lesko Shimmel Tank and Distance Shorts. This was a great choice and I loved what I was wearing:
Julie and I headed over to the race start, which was in downtown Leesburg. There was free parking in a garage right by the start, but the line to park was pretty long and we were pretty sure all the spaces were gone. Julie let me out so I could grab our packets. We were fortunate to run into Jenny of Run Jenny Run and Kathryn of Dancing 2 Running while awaiting the porta potty line. You may remember that I ran into Jenny after the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler this year, but somehow this was the first time I had met Kathryn. She was just as sweet as I thought she’d be and we took a couple of fun pics, courtesy of of Kathryn’s husband. I love that in this pic, we’re all wearing Oiselle!
As I mentioned earlier this week, because of the traffic, Julie and I were a bit late starting the race, but we were chip timed so it was okay. Now on the race. I mentally divided the race into 4 5ks in order to break it up. My rough plan was a fast 5k, 2 slow 5ks and then another fast one to finish.
First 5k: I started out WAAAAY too fast and lost Julie by mile 2. I was also a sweaty nasty mess by this point and knew that I’d have to reassess my original goals. I was also not excited about running the rest of the race solo. I love running with a buddy so I just tried to concentrate on making it through the first 5k.
mi 1: 9:08, mi 2: 9:32, mi 3: 9:49
Second 5k: The course was hilly and I tried to settle in but knew I was going to be in for a challenging morning and probably wouldn’t be able to hit my goals. The humidity was intense and while we had shade (thank GOODNESS we were on the W&OD trail for most of the race), it was getting hot as well.
mi 4: 10:07 mi 5: 10:20 mi 6:10:12
Third 5k: This was where I started to see all my buds on the out and back course. That was really fun and I was able to give a high five to Sue over at This Mama Runs for Cupcakes, see Deb from Deb Runs a few times as well as Julie (who shared some fuel with me — love her!), Jenny and Kathryn. That was really motivating!
mi 7: 10:13 mi 8: 10:34 mi 9:10:41 (yikes!) Did I mention that this was the elevation chart?
Final 5k: I was so ready to be done at this point. I’d seen all my girls, I was hot and nasty and ready to just take a break. I knew I could push through though and that was a good feeling. There was a guy playing Eye of the Tiger from his deck about half a mile from the finish and that was awesome!
mi 10: 9:58 mi 11: 9:43 mi 12: 9:53
Final time: 2:05:39
After the race, I waited for Julie so I could see her finish. She came in a few minutes later, looking strong. We hung out for a bit with Deb and her husband and caught up with Dora, who is another super awesome speedy runner. Deb actually won her age group, which isn’t surprising at all because she’s awesome! We saw her get her award and then headed home via a stop at Wegmans for breakfast. π
It was a great race and so well organized – if you have a chance to run a Potomac River Running Race I highly recommend it! As far as my goals, given the heat and humidity I was pretty proud of how I did and know I put forth a ton of effort. And as you can see above, I finished smiling!
Have you ever raced a 20k?
Great recap Courtney!! It was a hot one, but you looked great when we passed each other. Amazing finish photo!
Jennifer recently posted…Tasty Thursday – Canadian Edition, Ey!
thanks jenny! it was great to see you at a race again π
I love that finish line photo! You looked so strong out on the course, and it shows in this photo! So glad that we finally got to meet as well. Hopefully it won’t be long before we’re both at the same race again.
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…Favorite Race Signs
yes, i hope so do! are you running clarendon day in september?
I haven’t registered yet, but I’ll likely be there. You?
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…Favorite Race Signs
I’ve never raced a 20k, but I like your game plan for the race. I don’t sign up for August races anymore because the weather is just too hot for me to race and I can’t seem to get a decent weather day for the A10. Seriously, it hailed one year during the race and that’s not fun.
Heidi recently posted…Wedges are what the Doctor ordered
yeah, the A10 is rough. annapolis running period, is rough π but pretty!
Commentjust ran my first 12 miler in August as well (Charles Street 12) It was a great race!. The only problem with August is the heat and humidity. I got lucky this year and it wasn’t so bad the day of my race. Looks like you had a great time!
oh i heard wonderful things about the charles street 12!
Great recap and great job! It felt really humid that morning too. I love the finisher photo of you, you look so happy π
Chaitali recently posted…Weekly review
i was SO happy to be done! π
Great job! Sounds like you all had a great time. Hope to do it next year
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…Do you Metronome? Should you?
yes, next year for sure deborah! we missed your smiling face π
love all the photos!! you look great π i like the look of this race, and may have to consider it for next year!
Mar @ Mar on the Run recently posted…BlogFest: Inspiring Fitness
thanks friend! you’d probably love this race π
I loved reliving our fun race while reading your great recap! And I love, love, love your finish line photo! Hope to see you again soon!
Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…The Rehearsal Dinner, Our Best Anniversary Ever!
thanks debbie! it was SO awesome hanging out. PR Running puts on a great race — hope to see you soon π
Great job on your race. Sounds like a fun time. I have every done a 20k, and actually never heard of that distance until a few of you mentioned this race.
Lacey@fairytalesandfitness recently posted…Rock-N Bloggers – The List
yeah i think this may be the first one i’ve seen!
Congrats, you had a great race! I had NO idea it was that hilly…it was such a last min decision for me I didn’t even look at the course! It was so great to see you out on the course!!
Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakes recently posted…Wonder Mom Wedesday Link up: Back to School
It was AWESOME to see you rocking it on the course, Sue!
Yay!! Great race recap, Courtney, and congrats on doing so well during that yucky heat & humidity!
Tara @ Running ‘N’ Reading recently posted…Book Review: One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
Thanks Tara! It was (kinda) fun!
girl YES. you are going to KILL navy air force half!!!
nevie recently posted…Marathon Training: Week 8 Recap
Thank you! I’m hoping for great weather! π
How fun to have so many bloggers there! Love how strong you look in that finish line photo – WTG!
Michelle @ Running with Attitude recently posted…Training Update & Nuun Winner
Thanks so much Michelle!
It looks like you had so much fun! I’ve never run a 20K before, I’ve never even come across a race at that distance but if I did I would do it because insta-PR. Your pictures are really cute too especially the finish one, I’m sure you were glad to be DONE with that course.
Amy Lauren recently posted…Raccoon Pond Rush 10 Mile Trail Run and Relay and Fall Race Plans
I was SUPER glad to be done π The humidity was killer!
Congrats! That is an awesome finisher’s photo!
Kristen recently posted…Kayaking: The Perfect Workout For People With βWimpy Armsβ
Thank you Kristen!
Awesome job! Congrats! Love that you were able to run with so many friends, and that finisher shot of you is awesome!!!
Jennifer @ Running on Lentils recently posted…Five Things I Love About Living in Pittsburgh
Thank you so much Jennifer! It was fun to have so many friends running!
Geez, that course elevation looks TOUGH! Conflagration on powering through and finishing with a gorgeous smile!
Judith recently posted…Running After 40
thank you so much! π
That should be “congratulations”. Sorry. (embarrassed now!)
Judith recently posted…Running After 40
Congratulations! The elevation is no joke!! And what an awesome finisher photo!!
Christine recently posted…Wordless Wednesday #GirlsGoneSporty
Thanks Christine!