Race Report: Braves 5K

Today, I crushed a 5K goal I've had for almost two years. I beat my previous (and pre-baby) PR by over a minute and a half... at six months postpartum. 

My time isn't what matters, though. What makes this so incredible is the work behind it. The amazing thing about running is that, so often, your competition is only yourself. I'm still new at this sport (I've only really been training for speed since January 2015, and that was interrupted by a pregnancy), and I've still go so much further to go before I plateau out and it starts to take a lot more effort for a lot less improvement. The support and camaraderie I've received along this journey is just incredible. I have a training group in my #10KTuesday crew, and, beyond that, I have the Atlanta Track Club community. 

Hitting my goal time today wasn't the highlight of the day; having so many people to share this milestone with was. Thank you, beyond words, to each of you.



Written before the race:

So, it's always kind of cool to repeat a race, because you have memories of the past year's course, run, and experience. Last year, Braves was a GREAT run for me: http://babystasulis.blogspot.com/2015/06/16w-5d-braves-5k.html


Pre-Race Thoughts:

• This is the race where Brandi finally broke our elusive sub-25 goal. How cool will it be for me to do it on the same course a year later?
• I've broken 25 on four different workouts in the past few months. There's no way I can screw this up, right? 
• ...except those workouts ALL included times where I paused my watch to relax between sets with some Gatorade

Goals:
90% Sure I Can: sub-25

I was so close two years ago, and I know I could've done it then, especially if I'd had the right mental preparation. There's next to no way this shouldn't happen with the way I've been running. I keep up with the other sub-25 #10KTuesday girls just fine. 

Then again, there's that voice in the back of my head reminding me that I bonked on my three mile tempo run (couldn't hold the 8:00), but I'd slept like crap the night before AND it was pouring down rain at 5am. 

50% Sure I Can: 24:30
ATC Indicator sheet tells me I should be able to 23:54. I've been hitting all of my speedwork splits (or at least enough of them to qualify in my mind), sticking with my training program, and, generally feeling good. Still, those are all on flat tracks, with friends. Braves is a bit hilly, so we're taking the goal down a few notches.

10% Sure I Can: beat Brandi's PR of 23:45 ;) 
Throughout (and after) my pregnancy, Brandi and I both spent (spend?) a lot of time worrying that the other one will be too much faster when all's said and done. She's absolutely crushed everything this past year, and I've got a LOT of ground to make up on race PRs to keep in step with her.

7:38/mi... Dude, that's fast. Still, I'm holding close to that for a loop of Armour these days before Mizuno Monday. Is it possible for me to keep it on a hillier course for double+ the distance? Maybe. I think I'm physically capable of this pace, but I don't know if I have the mental grit to push through. 





Written after the race:

Ambitious goals are scary. I drove down to the race solo this morning (due to needing to make an early exit for a Boss. fundraiser), and spent the entire drive trying to focus. I'd had a rough past couple of days, and it was really hard to get my head in the game. 

When I arrived at the In-Training tent, I was surprised at how many people knew about my sub-25 goal for the day. Having accountability for ambitious goals makes them scarier. 

I met up with Brandi, and we found our way to the front of the warm-up pack with the ITFP crew. It was really nice to have a pre-race group run like that, especially one that felt cozy, with Brandi, Jerry, and two of our wicked fast coaches/ATC staff members alongside me. It felt really good to be able to run a 9:30 warm-up so comfortably, especially since I remember that being an "OMG, PUSH!" race pace not too long ago. 

ITFP 2016

Brandi and I hit up the ATC group pic, and then headed out for a second mile of warm-up, which put us at the corrals ten minutes before race time-- perfect. We hopped into Corral B, got a pic with some friends, and then were told B was 8:30-9:30/mi, not the 7:30-8:30 I'd thought. Pretty sure that was wrong information, but Brandi and moved ourselves up to the back of A wave anyways.

It felt really weird to be in A wave. All of the fast people are in A wave. I consider myself fast amongst our training group runners, but not fast enough to be in the front corral of a track club race. Still, with the number of people who purposely mis-seed themselves, I didn't think I'd be too out-of-place starting in the back of A wave. I got to see Jerry for a bit, who pointed out my dad and little sis (who were doing the one mile later) on the sidewalk. Getting to say hi to them for a moment before we headed out was really nice, especially since my dad's never gotten to see me run. 

