Two race recaps for the price of one!
Four GPx races down, seven to go.
One Growler of beer won.
Saturday was a fun day. I felt justified putting on my jammies and crawling into bed at 10PM Saturday night and not just because I was relieved that the rapture didn't occur. (Or did it? Maybe I need to call my Mom tonight and make sure because if anyone was taken, it was her.)
I'm gonna be honest, I really didn't want to race the Great Harvest Bread 5K. Twilight was horrible, my energy was low all week, I was struggling to fall asleep, end of the school year stress was hitting me hard and I just didn't feel motivated. When my alarm went off Saturday morning, I strongly contemplated just not going. But dammit, I wanted my points. I dragged my feet getting ready and didn't get there nearly as early as I like to arrive before a race. The warm-up didn't help. Crap, I should have previewed this course. It had been a year since I'd run it and I'd forgotten how hilly the first mile is. Ran into Jason during the warm-up and he seemed a lot more hyped for the race than I was feeling. Also saw some of the other usual suspects I always enjoy seeing before races and got a big hug from the man, the myth, the legend, Larry Seavers. Chatted with Rebecca (who I think might have actually been less happy to be there than I was) for a bit before lining up.
Lined up near Jinnie and found out she still wasn't feeling 100% from her nagging hip injury. Jinnie is such a trooper...she ran an incredible time on a ridiculous course for her marathon debut and has raced two of the toughest 5K courses in Charlotte the two following weekends. This didn't stop her from giving me some valuable advice prior to the race. (No, I'm not sharing it with you.)
My goal for this race (other than just getting through it) was to just run a solid, steady race. I knew I didn't have it for anything spectacular and after such a bad time at Twilight, I just wanted to feel good about this one at the end. I ran the seemingly never-ending ups and downs of the first mile pretty cautiously and was happy with how good I felt when I hit the first mile marker. I threw in a couple of surges in the second mile and tried to just lock into a pace I could maintain for a while. As I'm writing this, I realize that this race truly wasn't all that memorable for me. Usually, I can remember pretty clearly what I was thinking but I genuinely can't remember any really positive or really negative thoughts. I just ran and tried to pass people when I could.
The last mile held a lot of turns and some decent ups and downs. I remembered how bad I felt last year on the final hill and made sure to save a little for that. Just as we climbed that hill (weird, I'm still feeling good, I guess I really should have pushed a lot harder in this race), I caught up to a woman that had been ahead of me the whole race. Eff it, let's throw in an early kick. I passed her and made the turn into the shopping center. I remember Stan and Thomas cheering for me here and then Ryan Huff as I made my way through the weird S shape thing they had going (what was that?).
Final time was 22:19....not close to a PR, but a good time I could be happy with. Some really good races out there on Saturday...I hear it was a road PR for Compton which is pretty nuts on that course. Chad deserves a shout out, too...he was one of the first people I talked to after the race and it was cool to see how excited he was about his 3rd place finish. I think a lot of us look up to some of the faster runners in Charlotte and it's always nice to see how pumped they get about a good race, too.
Post race brunch was a lot of fun, too. Went to Big Daddy's with Fred and his two boys (one of them, my rival...I took him down this time), John F., Billy, and Dezi (who is a great runner and a cool girl and I'm glad I got to hang out with her and get to know her better). During brunch, I received a text...
...which leads us to our second race recap of the day!
I knew the Old Mecklenburg Brewery 1k was Saturday and had considered doing it but figured I need to get some stuff done Saturday and I should be a responsible adult and do boring things such as cleaning and doing some things for work. But alas, I continue to be young and irresponsible and easily influenced. After receiving messages from Thomas and Michelle and a phone call from the Patanias, I was done for. I wanted to run again. And I wanted beer.
There's really not much to say about a race that's approximately .6 miles long. Thomas, Chad and Joey held down 1st, 2nd and 3rd place respectively and got heckled a bit for being shirtless. Michelle, Sarah and I held it down for the ladies. I managed to finish in 3:30 which is well under 6 minute pace so that was kind of nice. And now some highlights: Eating Big Daddy's before running is not a great idea. Even if Billy Shue says it is so. Winning beer is the best kind of winning. Girls most certainly do NOT have prostates. Allen probably feels like he knows way too much about me at this point. Chad and Danielle have an adorable dog. John Compton got a haircut and ate a hot dog...this is what winners do after races. Tom and Lo Patania are ridiculously cute. I got mildly sunburned. Laura and I were probably destined to be friends and neighbors.
Oh, and apparently, if you somehow ended up with an extra free Growler, drink the evidence quickly... :) (no, I am not referring to myself.)
