Latest reviews by Katie St Pierre

(2015)
"A great 1st triathlon"
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Last year I convinced John from Run. Geek. Run (disney) that he should do a triathlon with me. We signed up for the Salute Triathlon and got to training. Unfortunately, for both of us, life got in the way and training didn’t go as well as planned. I was pretty good with my swim and run, but I did not even touch my bike one time since my duathlon months and months before.

I think the hardest thing about completing in your first multi-sport event is preparing all the STUFF that you need to have – helmet, shoes, goggles, fuel, towel, etc. I felt like I was packing up my entire house!

This tri was a sprint: 300 meter snake swim through the pool, 12.5 miles on the bike, and a 5k run. John and I ended up lining up at the end of the swim line because we were pretty nervous, never having done anything like this before. My strongest strokes are breast stroke and backstroke, which is good when in an indoor pool because you have the ceiling to look at. When I was doing the backstroke I kept bumping into people because I couldn’t see them. I don’t think that it was appreciated, but what can I do? I know I need to work on my freestyle, but I just don’t like it.

The swim wasn’t terrible. It was a bit cold jumping in and then starting to swim right away (this was over Memorial Day Weekend so the water was still a bit cold [in reality, I think the water was 72 degrees]). We had to swim 12 lengths of the pool. A few people passed me, and I passed a few people.

My final time for swim 9:52, with an overall place of 87 and a gender place of 30.

Next up was the biking portion of the race. I had to run back to the transition area and get ready. My legs were a little wobbly but I kept going.

The bike ride started off super nice – all flat, but finally it got out to the country roads and it was hill after hill after hill. This was the hardest thing for me. I was not a fan of the hills, not one bit! I rode the entire time, even though I got really slow at the uphills. My favorite part, of course, is the downhills!!!

My bike time was 1:11:34, with an overall place of 97 and a gender place of 41. My average speed was 9.85 miles per hour.

After the bike, it was back to the transition area and time to run! Now my legs were SUPER jelly. It took me a good mile to get used to running, but after that I did pretty well. Luckily, the running course was nice and flat, so I didn’t have to worry about hills.

I finally got back to the finish line area, and had to run around the pool to the official finish. My run time was 38:17, which is 12:21 per mile. My overall place for the run was 98. I was pretty surprised at my “speed” for the run after my jelly legs, but I was happy with my time.

My final time was 2:06:47. My overall finish place was 105, my age group finish was 10, and my gender finish was 44. I was super excited to finish my first triathlon upright, feeling good, and pain free!

John finished too! We are now TRIATHLETES!!!!!

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(2015)
"Humid Race"
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A few weeks ago I ran in the Loudoun Lyme 10k at the Brambleton Town Center. This race's main goal was to educate and spread awareness about Lyme disease, and to also raise money to help find a cure. There was an information fair with health professionals and specialists, county officials, veterinarians, and local vendors to help educate the public about Lyme disease, its causes, symptoms and treatments. To read more about Lyme Disease, please check out this post!

The race started out with a cool drone flying over head taking video and pictures (but unfortunately nothing has been posted on the race website yet). The 10k race started first, with the 5k starting a few minutes later. This was pretty much the same course as the Brambleton Ribbon Run that I ran a few years ago. It is pretty flat, and I love running through all of the fancy houses in the neighborhood.

The race took place on a morning that was very humid. It was misting the entire morning, which made it especially unpleasant to run. All I wanted it to do was to give a good rain to help cool me off while running!!!

Regardless, I finished in 1:13:26, which is an 11:49 minute/mile pace. I actually felt a lot more tired, hot, and sweaty than I look in my finishers picture!

I was super excited to find a gluten-free snack bar along with a banana and water at the finish line! Hooray!

I wandered around the educational fair for a bit and checked out some of the exhibitors before heading home.

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(2015)
"Fall Leesburg 10k"
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The Leesburg 10k & 5k on October 4th was put on by Bishop’s Events and benefited the Wounded Warrior Project. There is a race in the Spring and in the Fall. Packet pick-up was easy and took place before the race. I got there a few minutes prior to the race start at 8am and still have plenty of time to get ready since it was a smaller-sized race.

And man, it was a freezing morning! I was definitely underdressed for the start of the race with only a SparkleSkirt and a t-shirt! I was lucky, though, that I thought to grab my Buff to help keep my neck and head warm.

This race took place on the C&O Canal Path in Leesburg, VA. I have done quite a few races on this course, such as the Spring Leesburg 10k and the 2014 Leesburg 5k. It is a pretty flat course, with only one or two inclines as it goes under the highway. The path was especially pretty because of the leaves that were starting to fall.

