The luck o’ the (honorary) Irish was with me last weekend for the TowneBank Shamrock 8k in Virginia Beach, VA. Not only was the travel smooth the entire way (in stark contrast to last year’s Carlsbad 5000), but the sun came out for my course preview/warm-up run.

Disbelief that there is no rain in this photo
Though I rolled into the hotel around 1 a.m. Friday morning (and couldn’t go right to sleep), I forced myself to get up and run by 8 a.m. Start time for the race on Saturday was 7:45 a.m., which would feel, to me, like 4:45. 3:45 if you count the fact that we moved the clocks forward a mere six days earlier. It was a Hail Mary attempt at acclimating to the time difference and it actually worked.
Dawn in Virginia the next day didn’t feel as awful as I thought it would.

Yep, still a bit dark outside

Race photo courtesy of MarathonFoto and TowneBank Shamrock 8k
They are the most cushioned of any road racing flat I’ve worn, yet still maintain the lightness and flexibility you want in a racing shoe. Moreover, they make you look fast and isn’t that half the battle?
I also tried out compression socks for the second time in a race. While they were certainly comfortable, I’m still unconvinced that I felt a difference when running in them. I did, however, get right on a plane after the race, so perhaps there is something to them. My lower legs were not remotely sore in the days following the racing and traveling.
Though it wasn’t pretty, it was a solid race weekend. I can’t thank Mike, my coaches (Jim Lilly and Bethanee Randles), training partners, and friends for all of your support. It takes a village. Really.