This was the first 5k I raced sans stroller since I've taken myself out of the category of "I just had a baby." Now my reason is "I'm just slow right now!" HA! I need to shave about 1 1/2 minutes off of my current time to get to where I was pre-pregnancy. Then I need to get faster so I can PR!
I only had two 5k's on my radar for the summer. When I was on a group run that included my friend, Katie, she said something along the lines of "Did I hear you were going to do a lot of 5k's this summer?" That wasn't my plan, BUT she gave me a great idea! LOL. Of course, I started keeping my eyeballs open for some short summer races. I knew I had a race next weekend, but I was anxious to get another one under my belt. I looked at all of the Memorial weekend races and opted for this one. Then I passively got Amanda to offer to run it with me! She doesn't take a whole lot of convincing.
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| [ME, Amanda] |
Per usual, I ran a two mile warm up. I almost hate warming up because my body never feels awesome. We found out quickly that it was going to be a sticky run. Weather stats per Garmin: 66 degrees, light wind of 6 mph, humidity 88-ish%, dew point 65.
Amanda wanted to practice marathon race pace miles, and I wanted to run a 5k at her marathon race pace (Bahahaha!!! That is so comical to me!!). So 7 minute miles was the goal which would give me a time under 22 minutes. It was a lofty goal, but I always make lofty goals. As an adult runner, I only have one 5k under 22 minutes (21:38)! This race was also sort of a test to see how I need to improve.
I told myself to try not to run faster than 6:50-7 for my first mile. My pace was ALL OVER THE PLACE that mile. I was trying to get away from the crowd and find a comfortable stride. I couldn't seem to find my happy place. It only took me a quarter mile to tell Amanda to keep going. She was going to stay with me, but I wanted her to stay at the 7 minute pace so I could see how far off I was from my goal. I had no idea what to expect for my first mile. It clocked in at [7:11]. CRAP!!!
Not that I was giving up, but I knew, based on how I felt, that I couldn't make up for lost time. There was no way I could run any faster. This race was a battle of breathing vs. legs. My legs were all about the 7 minute pace. They felt great!! I can honestly say my legs never felt tired...not even later that day or the next morning.
My breathing, on the other hand, could not stay controlled. I'm not sure if it was the weather, my nerves, or the fact that my body just can't handle it right now. Probably a combination of it all. I let my pace slip the second mile in hopes of getting my lungs together. [7:35]. CRAP AGAIN!!! I didn't want to slow down THAT much. Ugh.
I knew my attempt couldn't get that much worse so I just had to do my best to get through one more mile. I tried my best to pass a few people to keep myself motivated. The last quarter mile was so tough. I thought running through the flags would give me what I needed, but it just wasn't doing it for me. My last mile was [7:22] followed by my last 0.14 at [6:56] pace.
My official time:
23:06!
I was the 7th female to finish, but I only beat the next two ladies by 1 & 2 seconds. I barely squeaked into the 7 spot!
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Overall, I can't be mad at that time, It's respectable, but I can do better. I'm not upset at all and looking forward to improving.
I had a lot of friends with impressive performances in this warm weather over the weekend. Great job to all that raced! You all keep me motivated to work harder!!
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