I was feeling pretty good for the entire race and kept up my intervals the entire time. Surprisingly, I made a pretty good time for me! It was faster than I have been running lately, and I was pretty proud of my time!

I warmed up at mile 2 and was feeling good after the race…I just need to think about bringing some extra clothes for before the races begin…here comes cold weather season!

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(2015)
"Perfect Weather and Perfect Blooms"
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Cherry Blossom 10-Miler
April 12 was the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in Washington, D.C. I parked my car at the Springfield Metro and made my way into the city. It was a bit chilly that morning, but I knew it would warm-up quickly, so I dressed for the warmer weather. Brr!

I got to the National Mall a bit early and wandered around for a bit taking lots of pictures of all the cherry blossoms. It was peak bloom that weekend, so everything was so pretty!

The race has a strict cut-off time of a 14-minute pace, which put me in the last corral. I got to chatting with some of the ladies in my corral while we were waiting for our start. It took a while to begin, and we started just as the elite women were finishing.

Right before we started, we were notified that part of the course needed to be modified due to an accident that shut down the road. The course would be slightly shortened and we would not run around the tidal basin.

We finally started running. I decided to try 2:30/1 intervals, and I am happy to say that I pretty much stuck to them the entire time! The race course was very pretty. We ran down Independence Ave and over the Memorial Bridge, down Rock Creek Parkway, and past the Kennedy Center. This was very similar to the Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half course. But then we turned around and ran by the Potomac River, until we came to Hains Point.

Running down Hains Point was absolutely beautiful. My mile 5 was a bit rough going, but as soon as I got to the cherry blossom- lined streets, my pace picked up again. So pretty!

During the last mile we passed Batala, an all-women’s percussion band. Thank you to everyone playing because it really helped me keep up my pace and continue moving forward. The energy from the group was so high that it passed it right to me!

I finally finished the race! It ended up being 9.39 miles, but I did a lot of extra weaving because my Garmin said a bit more than that. I was a little slower than I wanted, with an overall pace of 11:57. My projected 10 Mile finish would have been 2:01, which is a minute slower than I would have wanted! I really need to work on speed.

After the race was the worst part. It was so crowded. At the finish I got a mylar blanket (which I didn’t use) and a water, and then had to find my way past thousands of people to search for the medal tent (which was way across the field). I didn’t see any signs pointing the way, so I had to keep asking people. On my way I also found a banana table. I finally found the medal tent and then had to go find my way back to the metro.

Of course, I stopped for a few medal pictures on the way! I love this medal! It is so pretty!

This race is open via a lottery each year. I was lucky to get in on my first year trying. The course was flat and pretty, and I enjoyed running it. I felt good most of the race, even though my time wasn’t as fast as I would have liked.

This race is supposed to be an affordable one. They keep it that way by having you pay for extras, such as the race medal and upgraded tech shirt.

All-in-all, it was a good race and I’m glad I got the chance to run it. It became a gorgeous, sunny day, and the weather was perfect!

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(2015)
"Sprint to the Line Half Marathon"
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Only a week after the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler, I set off for my second half marathon of 2015 (the first being Rock ‘n’ Roll DC). This time, instead of running through downtown D.C., I would be running through the scenic Prince William Forest Park.

This half marathon is put on by Bishop’s Events. I have run many of their races before, and have even run this same course, so I knew what to expect.

This was a small race, with only about 30 runners. That in itself is a mental challenge because 13.1 miles can really spread you out on the course where you might be running alone for a long while. But, I am tough, and I love the tree-lined scenery and tranquility of running without lots of outside sounds.

The rough thing about this course is that it is hilly!!! About the first and last 3 miles is all hills and was impossible for me to run, so I would walk the ups and run the downs. It’s the only way I could keep up my energy for the duration of the race. For the first 4 or so miles I was in last place, but once we got to the flat section of the race, I passed four people! I am thinking it was because I didn’t completely exhaust myself on the first part of the hills, and that on the flat part I was running 2:30-1 intervals.

The weather was absolutely perfect for this race. It was only to get up in the 60s, and I thought it was fabulous. If it was any hotter, it would have slowed me down a lot. Of course, the last 3 miles were the toughest because it went back to being hills. There is a huge one about a half mile from the finish that seems to go on forever. Also, my calves decided they were tired and started to seize up. Regardless, I pushed on and ran to the finish line!

My final time was 2:44:31, which I was pretty happy about. While I don’t love the hills of this course, I do continue to run races here. One day I will have legs of steel!

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