Because I had this fabulous idea to sign up for a 10K-5K challenge, I had about 20 minutes after the 10K before the start of the 5K, which started at 8:30 a.m. ... or so I thought.
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| In-between races photo |
In reality, it was 8:52 a.m. before the start of the 5K. So my timed water drinking, GU taking and stretching and warming up again wasn't really timed well. I wasn't expecting much out of this race anyway (since I just ran a 10K and was uncomfortable every step), but a 22-minute late start didn't help matters any.
I wasn't planning on meeting my under 30-minute 5K goal this race, but I wanted to be respectable ... whatever that means. For me, I decided it meant under 11-minute miles.
I started out a little stiff, but warmed up pretty quickly (quicker than my usual 1+-mile warm up). That doesn't mean I was comfortable or feeling good. I was hoping I could make it through this thing. I wasn't feeling it, and I was missing my running buddy to push me along.
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Mile 1: 10:29
I don't remember much of this race, really. I just remember: (1) running on the pesky pier ... again; (2) being uncomfortable the entire race; and (3) trying to force a smile when I ran by my coach, Carolyn, who was snapping pictures (all were terrible; totally my fault — not hers).
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| You pesky, windy pier |
Mile 2: 10:40
Mile 3: 10: 38
I tried to push it at the finish, but I didn't have much left in me.
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| I looked tired in this photo. I am. (My boyfriend and dog surprised me along the 5K finish.) |
I crossed the finish line at 32:59, which is my second-best 5K time ever. Hmm, I guess I did OK for feeling uncomfortable and totally not in this race.
After the race, I grabbed some bubbles (Diet Coke). I love carbonation after a race. Every race should have bubbles of some kind (yes, beer is acceptable).
Lori and I decided to capture our last race on the pier in photo (it is being torn down, so this is the last official race for us on this thing). Lori asked the girl taking the photo to be sure to get the pier in the background. She did. It's just behind Lori's head ...
So, the big question: would I do a 10K-5K challenge again? I am proud that I did it this time, but I don't think I'd do it again. It added a whole other level of stress to a race day. I worried about the 5K all the way through the 10K. Was I using everything I had in the 10K? How was I going to run a 5K after this disaster? Then, running the 5K, I felt like it was a "just survive this thing" mode instead of a "let's give this all I got" attitude.
Have you run a 10K-5K challenge? Would you? Do you like bubbles after a race?
YOU DID AWESOME!!!!! I've never run a 10k/5k challenge but have done a 15k and actually enjoy that distance the most. Its ends generally right before I hit the wall at my halfs which for me is mile 10-11.5. Great job though!
ReplyDeleteImpressive run! And bubbles? I'm just happy not to vomit. There is this one race here that serves a full homemade breakfast afterward. Yum! And it offers a 10k. Wanna come run it with me? I'll be doing the 5k, because it's shorter. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! Way to go! I hate when races don't start on time. Don't they know us runners have detailed preparations that have to be timed right?! I'm still looking to get a 10k under my belt.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, thats very brave of you! Even though you didn't feel great during the second race it must have been awesome once you finished to know that you completed two in a row. Don't know if I'll ever do that, very cool!
ReplyDeleteYou did an amazing job! I like beer after a race! :-)
ReplyDeleteFor not feeling it I think you did an amazing job! I am not sure how I would have handled two races back to back- survival mode seems reasonable:).
ReplyDeleteYou did great! Congratulations! I don't think I would do a back-to-back challenge like that, but you never know. You should be proud that you were were able to dig deep and pull out that great 5K finish!
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