On Saturday, I ran the Dragon Run 5k. The local high school’s mascot is a dragon which is how it got it’s name. I didn’t even know about the race until the week before when a student came into work and told me to do it.
As I mentioned in my log, I ran my longest run in 18 months the Wednesday before. While I wasn’t recovering poorly, I didn’t feel amazing either. My legs felt as if they had minimal pep. That being said, I wanted to support the school. I’m beyond the point that I let ego bother me. If I ran a 20 or 21 minute 5k, I am happy to finish healthy. It stinks at the time, but I’m not a professional runner and in the big picture, my time doesn’t really matter. I still have a job and a blog whether I have a bad race or not.
I got to the race around 7:30. I didn’t realize how big it was and there were over 700 runners and a huge craft show. All of the roads were shut down. I’m not too familiar with the area, but I found a parking spot and went to the start to sign up. I didn’t get a t-shirt which actually looked really cool! The woes of signing up late.
Warming up proved to be more of a challenge because it was a lot of country roads with no shoulder. I was able to get a good warmup and made it to the start by 8:20. I talked with several local kids. While chatting, the gun went off. There were no announcements or anything, just a gun. It was the most abrupt start I’ve ever had!
During the first mile, I felt indifferent. It was muggy, and my legs didn’t feel like led bricks, but they also didn’t feel tapered and ready to run fast. I still felt overwhelmed by the start and not prepared to actually race. I ran with a pack of males anywhere from high school to their 60s. We crossed the first mile in 6:07 which I was pleasantly surprised with. At that point, I decided anything under 20 minutes would be a good goal.
The middle mile was a hilly out and back. After we had turned around, the rest of the racers kept me motivated. Since I was running the pace of a lot of the local high school boys, I had a nice group to work with. We crossed the second mile in 6:03 which I was even more surprised with.
During the last mile, my only goal was to run hard and finish hard. Our pack had spread out, and I was running by myself. During the final mile, a young student thought he was funny and sprinted side by side with me. He was telling me to pick up the pace and entertaining his friends. Luckily he didn’t last long. I crossed the third mile in 6:03 as well. I must be a metronome because I did that during last weeks 5k too.
During the last .1, not one, two or three but five high school boys outkicked me. I don’t have a kick, but they were able to tow me just below 19 and finish in a chip time of 18:58.
Thoughts:
I was both happy and surprised with my time. My only speed work during the last two months (after being injured) has been racing and I ran 17+ miles on Wednesday. This is my fastest 5k post injury and I ran long the week before.
Questions for you:
Have you ever had someone run side by side with you?
Do you have a good finish line kick?
I love how you’re smiling in that photo while everyone else around you is in the paincave! It annoys me during races when someone closes the gap and runs side-by-side for an extended period of time. That’s when the mind game start!
Amazing job!! I was laughing at the picture too…. those other boys are hurting! But of course they couldn’t let a girl beat them and had to sprint ahead at the last minute. 🙂 It’s awesome when races surprise you like that, especially after running long that week!
Great photos! I think I have a tiny kick but only for a few feet close to the finish line. Not sure that counts, lol… 🙂
Glad your rough start ended well. That’s a great time! I don’t worry about pace, just try to have fun, but I do try to leave a little kick for the finish line if only to look good in the photo. (ha)
Congratulations on a great race and sub-19 even after that very long run! Your recovery has come along great and you’re doing a great job. You stayed strong on the pain train in this one! But I like your attitude and it’s the same kind I try to have, just enjoy the process and let the times and progress come.