I wasn’t sure I would run the Wings Over Miramar 5k. I really wanted to, but as most people know, I stubbed and broke my toe a couple of weeks ago. I’m still waiting on a second opinion because my toe really hasn’t hurt that much for it being broken. I remember when I broke my second metatarsal, I couldn’t even walk on the toe. Now, I feel it, but it doesn’t hurt, alter my stride, or get worse with walking or running. That’s great news!
Every day, I played it by ear if I would run, and on Friday, I decided I would head down there after work. In fact, I didn’t even have a hotel until I stopped for dinner in Menifee.
Anyway, the drive to Wings Over Miramar 5k was a bit chaotic with never-ending traffic. To be honest, there were several times I wanted to just turn around because I was sick of it. It also put me driving 600 miles in the last 3 days, and mentally that caught up to me.
Before the Wings Over Miramar 5k:
I slept until around 5:20 and then headed to the race around 6:30. It started at 8, but I anticipated some traffic getting onto the Flightline. My car didn’t exactly give me good directions, but I finally figured it out and made it to the Wings Over Miramar 5k start. If you are running the Wings Over Miramar 5k or any military base race, I advise you to get to the start earlier than you think because it takes a good amount of time to go through the gate. Plus, if you aren’t associated with the military and don’t have a base ID, they may search your car. Can civilians and nonmilitary do the Wings over Miramar 5k? Yes, just prepared they may search your car when getting to the base.
It was 7:30 when I got out of my car. I did a quick warm-up and then headed to the Wings Over Miramar 5k race start. The Wings Over Miramar 5k start was about half a mile from the actual parking, but it was nice to get a good warm-up in. It was already so hot. We were delayed for about 15 minutes, and finally, the race went off around 8:15.
Wings Over Miramar 5k Start:
Once the race went off, I found dozens of people in front of me. I was like, “Wow, I must be taking it out super slow.” I looked down at my watch, and I was running a 5:56 pace, so I felt better about that. Except that was way above my means for several reasons: I’m not in that fitness, I had no idea how I would feel after time off for my toe, and it was hot. I crossed mile 1 at 6:19, and that’s the fastest I’ve taken a 5k out in a while.
We turned and were going in a straight line down the runway. It was hot, with no shade, and I knew from there I had taken it out too fast. I told myself to just keep holding on. I could see two women in front of me. One was super far in front, and the other was kind of in my reach. I just kept focusing on finishing.
I hit mile 2 of the Wings Over Miramar 5k in 6:28. It hurt. I told myself just one more mile to go and focused on that. But when we turned and headed towards the finish line, I knew it was going to be more than one more mile. It looked so far away. I was fading hard, and I had really overheated during the race. The combination of running too hard in the heat was not fun (but hey, we’ve all been there). I ran mile 3 of the Wings Over Miramar 5k in 6:40, and it looked like we had about half a mile to go.
I was catching the second-place woman, but she saw me, and I just couldn’t catch her as she added a kick I just didn’t have. I crossed the Wings Over Miramar 5k finish in 22:28 and as 3rd woman overall. Even the Wings Over Miramar results like the 5k as being 3.5 miles. Honestly, they should just make it a 6k at that point for a unique road race. (College D3 women often race 6ks for cross country but I don’t believe it’s that common of a distance).
Wings Over Miramar 5k Thoughts:
At first, I was sad, but I realized I crossed the 5k mark in 20:09, which was my fastest 5k of the year last year. During the Wings Over Miramar 5k, I felt like complete trash, and I am honestly surprised I could hold onto that pace. I’m looking forward to getting back under 20 minutes again and to put this pinky toe behind me. I do wish the Wings Over Miramar 5k had better conditions, but I also can’t really complain because how often do you get to run on a runway.
You can see Strava here and all race recaps here.
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Questions for you:
Have you done a flightline 5k?
What is your favorite 5k?