A race that didn’t sell out a week before!??! Well, I looked at the weather, saw that it was going to be in the 50s on Sunday and signed in. I don’t race well when it’s cold…
This race had it all. Small (Around 500 or so to close registration), close to me, amazing raffle prizes (samsung phones, kinects, you name it!), a tech shirt, funds go to a great cause, and NOT in Central Park… PERFECT, i am IN! Of course I LOVE Central Park… but a girl needs a bit of diversity once in a while, am I riiight?
And a 5K! I never do 5Ks! So exciting! I did the one in August, in Brooklyn, where I PRed for the first time in 14 months, in 21:09, average pace was 6:49.
And I figured I was in WAAAAAY better shape now so I should deeeeeefinitely go under 21 minutes. Didn’t think about pace per se but I would DEFINITELY SAVE those pesky 10 seconds somewhere, right? you’d think so…
Sunday, weather was around 41, I found a couple of team-mates there, we got ready, it was a really small crowd. I took my clothes off, lined up, and was FREEZING. Shivering and my teeth were jumping. Countdown, we go. There was a couple of loops, a few ups and downs, but it was a pretty easy course. I was close to the start line so for a bit I was leading the women’s race, 5 minutes into it, around 4 or 6 women had passed me. You’d think I would be able to keep count? No. I was so cold, I had gone out waaay too fast and I was now paying the price. Mile 1; 6:51. BAD. Whatever it is, it will end soon, finish your dayum speedwork, maybe we can catch a few of them later. Mile 2; 6:57. Well, that was obvious, but yeah, I can pick it up on the last one, right? NO. Mile 3: 7:07. What. A. Mess. Seriously. Last part was run at a 6:38 effort. But it was too little too late.
Is my cadence (Avg Step Rate) getting out of control or what?!?!
I always wonder how unpredictable racing can be for me. I am not gonna lie, I didn’t go to sleep early or ate the right things or all of those things. But I didn’t in my last two races (Berlin Marathon, Fifth Avenue Mile) either and that worked out. How is it that I just really never know? The only explanation I have is that it was cold-ish. I don’t race well in the cold BUT I race great when it’s HOT, so maybe it’s that… oh well, WHATEVER.
I shrugged it off in a minute. I really couldn’t care less. Lots of amazing people were there and I just wanted to say hell to everyone! Added 3 more miles with my team mates to cool down, and then they did the raffle. Seriously, I had never seen such amazing prizes!! Ate a cereal bar, put back all the clothes and run back home for a total 5 miles post race: WIN!
Statsies!
Finish time: 21:34. Average Pace: 6:56
Previous PR: 21.09. From: August 2012
Age Grading: 69.94%
Overall Place: 28 of 336
Gender Place: 4 of 185
Age Place: 2 of … not sure.
I haven’t signed up for anything else yet but there are two more races this month I started looking at. I have already done a total of 14 this year, so I could stop here and be happy with how this year went. I really could sit and tell myself how great I did. This year can probably go in the books as my best running year so far.
And actually, I am close to the time when we stop getting faster… Or soon. And if my 3 PRs from this year are the last ones I get, well, I think I can live happily with that. Happy Monday and here’s to Very Happily Ever After PRs!
TMobile Shoe4Africa 5K RR (Or: Another race time I can’t explain…)
runningandthecity 