Before we took off, Brad asked me what I wanted as far as a pacing strategy. I told him I wanted the first mile to feel like our loops around Armour, and to just keep me below an 8:00. He joked back that he might have to slow me down if we were hitting 7:15s, which I replied would NOT be a problem today.

here we go...

Here's how the race went:

Mile 1: "Good. I can do this. This feels good."
I told myself to keep it easy. Stay relaxed, and just pretend this is another pre-Mizuno Monday run with Brad. Only Roger, Brandi, and a few thousand other people are tagging along. Oh, and there are hills.. and sun.

Things that made this mile awesome:

• A little ways in, a woman cut in front of me awkwardly. Roger made some comment about no one cutting in front of "his runners", and told me he'd be my official secret service for the day. I let him know I appreciated it, but that I wouldn't be talking much this race. 
• I could still see Courtney, Shelly, Jody and some of the other "fasts" ahead of me. How were they still in my sights?!? 
• The first time I looked at my watch, we were already 3/4mi in. That felt awesome. If the first 0.75 went by that quickly, we'd be done in no time. 

...except this is what it felt like later in the race

First split: 7:37. Brad called out a 7:40/mi off the clock, just a little ahead of Brandi and me, and I felt good.


Mile 2: "Only one more mile... after this one."
Mile 2 is just something you have to get through. For me, it's always the worst, because you're starting to get tired, but you still have over a mile to go. 

The weather started getting me here, a little before the halfway point. Sun. Heat. Sun. Why is it so freaking hot? 

I wasn't sure about running with my handheld before the race, but I was really grateful that I'd decided to run with it around 1.5 so I could get a few swigs of Gatorade without slowing down for an on-course stop. 

There was a tough hill on this part of the course, but it was over just in time.

Second split: 15:22. I realized here that I could do just a bit better than a 10:00 for the rest of the race and still hit my goal. 


Mile 3: "Make it hurt."
This is it. This is the last mile. You've been waiting for it, now push. 

Nope. Can't push. Too hilly. The bulk of the third mile was a long, sunny incline. 

I hated this hill. I wanted to slow down. I did slow down. Brandi kept looking at her watch, and I knew she saw us approaching the 8:00 "danger zone" pace, if we weren't already there. Part of me didn't care. I could see Brad ahead of me, giving us something to chase, just out of reach, but all I wanted to do was stop and walk.

It's too hot. Maybe I'll just slow down a little, then I'll pick it back up. Gosh, this hill just doesn't end, does it?!?! The sun doesn't end. Please, pacers, talk to me. Say anything. Just keep telling me I'm doing great and that I can do this. 

Distance: 2.58. 

"It's just like speedwork," Brandi encouraged, "This is your last 800. PUSH."

The entire hill, Brandi tried to get me to kick back into gear, but I just couldn't, or wouldn't, on the hill. I'll do it when it's over. 

I tried to get another drink from my handheld going up the hill. I pulled the cap out in my mouth and cried out in frustration. I wanted an excuse to stop so badly. Oh, my water bottle cap came off- I have to stop. Oh, I think I stumbled and need to stop. Oh, I--- Nope. No excuses. Just do it. Don't let this be the run that got away because you gave up. After my sip, I made some sort of "mergh" noise and handed it to Roger, who carried it the rest of the duration. 

As we finally crested that hill and turned, I heard someone call out my name. It was my sister, standing on the corner with my dad and cheering for me as I ran by with my little pace posse, finally finding ourselves in some sweet, merciful shade.

Clock: 22:something
OMG, can I actually beat that 23:45?


The .1
This was the longest freaking .1 of my life. Courtney was waiting for us at the 3mi mark, and joined in as we entered the ballpark, screaming for me. We all knew I had the sub-25 in the bag, it was just a matter of what the final number on the clock was going to be. Brad led the way with Courtney, shouting encouragement. Brandi hung right with me, telling me to push, and, somehow, I finally found the strength to kick.

There's that kick.

Make it hurt. 
You'll hate it if you missed the next goal by one second and you had one second left in you. 
Don't give up on yourself. 
It's gonna hurt, but it's gonna be worth it. 

Chip time: 23:37.
video of last minute

There are no words to adequately describe this moment.

OMG. WE BOTH PRed, AND SHE WAS PACING ME.

I left it all out there today. The sheer relief I felt when I was finally able to sit down in the shade afterwards left no doubt in my mind about that. This was the first race where I really went for it, and I'm so proud of what not only my body, but also my mind was able to accomplish today. 

...and, just for funsies, looks like those impossibly fast race projections from the ATC Indicator run might not be so impossibly fast after all: