Race Report: Sizzler 5K

Previous PR: 22:18 (2/1/2020)

90% Goal: sub 26:00
50% Goal:  25:00
10% Goal: 24:30
Result: 23:42 (23:51 gun time)


Training:

4 weeks of my homecooked training plan.

• 2-3 LIIFT4 sessions per week
• Tuesdays of hill repeats or "solid" mileage
• extra 5K on MW or F
• 1-2 rest days
• speedwork Thursdays (anywhere from 200m repeats to ladders or tempo)
• long runs up to 13 on the weekends
• usual stroller runs on Sundays, sometimes with a tempo push

Not anything defined or organized, but the best execution I've had of anything since long COVID. Today was all about just seeing where I was at. I was hoping for around 25:00, but truly would be happy with whatever I did as long as I felt like I pushed and didn't hut myself. 

Pre-Race:

It was a little strange not planning much or meeting anyone at a race. I figured out what time I was leaving right before I went to bed, and just planned to drive towards the start line and follow signs for parking. It's rare for me to look for signs and not have a spot picked out with GPS directing me towards it. 

headed out

I was on the fence about which sports bra to wear and what to bring with me for this point-to-point course. Ultimately, I opted to wear my phone in my KoalaClip on my back with a sports bra that I was 95% sure had worked with it before and hold my smaller handheld. I knew I wouldn't need it during the race, but wanted it since I was going to jog the course in reverse afterwards as a cooldown, instead of taking the bus. 

I decided I'd have a better chance at a good time if I did a warm-up, so I slugged through a mile. I think it helped. 

Eventually, I made it to the start line, where I found myself with a few other moms running with their sons, who looked about the same age as mine, which made me miss my kiddo. I'd intentionally not signed him up for the race because I wanted to have my OWN race, but, it's kinda like traveling for work in an airport-- when your kid isn't with you, you miss them. 

Race:

I had a disaster within the first 100m of the race. My KoalaClipped phone fell off the back of my sports bra, and I lost a few seconds trying to go back to grab it. Ugh. I spent the rest of the race with my phone in my hand, which wasn't ideal, but I had no where else to put it...  I retrieved my phone, but the KoalaClip slipped out of my hand, and it wasn't worth getting trampled or losing time for. 

The first mile felt like I was just getting my gears moving. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard. It was just "yes, I'm definitely working". The course starts uphill, which was also rough, but I knew it would get better after the first 400m. The first half mile of the course actually went pretty quickly, and I was so grateful to have signed up for the 5K and not the 10K. I can handle 3 miles. After all, the first mile is getting up to speed, and knocking it out. The second is about thinking and pacing math. The third is where you just "hang on". Then you've got the last 0.1 to kick. 

I fell in with a pack of a few kids and a few adults that tended to run the same pace as me, and enjoyed the fact that our race had started at 7am, before the sun had come up too much. With 67 degrees, it actually felt quite nice. My watch clicked 7:37 at the first mile, and I was pleased to see I was ahead of pace. 

The next section of course had some nice, very small rolling hills. I was able to mentally look ahead and play some games with "just get up the hill". "Just one more mile, and then you're in the home stretch", I'd tell myself. I fought not to look at my watch much, because I didn't want to just phone it in if I was going to hit 25. I wanted to know what I could do and not be tempted to "just ride" if I was hitting pace easier than expected. 

Another mile down, also sub 8. I liked running a place where I kinda new the terrain and course. I could look for landmarks and check off boxes as I passed them. I realized I might actually be able to hit sub 24, and got excited for a minute. Then I got a little worried when my watches seemed off when I passed one of the 10K mile markers. but fortunately they were spot on again when I passed my 3mi mark and kicked it into the finish. 

I didn't ever kick the way I normally do, but pushed a bit harder in the downhill leading up to the line. Solid effort. Solid finish. 

Reflections:

I cried after I saw my time. Not only had I beat 25, I'd beat 24, and got a few nice placements to boot. It's been SO long since I've been able to push myself, or even stay healthy long enough to have any sort of actual training. Long COVID last year, a few random illness setbacks this year, and some fallen arch issues have kept me out for so long. 

Today wasn't a race. It was a victory lap, in more ways than one. 

So grateful for what my body was able to do today. I think I spent the entire 5K jog back to my car smiling.