I'm Racing This Weekend

For today's TOL, I'm revealing my goal for this weekend's 5k, even though I told Matt and Elizabeth over the last couple weeks that this goal would remain a secret.

Keeping my race a "secret" at A1A turned out really well for me, but I wanted a place to think this through, so I'm letting you all in on it. (Maybe if I don't make it I'll reconsider ever telling people when I'm racing again! Just kidding...kind of.)

Thanks, Amanda, for hosting TOL!

My plans for 2016 have always been to focus on shorter distances and speed, to keep things simple, and if I manage a PR in the process, great.

Remember this?

This weekend, I'm running a 5k. It's the foot-race portion of a Sup and Run event at a park near my parents' house where Matt has had various races and where I've run with Montana before. It's a sunny, beautiful route around a huge lake (built for crew races) that is lovely to run but pretty brutal. The race starts at 8am. (Matt will be running the 5k and paddling a 5k; I'll only be doing the foot-race division.)

See? Gorgeous.

Obviously we're looking at sun and temperatures in the 80s (and possible storms), but I'm stupidly going to aim for a PR.

Only in Florida do you see a sun AND raincloud on the same weather image and think, those two things might happen concurrently.

I was going to keep that goal a secret. But I need to remember the lesson I took to heart after BDR: there's no shame in failing to meet a goal. Failing means you took a risk and faced a fear; most importantly, there's no growth without failure.

My current 5k PR is 27:40, and I earned it in 2013 in a July race. I know if I could "beat the heat" then, I can do it now. I won't have my sister to use as a rabbit, but I have the knowledge that I've been doggedly consistent in my training and speed work. I'll find another rabbit to stalk on race day.

A PR and the first time I ever placed in my AG!

My A goal is to run this race in 27 minutes flat, which seemed easy enough until I did the math and realized that I ran my 27:40 at a pace that scares me even now. I was sitting here going, "I'll run like an 8:58 pace to PR!" and then realized that actually I need to run closer to 8:50.

According to McMillan, if I can get my 5k PR it will mean I'm on track for a 10k PR when FISH rolls around in October.

So I guess my B goal is a PR of any kind, and my C goal is to beat 29 minutes. (Usually my 5k goal is to come in sub-30 but this weekend that's just not going to cut it for me.)

I want to run a smart race with even splits; I don't want to go out too fast and fade at the end. I want to warm up beforehand because my legs don't feel good before mile two of most runs these days. And I want to remember that I want this at the moment when easing up looks tempting.

I'm excited for this race. Nervous, but excited. I'm ready to see what I can do; I'm ready to see if I can turn off my brain for a bit and just haul ass for 3.1 miles. It'll be the first time in a long time that I push beyond "discomfort" and into "OMG WHY" territory during a race.

5ks don't scare me; I've noticed that very fast runners hate 5ks because they know how brutal they can be when raced all-out. I'd like to join that club. I hope this weekend's 5k makes me hate 5ks!

Are you one of those fast runners who hates the pain of a 5k?
Any advice on race strategy?
Will you still like me if I fail? Ha, just kidding. But no, really...This is a huge stretch goal for me, so I can use all the encouragement I can get!

ABK

A Long Run

So the official word on my foot is that the tendon is bruised. (This is great news!) I've been given exceptionally strong NSAIDs, and being the terrible patient that I am, I figured that if I wasn't feeling pain and could lace my shoe accordingly, I was good to run.

Today I woke up just knowing I would get my 15-miler in. It was just one of those wonderful doubt-free mornings. (I think getting the news that my foot wasn't fractured or badly injured really made me extra-excited to run today.)

I kept a nice even pace, and the first half of the run flew by. By mile 10 I was a little achy and in need of some distraction, but I never once though of cutting the run short.

Thank goodness for compression socks!

I had some tingling and aches in my toes, and my hips felt it a little bit. But I completed the 15 miles in 2:26:xx, with an average pace faster than my half marathon PR, so I was beyond pleased. I walked for fuel at 3.5, 7, and 10.5 miles, and took a little walk at 13.5 to wiggle my toes a bit.

