Last weekend, I ran my first 5k since June. Now that I’ve begun marathon training I won’t be tapering for many, if any, 5ks. Since I haven’t been racing anything short, I had no idea what to expect. Somewhere in the 20-21 minute range seemed about appropriate. The course was short, and I ran roughly that pace.
I ran the Book It 5k much faster last year and enjoyed it because I got to see many of my friends and it is always a good time. Plus, I use the library frequently, so it seemed like a good idea.
I arrived to start around 7:45 am talked to a few friends, and then ran about 3 miles to warm up. I didn’t feel good, and my legs felt both stiff and sore. It felt like fatigue had caught up to me. I knew it wouldn’t be a miracle fast time, but I had to race with how I felt.
We lined up along the grass, and I chatted with several friends. By the time I knew it, we were off. It starts on the grass. Luckily there weren’t many geese in the way like last year.
As got off the grass I looked up to see I was about fifth or sixth place. There was a young, 8-year-old female in front of me, as well as several friends. Around the half mile, I settled into 3rd place, where I stayed the entire time (right behind a man pushing a stroller…who has also beat me pushing a double stroller). I hit the first mile in 6:21 and all I could think was…how the heck am I going to keep this up?
The second mile happened without much of note. It felt like it was barely moving. I wanted the race to be over. I hit the second mile in 6:29. I was shocked because it felt like I was crawling. My legs haven’t been that stiff while racing in a while, but I wasn’t surprised and thankful it wasn’t mile 2 of a half marathon or marathon.
The last mile just hurt. I was sore, tired, and just wanted the race to be over. I felt as though the young girl was going to catch me. Honestly, if she did it wouldn’t have bothered me either. We ran back over the field, and I ran to the finish line.
I finished the race in 18:24 and I think it was somewhere around 2.5 short. I’m guessing I would have run about 20 minutes or so.
I feel good about that, and it’s about the same pace I stopped racing 5ks at. I didn’t feel great, and I know with a few more 5ks and speed under my belt, I’ll be able to hone in on some faster races.
I do plan to run several 5ks through marathon training. Racing frequently keeps me from feeling stale like I did before NYCM the first time. Plus, it’s a great way to see friends. It’s hard to believe I ran multiple half marathons faster than this in the Spring, but it gives something to work towards.
Questions for you:
What is the sorest you’ve felt during a race?
What is your favorite book?
Every time I see BookIt, I immediately think of the program that was in place when I was in elementary school that you earned pizza for reading books. Boy did I get a lot of pizza when I was little!
A library is definitely worth racing for! Here, they play golf for our library and that is just not going to happen!