Race: PTI Run on the Runway for the 4th year in a row! Ran on 3/30/19. See my other race reports from 2016, 2017, 2018.
Considering my company is the main sponsor and I can run for free (thanks VF!) this was a no-brainer.
Goal: To run a near-all-out effort, and use this as a sort of practice or dress-rehearsal for my “A” race on 4/14 (the Pig Pounder 5K). I hoped for an age group award, and to beat my best time (either all-time PR, or PTI run PR). Really, I wanted to go sub-23, and I thought this flat course with only one turn would be the place to do it!
Gear: My team VF shirt, Oiselle shorts, Smartwool socks, new Altra Kayenta shoes, Garmin, RoadID, and iPod.
Gut: After the last (horrible) incident of GI distress, I was very careful not to eat too much fat or fiber the day prior.
Race morning, I had half a banana, and either toast or pancakes (of course I can’t remember 2 weeks ago!) Spoiler: I felt OK the whole time, thankfully! Although right after I finished, I realized it was that time of the month…ugh, what a bummer.
Weather: A gorgeously cloudy and not-too-hot-or-cool kinda day. The wind was blowing a bit, and it started to rain right before the race began.
Pre-Race: My parents came to watch, along with Asher, so we left early enough, but had to wait in line to park and ride the shuttle over to the runway. As soon as we got there, I made a beeline to the porta potty, then began my warm-up routine. I realized that I have not been warming up properly for the 5K distance, so I found an old article on Runner’s World that said to warm-up 20 minutes, 45 min prior to the race start. So I didn’t have time for that full amount, so I did about 9 minutes, then did strides for 3 minutes. Maybe that was enough? I felt OK at the start, but it sort of crept up on me. I felt like they started before the 8:15 start time.
Race: I tried to not go out too hard, and settle into a rhythm. Unfortunately, running on the runway is quite boring for me, and I found it tough to enjoy myself. I felt like the wind was blowing directly in my face, and the rain was getting in my eyes and making it hard to see with my contacts. I began a little pity party in my head, then cut myself off with “Hang on just a minute! Come on, you’ve run in the rain before, and you’ve run in the wind before. You got this!”
I saw a VF-er up ahead, and focused on catching her. Then once I passed her, I just tried to keep my legs going at a hard-but-not-too-hard speed. I saw my watch click at the 1 mile, 7:50. Wow… this effort feels like it should be way faster than 7:50. And then I wished I hadn’t even looked at my watch! I blessedly remembered my iPod, so at least I had some tunes with me. I got to the turnaround and checked my watch. My goal was to be at 11:30-12 at the turnaround, and to my dismay, my watch showed 12:50. UGH… I thought. So much for a PR!
The way back was more fun, as a bunch of my teammates and friends shouted my name as I went by! Always nice to get encouragement A few guys passed me, so I just tried to stay close to them. I was hurting, feeling more tired and slower than I thought I would. I tried to think positive thoughts, and told myself to just keep pushing. I saw the markers along the side of the runway (big signs that must be counting a tenth of a mile? 3…4….5…..6…..7) It felt like an eternity between the signs. I would tell myself, OK now just get to the next one! Finally the finish was in view, but I know from past races that it’s deceiving. Sure enough, it was still half a mile away! OK, just 4 more minutes of running!
Finally, I got close enough to sprint it in. I was so “fast” that my family nearly missed me! My mom did snap a few pics:
I could hardly breathe, so at least I know I gave it pretty much everything. My goal of sub-23 was not met. I ran 23:52, so at least I was kinda close, and I had a great negative split, but dang that felt like a really hard effort for running a 7:43 pace. I think I just didn’t get enough rest and recovery the past week, and of course getting my period did not help matters. I felt kinda queasy after the race. We ended up getting the award early (said we needed to get to a T-ball game for Asher), and since A didn’t feel like staying for the kids race… we left.
Asher came over to stretch with me, which was very sweet.
Results: To my utter surprise and delight, I won my age group! I felt so grateful that my body was able to perform, despite not feeling the greatest. 23:52.5, 1st of 41 ladies. My team, VF, came in 4th of 44 teams, and I was the second fastest runner (and only girl) on the team. I won a picture frame, and a Junction 311 (race coordinator) cooler/bag.
Lastly I am so grateful my parents and Asher came to watch! We had a blast together!!
Recommend: I’m going to copy/paste the same from last year:
I’m still undecided on this one {which I guess would make it a “no”}. My company is the main sponsor for the event, so I get to run for free, which is a big perk for me that of course not everyone has.
The Pro’s—it’s flat, which makes pacing easier and is more conducive to faster times. There’s support (1 water stop) and snacks post-race. Lots of people show up so there’s good competition.
The Con’s–The age group awards have been something other than medals for 2 years now (a wood board painted last year, and a picture frame this year). I can’t help it, but I just love a good old medal. This year’s awards were disorganized and had at least one mistake (my friend Sandra got 3rd, but then didn’t get her award until later, due to a glitch). Probably the worst thing for me is the lack of scenery and that feeling of not moving forward very fast (the desert mirage thing I mentioned earlier).
Garmin stats:
Next up is the RunnerDude 10K on 4/7! What’s up for you?
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