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Is it conceited if I change the name of my blog?: Skyline 5K Recap
Alright, so it's no secret that I'm hard on myself sometimes. However, for some reason, I feel like I can consider this race somewhat of a turning point. Now, I may fail miserably at Twilight next Friday (I wouldn't be me if I didn't throw in some self-doubt), but after three sub-22 5K's in a row, I'm really starting to like this distance. I commented to a few people on Saturday in conversation (we were actually discussing 5Ks, I didn't just walk up to anyone that would listen and start this topic) that in my limited race experience, I really think that 5Ks are the hardest to strategize. Every mile is crucial. You start too fast, the last mile is sheer hell. You start too slow, you're not happy with your time because you just can't make up enough for the lost seconds. Improvement is measured by seconds. If you lose your concentration or let a negative thought get too prominent, the next thing you know, you want to walk in a distance that most of us would consider a warm-up. I used to hate 5Ks. I still get nervous as hell about them, but I think that's part of the appeal.
Now, let me back up, maybe I just feel this way because a) I just got a shiny new PR and b) of all the 5Ks I've run, Skyline remains one of my favorite courses in Charlotte. Sure, the first mile climbs for close to 100 feet, but if you can pace that mile right, you're set up for a good time. It was a PR by over a minute for me last year (23:37) and my first 5K running sub-8 pace. For someone like me that has had a tendency to die on the last mile, this is a pretty solid course.
April was a pretty busy month of racing for me. I raced three times...Bulldog 5K, Museum Mile and Skyline. I blew a mile repeats workout the week of the Museum Mile due to the heat and last week opted for a tempo run with the Thursday CRC crew from Dowd. Well...a tempo for me, anyway. Conversational pace for them. Caitlin graciously offered to help pace me and she was really awesome, encouraging me to relax and giving me some breathing tips. It was a crazy humid morning so although I hadn't felt great and 7th St. nearly sucked the life out of me, I got it done. I hope to hang with that crowd for more tempos in the future...those are WAY harder for me mentally than a track workout with built-in recoveries.
Thankfully, the humidity lifted and Friday and Saturday were two of the most gorgeous days I can recall in recent Charlotte history. The red singlet has served me well as of late (also took my hair a shade brighter red on Friday) so I went with it again, as well as my trusty bandanna. Added to the race outfit were my new Tifosi shades I won at the Inside Out Customer Appreciation Day. I'm not gonna lie, I felt kind of badass. (And the interminably witty Stan added to that feeling later in the day by deeming me Red Lightning.)
Laura offered to drive and she and I warmed up together before it was time to line up. I got a good spot reasonably close to the front, spoke to a few people I knew around me, and then got a hilarious surprise when Fred Wood introduced himself and told his son that his goal should be to kick my ass. Well, what the hell? I asked the kid (who I'm guessing is about 12?) what he thought he could run and he said he didn't know. Bring it, kid.
I resisted the urge to go out guns blazing because I knew I'd be in for a miserable race if I went too fast in the first mile. My breathing felt great but I kept telling myself to hold back although a few glances to my watch told me I was keeping a solid 7ish pace. There's one little stretch on 7th where it flattens out a bit and I used it to make sure I was relaxed and to recover a bit before tackling the incline up to Showmars. I actually passed several people that sounded pretty miserable on that climb and I was happy to note that I felt pretty good. First mile: 6:59. Perfect. Also, was great to see Lauren and Jay and Megan on the first mile. It really means a lot to me to hear my name being called while racing!
The slight incline down 7th was nice although I didn't feel as good as I would have liked turning onto 5th. I had also settled into an interesting pack. At this point, there weren't any females within striking distance and I was clueless who was behind me so I kind of settled in with a couple guys that looked like they were probably around their 40s. Note to self: 40 year old men are my competitors. I ended up pouring a little water on myself at the water station and kept pushing. Held on the second mile for 6:55.
Looking back, the next half a mile was the hardest part of the race for me but also the part I'm most proud of. I was by myself for the most part and I start to feel some doubts creep in. Why do I do this? This doesn't feel good. Even if I slow down, I'll still have a pretty good time. You know, the usual. But I learned an important lesson during those few moments of doubt because I looked at my watch (yes, I know I wrote in my last blog that I do that too much in the last mile of a 5K) and realized I was still holding sub-7 pace. No, it didn't feel great, but you know what, it was totally bearable. And I knew Elizabeth Ave. wasn't too far off and that I'd be fine once I made it there. So, that's when I started bargaining with myself...hold this pace to the next side street. Hey, there are some people cheering...look fast, pick it up a little. I'm not usually one to berate myself during a race, but the biggest motivator I came up with was...'You're on PR pace and you are FINE. Do NOT f*ck this up.'
That got me to Elizabeth and I was a happy girl. I knew at that point a PR was waiting for me. I saw Jay and Megan again and while I'm sure they got to see me make some pretty ridiculous faces, I was ok with it. It was time to finish up a 6:52 last mile and kick. And kick I did. (Relatively, of course.) My Garmin measured both the Bulldog course and Skyline course at 3.14 miles. At Bulldog, the last .14 was at 6:36 pace. At Skyline, it was 5:55 pace so I'm happy with that. Garmin had me at 6:53 average pace for the 3.14 but more importantly, official race results had me at 6:58 average pace with a new PR of 21:38! I ran my first sub-7 5K and was 15th female overall and 5th AG at a Grand Prix race!
