When I choose Belmar for a goal race I hoped it would bring a 5k PR for me.
The shortened version the race wasn’t a PR and was exactly one minute slower than my 5k PR. I’m not surprised and I know it will take a lot more work to get back to the fitness I was. I knew going into the race I probably wouldn’t PR but I knew it would be a lot of fun.
Tim and I arrived to Belmar around 7:45 and warmed up together. I was scatter brained and just wanted to get to the start. That is a little later than I prefer but typical me is always running late to races. The Belmar Chase was delayed about 10 minutes anyways.
The weather was beautiful, it wasn’t overly hot and it was breezy. Thankfully the rain last week brought a little bit cooler weather.
We started the race and I immediately regretted my start position. Ashley Higginson was racing so it wasn’t as if I was going to toe the first row. I did, however, start too far back and spent the first mile weaving in between people.
The amount of people made the first mile fly by and I ran a 5:53. It was my fastest mile in a very long time. Realistically I thought I should be able to break 19 minutes at that point. I didn’t factor we were going with the wind. I also didn’t factor that I made a stupid mistake and took the race out too fast. I should have factored that I haven’t done enough speed work to maintain that pace.
Despite being slower the second mile went just as fast mentally. I stuck with a pack of women that were all coincidentally wearing the Saucony A6 in bright orange. (Hashtag twinning) We were like a little pack! It made the mile go by quickly and my Garmin tells me I ran mile 2 in 6:06.
I don’t have the speed or endurance yet to maintain 3 miles at that pace gain yet and it quickly showed. The last mile went onto the boardwalk and into the wind. I didn’t realize how much of the race was going with the wind until we hit the third mile.
The final mile was a struggle. You could visually see the finish line the entire last mile. The huge Saucony banner felt like it was never getting any closer!
I crossed the finish line in 19:34. I was 6th women in my age group. After cooling down I got to hang out with Austin and Jeff. Jeff is the East Coast ElliptiGo Rep and Austin is the super fast Philadelphia area Saucony rep!
Thoughts:
The race not what I had hoped but I have a long post about it later in the week. I was extremely proud of my husband who finished 17:40 after being away and training overseas.
My track workouts are slowly paying off but I also know I have a long way to go. I don’t feel as if my turnover rate is where I want and I know my endurance for the 5k is not either. It will take time but I’ll be there eventually.
Questions for you:
Have you ever run a race that you can see the finish line from afar?
How early do you like to get to races?
It’s the WORST when you can see the finish line far ahead! I’ve done a few half marathons when you can see the finish line for the last half mile and it is awful. I like it much better when there are lots of twists and turns so you don’t know when you’ll see it. Much better 🙂 I think it’s great that you can see what you can work on and what you have to do to get that PR! Sometimes it’s worse when you feel like you’ve done everything and still can’t get the times you want, so it’s good that you know what to change in your training. I know you’ll get there next time!
great job, you’re so speedy! your pace is something my dreams are made of. 🙂
It seems as though in most of the races I run you can either see the finish from afar, or worse you have to run right past the finish and do another loop/loop round to it again, so you think you’re done and really they’re just teasing you with the prospect of finishing.
I get to races stupidly early because I’m always so scared of missing the start, but that always ends up giving me far too much time to stand around and get even more worked up and anxious than I was to start with…
That was one heck of an opening mile! Congrats to Tim as well on an amazing time.
I have never run a race where I could see the finish line, I feel like that would totally mess with my brain haha. I like to get to races as late as possible. Ideally 20 minutes before the start… usually no more than 45 minutes early haha. Congrats to Tim too – you both killed it!
One of these days I am coming with you to cheer you on! (Probably one Tim’s next plane ride overseas!) Do you ever run a Saturday run? Was this on a Saturday? I’m too lazy to scroll up and check LOL.
I hate when you can see the finish line forever. Its terrible! Also, I’m incredibly anal about getting to races early. I like to be there at least a full hour before it starts!
It was still a great challenge race for you and, with each one I feel like you’re figuring out more strategy which can only help!
I’ve been to one race where we though the finish line was a heck of a lot closer and we paid dearly!!! You could see it for about a mile but we picked up the pace about a mile prior to that! Never again.
Depends on the race but usually an hour-ish. Finish lines you can see for a long time are torture. I like them to pop up with a few hundred meters to go. I working on my turnover for a 5k PR (hopefully) at Harbor Lights. It’s definitely slow going.
Hi Hollie,
It is SUPER early in the 5k racing season. End of fall I bet you will far exceed your PR. Patience and training is the key – I think you’re on a great path and you shouldn’t be disappointed (I know easier said than done…) Anyway, as a reader I’m proud of you 🙂 Yes I’m a dork that feels like I know you because I read your blog.
I like to get to races about an hour before they start.
Being able to see the finish line is a blessing and a curse–good because you can see it, which means you’re almost done, but bad, because it doesn’t seem to get closer fast enough! For what it’s worth, your training outlook is spot-on: developing that top-end speed and endurance will be a journey. As you know, I’m embarking on a similar running one so I can relate. 🙂
Ugh, I HATE when I can see the finish line from afar. I’ve only run a couple of races like that, but they were not fun. Congrats on another race! Even if it wasn’t a PR, you can learn something from every race you do!
The AC 10k finish line can be seen for at least 1.5 miles… And then, you run right past it for 800 meters, u-turn and then go through the finish line.