Following my near PR on Saturday, I decided to race again on Sunday. I’ve been doing a lot of back to back races lately because they are great speed workouts. I know that every race won’t be a PR, but it’s nice to get out there.
This local 5k was about a mile from my new home and it benefitted a great cause. It was hard to pass up, plus my boss was planning to be there. I woke up a little earlier than I would have liked, but it gave me plenty of time to relax and get to the start. It took me all of 5 minutes to get there even while being stopped by all 6 stop lights. I would have just run, but I’m high maintenance and need a lot of things at a race. I didn’t want to run carrying a bag.
I arrived at 8 am. My boss and I warmed up together and got to the start around 8:55. It was dreary weather with a bit of rain and slick pavement. The race was delayed about 15 minutes, and I went immediately to sit back in my car with the seat warmers.
Once we lined up around 9:15, we were officially off. It was a very fast start with many people taking it out too fast. I found myself as the first women overall and 7/8th overall. The race went straight onto a crowded but closed road. I found myself running with a pack of 3 dudes. I felt like I was hidden away. I wanted to pass the pack but because of how narrow our lane was, it was impossible. We hit the first mile in 6:09 and ran into the neighborhood.
As we entered a neighborhood, the pack began to separate. I charged the downhill and never looked back. At that point, I found myself in 5th place overall. The second mile was boring. There was nothing to write home about. I hit the second mile in 6:27.
Similar to an injury and second guessing your recovery, I always second guess myself during the third mile. I feel like I might crash and burn. Recently, I broke through a plateau but that time drop hasn’t been with the first mile. Breaking through my plateau has been on the third mile…instead of running a 6:5x mile, I’m now running <6:20. That’s an entire 30 seconds!
Anyways, when I begin to positive split, I begin to wonder if I’ll add another 20 seconds or more. I second guess myself, my training, and racing 5ks.
During the third mile, I focused on the finish line. It was an out and back course, so I knew exactly what to expect on the course. I knew there was an uphill to the downhill from the first mile. I also knew that we went back in the crowded street and on a slick parking lot. I was lucky because no one was too close to me, so I didn’t have to worry about being boxed in on the main road. I charged up the last mile, made a LOLZy comment to the volunteer (who I knew well) and charged the finish line. I finished the third mile in 6:14 which I was happy with.
The last .1 deserves its own paragraph because it was the most dangerous part of the race. We were on a slick parking lot, and I nearly took another nasty spill. My boss yelled, go that way and before I knew it my balance was off. I caught myself but for a split second I saw my knee and stitches flash in front of me. I powered through to the end and crossed the finish in 19:15.
Thoughts:
It was a solid effort and run for me. I am euphoric with the race. Before October, this was the pace I was running on an exceptionally good day, and now I’m racing it consistently the day after a previous 5k. Since I ran the day before, it wasn’t going to be a PR but more of a workout. To be honest, I expected between 19:30-19:45, so this was a great surprise! I’m excited to continue racing.
Questions for you:
Do you like running in the rain?
What is your least favorite mile of a 5k?