Last Thursday I ran the Community Heros 5k. Races at night are trickier for me. I believe this is because my body decides it’s time to sleep between 9-10. By 7pm, I’m in my PJs watching reruns of reality TV…not racing.
Lucky for me I’ve signed up for a few evening races in the near future. I want to treat these races like speed workouts. I don’t hope for a PR but a fast workout. It was my first “double day” in a very long time. When I was in my best shape of running two years ago, I did doubles with speed once a week.
Since I’m ultimately chasing a 5k PR, it seems natural for me to do that again.
On Thursday morning I ran my normal route 12 hours before the race. I felt good but didn’t push the pace at all. After relaxing the entire day I drove to the race. I got there around 6pm, signed up and warmed up with Angela. We ran into Liz and Chris and finished warming up with them too.
During the warmup I did not feel great. The weather was hot and the first double day is always the painful.
The race started at 7pm. For an inaugural Thursday race, there were over 400 participants.
We started the race and immediately one man bolted into first. Chris, Liz, Angela and I all were around the same pace. It was cool to run in a pack with my friends! The first mile went over an overpass and over several rolling hills.
For a course that was advertised as “flat and fast”, it most certainly was not. We went over an overpass and a few rolling hills. Both Angela and I hit the first mile at 6:04. I knew my body was toast and I was going to positive split the race hard.
Angela began leaving me after mile 1. I found myself alone, gazing at the NJ turnpike and trying not to go into cardiac arrest. Somewhere around 1.5 we turned around to head back to the start. Since the course was out and back, I knew the course terrain and what to expect. It terrified me. I was not ready to climb the hills or run another 1.5 miles. I hit the second mile in 6:34. The positive split continued and I knew mile 3 would be the hardest!
Mile 3 was the hardest, most boring and most unnotable. I just kept running to the finish wishing the race was over. I dreaded knowing the overpass was coming at mile 2.8. Sometimes race miles are boring…this was one of them. After getting over the overpass, I bolted to the finish line. I ran mile 3 in 6:54.
I crossed the finish line in 20:15, third person overall and second women behind Angela. By the end of the race I had run 16 miles and my body felt it. I’m proud of my time because at the beginning of the summer I was racing this pace on easier courses in the morning. I know I’m progressing!
After the race I hit up the chick fila caterers and tried to cool down. If anything, the chickfila made the painful race worth it.
Thoughts:
I’m really pleased with this race because it shows I am progressing. I started the summer running 20:15 and now it’s more of a workout pace.
Questions for you:
Do you race better at night?
Do you like Chickfila?
The spicy chicken sandwiches are my favorite.
great job, and so fun to place with your friends 🙂
Great job Hollie! Thats so impressive that a race that fast can seem like a workout pace for you. I would be SO excited to ever hit a time like that! Way to add another medal to your collection as well 🙂
I actually really like evening races and used to only run at night. Lately I’ve been getting in most of my runs in the morning since I’m busier after work now. Evening races are just more fun and exciting to me for some reason!
By the way, I’m in love with your top. So adorable!
Congrats on a good race! It sounds like it served it’s purpose as a second workout. Those are tough. I’m not a night person at all and am usually ready for bed by 7pm, so to run really fast at that time would not be easy at all. Great job 🙂
Congratulations on a great race and taking 2nd female! It’s awesome that your previous race pace from the beginning of the summer is now more of a workout pace because it shows how far you’ve come. I also do night races but I do them more as workouts and speedwork and usually don’t try to “race”. We have a lot of evening ones here. You can’t beat running and spending time with your friends either and it’s cool you all got to share the race together (and yea, I read all 3 reviews).
I love the ice dream at Chick-Fil-A. I don’t eat chicken so that’s usually what I get, but I also like the egg and cheese multigrain bagel at breakfast. They sponsor a lot of races here and bring the Cow out.
Sidenote: I really like your sparkly singlet. I have a saucony singlet and love it, they are very flattering and also cool for the hot temps!
I feel like we have quite similar evening routines. I enjoy Snapchatting my friends at 7PM while Jeopardy is on, and then at 8PM when Bravo starts doing reruns of my favorite reality shows… And then at 930PM when I’m in bed. It’s a tough life I lead but someone has to do it.
Congrats on an amazing race, and running with that speed at the end of a 16 mile day… get it girl.
I’m glad someone understands my life ha ha.
Ah! I love it when others are JUST like me. validation. ha! 🙂
I find it really depends for me when it come to evening workouts. I definitely feel like I have more energy in the mornings, but there are days where I get hit with a second wind around 8pm and wouldn’t mind getting a little activity in. Congrats on the great race!
I haven’t eaten Chik-fila since I stopped eating fast food (7th or 8th grade), but I remember their waffle fries!!! UGH.
I cannot believe you were third overall! That’s great!!
I’m so glad we all did this race!!
Woohoo! We used to do doubles during pre-season for high school field-hockey and winter break for college basketball. The field-hockey ones were fun; we’d do drills and skills in the morning and scrimmage in the afternoon/evening. The basketball ones were not as much fun. 😉
Congrats on your amazing race! I do not race better at night. I just did a 10k that started at 7:30 pm and it was very difficult to plan out my day. I LOVE Chickfila. Their cobb salad is my favorite.
Nice job on the race!! So fun that you got to run with a group of your friends – how cool!!