My husband and I wanted to run a race on New Years. Typically when we are out of town, and there are plenty of races. Surprisingly there weren’t a lot of New Years Races around Southern New Jersey, so we were forced to travel. There were a few options within an hour (all with different start times), and we decided to go for a 10:30 am race start. Honestly, I would have preferred an earlier start, but that wasn’t a choice but there were not any.
When we arrived to the Haverford area in PA, I quickly realized the race wasn’t going to be flat. I had hoped for a solid race effort on a flat course but that wasn’t an option either. Now that I’m racing less, I want those races to count (which is silly). I had a workout so I already knew it wasn’t a PRing race.
The goal of the workout was 2x5k at 20:00 min with 3 mins rest in between. I’ve done the workout before and I will say it’s one of the tougher ones. Since joining Mckirdy trained, I’ve been racing less, and several of my races have been workouts. It’s been an adjustment, but I do get the best of both worlds.
I warmed up on the course with my husband. We quickly went to the restroom and made it to the start line. The race was already later than I liked and then it was delayed by 10 minutes. I stayed positive even though I wasn’t a happy camper.
Finally, the race went off, and I found myself as third woman overall. I stayed there the entire time. At first, I thought I might be able to catch the first or second woman but then by .5 I knew that was not happening. The first mile was flat with a long gradual downhill. Of the three miles, the first was set up to be the fastest. I passed a couple of kids and crossed the first mile in 6:16. I felt stale and didn’t feel great. Running a 6:16 mile wasn’t where I mentally wanted to be.
The second mile climbed up a hill and looped past the start. I started to feel much looser and built some confidence. I crossed the second mile in 6:03 and felt much better about the situation. It was a harder mile and I ran faster.
The third mile went by like such a blur. I was running alone and had a pack of males about 10 feet in front of me. I just focused on them. I wanted to catch up to them. I knew the last 400 meters finished directly uphill and I kept cringing thinking about it.
You could see the clock at the top of the hill over a quarter of a mile away. It felt like it wasn’t coming any closer. I just climbed the hill and staring at the clock directly ahead.
I passed one male at the bottom of the hill, but he came back and outkicked me in the final few strides. I crossed the finish in 18:30 exactly.
I jogged to my car and went back for my personal 5k. To be honest, I felt better running the second 5k than I did the first. I ran alone and away from the race course. My splits were 6:25, 6:39, 6:29. I finished up in 20:15 and felt pretty pleased with myself.
Thoughts:
I know I’m currently in 5k PRing shape but haven’t had the opportunity to race on a flat course and good day. I’m extremely pleased with the workout as a whole.
Questions for you:
What is a perfect race start time for you?
I like races that start between 7:30-8:30.
How was your New Years Day?