Sometimes posts get lost in the mix. During my wedding weekend I also ran an Inaugural 5k at the Dismal Swamp. The 5k was a straight, out and back course. Brittany, Heather and I ran the 5k while Laura cheered and ran 10 miles. It was a lot of fun. Given any other weekend this recap would have gotten precedence.
We got to the race with about half an hour to spare. We all ran about 20 minutes together and by the time we finished it was time to race.
The 5k started at 8:05, while the half marathon started 5 minutes before at 8am. Once they were off they called us up. Within a few minutes, we were off. I was lucky to chat to Marie, a great friend of mine.
I immediately took off, not knowing what to expect. Since my hip is definitely not 100%, if anything hurt I would just stop.
The first mile felt like it took forever. I went from 3rd woman to 1st by the end of the first mile and found myself alone with no men or women near. I began passing half marathoners towards the end of the first mile. At first I thought it was strange to have half marathoners go 5 mins in front of 5kers. We would catch a lot and it would be crowded but I ended up liking it a lot. I was able to see some of my local friends like Allie and Jenny! I hit the first mile in 6:22. I was excited because it gave me hope to run a sub 20 (which I have not been able to do lately at all).
The second mile was similar to the first. I saw a lot of friends running the half. I also saw Laura who was cheering loudly. The lead cyclist made the u turn and headed back with the leader of the race. The lead cyclist actually told me to get out of the way. That irritated me a little bit because there weren’t a lot of places to go. I wasn’t going to run into the half marathoners on the other side of the road and I wasn’t purposely in the leader’s way. When I made the turn and headed back I side fived everyone including my dad and two brothers (both of whom were riding the pain train after going to T’s Bachelor party). I hit the second mile in 6:22 too (hashtag twinning).
During the third mile I thought there was a chance to break 20 minutes. My hip was a little bit sore but nothing crazy (I do believe if I raced a 10k, it would have been inhibiting). I began trying to push but similar to most of my 5ks, that is next to impossible. The last mile of a 5k is always painful whether I’m running a PR or PW. I hit the third mile in 6:27 so I didn’t slow down too much.
All of a sudden I found myself approaching the finish line and they had a tape for me to break! That doesn’t happen often so I was really excited. I threw my hands up (like I think you are supposed to do) and went through.
Then to add more perfection to the day, Heather took second woman and Brittany took third. We actually took a 1,2,3! This race wasn’t close to a PR for anyone but it is a nice step towards running more short races. I’m very happy I made the last minute decision to race and have no regrets.
My hip felt the same as if I had run easy so that was a bit of confidence too. The weather conditions were perfect and the course was flat (probably the main reasons I had a solid race). This race gave me a bit of confidence that I could begin racing 5ks again…anything more is going to currently bother my hip. In summary it was a solid race for me and I have no complaints. I am looking to race a lot more short races for a while. My hip didn’t bother me during the 5k and I think it’s a logical step.
Questions for you:
What is your 5k strategy?
What was the last race you did with friends?
That’s awesome! I’m glad you kept it fun and got to break the tape!! I wouldn’t have any idea what to do if they rolled out tape in front of me. I’d probably end up karate chopping it like an idiot… But Woohoo on no extra bum pain!
Congrats! It did make me giggle about your brothers…ouch!
Your blog looks great! Really love it. And SWEET on the 5K. I haven’t race a 5K in years!!!!!!! I’m curious to see what I could do it in.
I love that picture of you crossing the tape! What a fun way to celebrate your wedding weekend with your bridesmaids 🙂 With 5Ks, I tend to just go. I usually end up completely falling apart for the last mile, but it’s always been my strategy and it works to some extent. I could probably work on evening out my splits a bit though and get closer to a sub 20…
Congratulations on your OA win and for all of you ladies sweeping the podium! I bet it’s really excited to break the tape and the finish picture of you is great- you match so well with the blue shoes and the blue tank top. In fact all the pictures are good. It looks like you had a lot of support during the race and was fun seeing so many people you know, plus a pain-free race when you are recovering from an injury is awesome even if it’s not the best 5K you’ve ever run. It is still a pretty awesome time :).
5K strategy is weird. I try not to go out too fast but I do try to go out slightly fast. My 2nd mile is always my slowest but I will say the 3rd mile is the most painful! I think I look at my watch after Mile 2 and think crap, I really slowed down a lot, so I pick it up a little in the last mile. In local 5Ks there is almost always someone I know who is similar to my speed so sometimes I’ll just try to keep up with them.
I like your new blog look!
woo good job girl.!! and goodbye bum butt.!! that is so awesome that you guys got 1 2 and 3. 🙂
Yay! It’s always preferable to have a 19:xx time versus 20:xx even if its only a few seconds it makes a big difference. I’m glad your hip is getting better. My current 5k strategy would probably involve a lot of walking, but usually I try to get out fast and avoid small children, then push the second mile, and not die during the third mile 🙂
Great run! My 5K strategy is to warm up before the race, run like hell and don’t bother with the water stop. I run the entire race at 100%.
I often run races with friends. Last weekend I ran the Great Bay Half w/ 6 friends. People just kept showing up. Some ran the 5K, some ran the half. It was a blast.
You all look great! I bet that was a huge adrenaline rush to run through the half marathon, but, I agree; it’s weird they didn’t send the 5K out first, since you would naturally take off faster. I’m so glad you’re back to 5K racing!
I am still coming up with a 5K strategy considering I’ve never ran one. I’m doing a Color Run 5K next weekend…which means I’ll automatically PR! 🙂 Congrats on the wedding weekend win!
Congratulations!! I’ve never run a 5k before, but I’ve heard they can really help with speed for longer distances, so I definitely want to try one.
I wish we could race 5ks every weekend together! Okay, maybe not every weekend because 5ks make me want to puke but you know what I mean. So glad you suggested this because it was a perfect mix to the wedding weekend!!