Of course...now I'm just going to want to run even faster than that.
But...dare I say it? I don't think I consider myself slow anymore. I might keep the blog name but hey, I'm open to suggestions...
Now, let me back up, maybe I just feel this way because a) I just got a shiny new PR and b) of all the 5Ks I've run, Skyline remains one of my favorite courses in Charlotte. Sure, the first mile climbs for close to 100 feet, but if you can pace that mile right, you're set up for a good time. It was a PR by over a minute for me last year (23:37) and my first 5K running sub-8 pace. For someone like me that has had a tendency to die on the last mile, this is a pretty solid course.
April was a pretty busy month of racing for me. I raced three times...Bulldog 5K, Museum Mile and Skyline. I blew a mile repeats workout the week of the Museum Mile due to the heat and last week opted for a tempo run with the Thursday CRC crew from Dowd. Well...a tempo for me, anyway. Conversational pace for them. Caitlin graciously offered to help pace me and she was really awesome, encouraging me to relax and giving me some breathing tips. It was a crazy humid morning so although I hadn't felt great and 7th St. nearly sucked the life out of me, I got it done. I hope to hang with that crowd for more tempos in the future...those are WAY harder for me mentally than a track workout with built-in recoveries.
Thankfully, the humidity lifted and Friday and Saturday were two of the most gorgeous days I can recall in recent Charlotte history. The red singlet has served me well as of late (also took my hair a shade brighter red on Friday) so I went with it again, as well as my trusty bandanna. Added to the race outfit were my new Tifosi shades I won at the Inside Out Customer Appreciation Day. I'm not gonna lie, I felt kind of badass. (And the interminably witty Stan added to that feeling later in the day by deeming me Red Lightning.)
Laura offered to drive and she and I warmed up together before it was time to line up. I got a good spot reasonably close to the front, spoke to a few people I knew around me, and then got a hilarious surprise when Fred Wood introduced himself and told his son that his goal should be to kick my ass. Well, what the hell? I asked the kid (who I'm guessing is about 12?) what he thought he could run and he said he didn't know. Bring it, kid.
I resisted the urge to go out guns blazing because I knew I'd be in for a miserable race if I went too fast in the first mile. My breathing felt great but I kept telling myself to hold back although a few glances to my watch told me I was keeping a solid 7ish pace. There's one little stretch on 7th where it flattens out a bit and I used it to make sure I was relaxed and to recover a bit before tackling the incline up to Showmars. I actually passed several people that sounded pretty miserable on that climb and I was happy to note that I felt pretty good. First mile: 6:59. Perfect. Also, was great to see Lauren and Jay and Megan on the first mile. It really means a lot to me to hear my name being called while racing!
The slight incline down 7th was nice although I didn't feel as good as I would have liked turning onto 5th. I had also settled into an interesting pack. At this point, there weren't any females within striking distance and I was clueless who was behind me so I kind of settled in with a couple guys that looked like they were probably around their 40s. Note to self: 40 year old men are my competitors. I ended up pouring a little water on myself at the water station and kept pushing. Held on the second mile for 6:55.
Looking back, the next half a mile was the hardest part of the race for me but also the part I'm most proud of. I was by myself for the most part and I start to feel some doubts creep in. Why do I do this? This doesn't feel good. Even if I slow down, I'll still have a pretty good time. You know, the usual. But I learned an important lesson during those few moments of doubt because I looked at my watch (yes, I know I wrote in my last blog that I do that too much in the last mile of a 5K) and realized I was still holding sub-7 pace. No, it didn't feel great, but you know what, it was totally bearable. And I knew Elizabeth Ave. wasn't too far off and that I'd be fine once I made it there. So, that's when I started bargaining with myself...hold this pace to the next side street. Hey, there are some people cheering...look fast, pick it up a little. I'm not usually one to berate myself during a race, but the biggest motivator I came up with was...'You're on PR pace and you are FINE. Do NOT f*ck this up.'
That got me to Elizabeth and I was a happy girl. I knew at that point a PR was waiting for me. I saw Jay and Megan again and while I'm sure they got to see me make some pretty ridiculous faces, I was ok with it. It was time to finish up a 6:52 last mile and kick. And kick I did. (Relatively, of course.) My Garmin measured both the Bulldog course and Skyline course at 3.14 miles. At Bulldog, the last .14 was at 6:36 pace. At Skyline, it was 5:55 pace so I'm happy with that. Garmin had me at 6:53 average pace for the 3.14 but more importantly, official race results had me at 6:58 average pace with a new PR of 21:38! I ran my first sub-7 5K and was 15th female overall and 5th AG at a Grand Prix race!
Of course...now I'm just going to want to run even faster than that.
But...dare I say it? I don't think I consider myself slow anymore. I might keep the blog name but hey, I'm open to suggestions...
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