I felt energized the entire way, and had no problems with breathing; my legs felt a little heavy toward the end of course, but I forced myself to pick up the pace in the last mile because I was so ready to be done!

Hurts so good?

Besides this milestone of the LSD being my longest run ever, I also took my first-ever ice bath! (Kind of.) I know studies show ice baths are mostly mental, but I think my feet definitely appreciated it. I foam-rolled, then used a tennis ball on the soles of my feet. Besides some twinges in my right hip, I'm feeling great!

This feels muuuch better! (Just ignore that pile of running shoes in the corner...Also, remind me to never give a thumbs-up ever again.)

I'm definitely looking forward to a rest day, though.

Do you have any runs or races this weekend?
What was your farthest long run in training? In a race?
How do you recover after a run leaves you achy?

ABK

Beat the Heat 5k

Remember that whole, "I don't want to focus on running a 28-flat 5k" business?

Yeah. Today I ran a 27:40. BOOM.

Gorgeous morning for a run!

I went into this race aiming for around 30 minutes. I've been running almost exclusively on the treadmill in the AC this summer, and haven't really been sure about what my "real time" pace would be. On top of that, today's race began at 7:30. It was already in the mid-70s, sunny, and humid.

Pre-race!

The only reason I even ran the race today was because Steph was in town. She wanted to run a 5k, and we were lucky enough to find one!

We got to the venue with enough time to use the bathroom the necessary four times and pick up our bibs. No time to warm up. That was alright; the sun was warming my muscles enough.

Pre-race!

This was a race without a mat at the starting line, so we lined up right at the front to make sure the times were as accurate as possible. The run took us through a beautiful and quiet neighborhood. Some of the streets were shaded by houses and trees, but as we wound through the course there was plenty of sun and not enough of a breeze.

I knew I had started too fast in the beginning; I didn't feel tired necessarily, but I knew I might have trouble keeping up my 8:30 pace. I mean, I'm usually struggling for a 9:20 pace in a 5k! But by the time I got to the halfway point and was still holding in the 8:40s, I knew I had already PR'd.

I purposely bypassed water (I hydrated really well the night before) and cut back a little at 2.5 miles to conserve a little energy. As I rounded the corner at mile 3, a couple ladies passed me, and I was going to just let them go...But then the clock made an appearance. Seeing 27:25 on the clock stoked the flames, and I sprinted the end, beating out the two women and finishing in 27:40 flat; I broke my PR by 59 seconds.

I felt so strong and unstoppable at the end!

Best moment of the race? My sister said she teared up as I crossed the finish line because I was so fast and looked so strong, and she knows how hard I've been working.

This was my first run in my new shoes. I like how they feel a lot, but I'm not sure about the color. It may take some getting used to. Luckily, I get 30 days of wear before the return policy expires. I plan to take them out for my first long run of training tomorrow to see how they feel at a slow-steady-and-long pace.

Rocking our bling!

Matt came in 4th in his AG and PR'd by 50 seconds, coming in at 24:58. Steph placed 4th overall for women and 1st in her AG (she was the only one in her category, but her 22:43 time is nothing to sneeze at).

And for the first time ever I placed! I came in 3rd in my AG! Woop!

This never happens! I have to keep finding small races!

I wore the bracelet flipped today, and I think it really helped me mentally.

This was such a great race. It really made me realize that the running streak, the marathon plan, and my personal dedication is finally paying off. I was trying today but I never expected to see such progress so quickly!

My legs felt strong the entire time; the hardest part was breathing through the humidity. But I committed to embracing the discomfort and just ran through it. Mentally tough, baby.

Final stats: 18/47 women, 60/114 over all. Not terrible!

Three PR's today...can't beat that!

Needless to say, I'm walking on air. I feel like things are just falling into place.

Tell me about your latest PR!
ABK