After running the Rotary 5k on Saturday I decided to pull a double and run the Maple Shade soccer club 5k on Sunday. The race was only 15 minutes from my house so I thought…why not?
I woke up Sunday morning and felt decent. I felt better than the day before but “dancing and heel DOMS” had set in (Is that a thing…I don’t know). I feel silly saying my calves were sore from wearing stilettos but it is what it is.
I arrived to the race around 8am. It started at 9 and I did a 3 mile warm up. At the start I looked a little better then the Rotary Run. I at least had my hair pulled back and I had removed all of the makeup from 2 nights prior. After I warmed up I finally found the restrooms and headed to the start. The race director (who was also a personal friend) said a few words and we were off.
The course was remarkably simple…it was 3 laps around the high school and then around the track. Even I couldn’t get lost with that!
Once we were off I positioned myself as first women. I saw three men ahead that were running in a tight pack. Included in the pack was Marc who ultimately won. There was no one between the leaders and I. I basically ran the entire race by myself. During the first mile I realized I felt okay but not great. I was surprised when my watch beeped and I ran the first mile/lap in 6:07.
During the second mile one person passed me and that put me into fifth overall. It was the three leaders ahead, one male and then myself. I ran the race entirely by myself staying in fifth place. The race was completely uneventful and reminded me of mile repeats around the track. You run a lap around the high school and then do it twice more…
I ran the second mile in 6:27 and the third mile in 6:33. There wasn’t anything eventful about either mile, it felt more like a workout I was trying to power through!
When we I hit the third mile I realized there was no way the 5k would be an actual 5k. We were at least .1 from the track and the course also went around the track. I was disapointed because I know on a normal length course I would have been below 20 minutes.
My Garmin told me I ran a 5k in 19:50 and clearly it knows everything. I powered through and finished the race in 20:51. I don’t know how much longer the race course actually was…my GPS says 3.3 which would make sense with 3X1 mile laps and going around the track. Oh well it’s not like a life or death situation.
Thoughts:
I haven’t really felt great in a race for a few weeks. That comes from racing after being out late or eating poorly the night before or in this case racing the day before. I can’t wait to see what I do on legs that aren’t tired.
The race itself was fun and I don’t regret it. If it was my goal race I might be have been more irritated about the bonus distance…but it wasn’t. I would prefer a course longer anyways. So sorry no race photos all weekend but sometimes that is how it goes.
Questions for you:
What is the most humorous race course you’ve run?
Have you ever had heel DOMS? Is that even a thing?
I remember running the mile in elementary school (OMG I WAS DYING) and we had to run around the blacktop, then 2x around the two baseball fields, then run around the blacktop again. It was silly.
Definitely most humorous was the 10K from this weekend that I did, in fact, get lost during. Not super lost, but enough that I had to stop and ask for directions! Great job at the 5K.
Yes, high heel DOMS is a thing, I swear. I wear a lot of varying heel heights at my job and the high stiletto ones definitely remind me the next day or the next run, that my feet were in an unnatural position for too long. Plus if you were dancing in them? Absolutely.
The most humorous race course I ran was the Oatmeal 10K a few weeks ago, only because people were dressed in costumes and there was a Bigfoot at the turnaround point. Nice job racing a double!
Congratulations on the win and way to stay strong running the course mostly by yourself, and the day after another 5K race!
I’ve run quite a few 5Kish races, but usually the courses are short rather than long, around here at least. A few weeks ago my 5K measured over and I finished in 22:17. Well, my Garmin said I ran the 5K (3.1) in 21:52 which would be a PR for me. I actually spent time looking at Garmin Connect and debating whether to “accept” the PR or not since the race wasn’t a PR.
So back in the Spring, I (probably) strained/tore one of my calf muscles. I had many dressy events to go to in June, including supervising Prom. My legs were not doing well from wearing heels. Later read that heels aggravate soleus issues……fun!
Ugh – I just ran a 5K that was approximately 200m too long. I wasn’t on PB pace, but still seeing a time that is a minute longer than you usually run is a bit of a downer. I ran a halloween race in a banana suit once – and I PB’d!
I cannot walk the day after I wear heels. Everything kills, hamstrings, calves, arches, balls of my feet. I’m much more of a sneakers and flip flops girl haha. If I do have to wear heels, I wear wedges. I’m impressed with you dancing in stilettos! I would have been barefoot in a hot second.
Shoe DOMS is real! My feet/calves get sore after wearing wedges, which is why I don’t wear them all that often. 🙂