The Prospect Park Track Club sets up these 5ks all through the summer, on Wednesday nights. I did one last year and it had since been my 5K PR. I was in good shape then (though it was 97 degrees that day), I had run my fastest marathon in three months before and had been PRing in every race since. I did their 5K last year in June, in 21:51, an average 7:03 pace and then… I got injured. I was out for a while. And haven’t run a PR since. 14 months with no PR. FOURTEEN. 12 races with no happy ending. A drought. I have been working hard but I was kinda sick of it.

 

And, because weekends I have to dedicate to the long run, it was hardt to find time to do another race. But this week, it was the last 5K of the summer… and I decided to swap it for my speedwork.

 

I was nervous. I changed at the office, sat there sipping my coffee (which I think really helps me before races!) feet up, looking at the ceiling, and I was super nervous. My office mate didn’t even understand why “it should be fun, right?”. Yes, it should be. But I am SO stuck in this stoopid rut… I need a PR so badly. Once I got to the race start, I spotted a bunch of friends, lots of people I knew, a group of my Ironman team, and my friend Tessa. When Tessa and I walked to the start, she even told me I was making her nervous. And I never get nervous. WTF? I barely ever even care how I do… I think it was the coffee. I really wanted to PR, which would have been an average pace under 7. Hmm, sounds painful

 

We go. Tessa was with me for a bit and took off, she’s way faster than me. Prospect Park is pretty much 3 miles around, and there is one hill, but I had no clue where the hill was. I could have asked or go back and look at the course from last year, but whatever. It turned out the hill was in the first mile. I was surprised but I guess it was better this way. Mile 1: 7:23. Oh Oh. I am in trouble. And not in PR shape as I had hoped. But my training the last couple of weeks was SO good… I wanted to give up: 5Ks are hard!!! Still, I told myself this was my speedwork for the week, so keep at it. It thinned out a bit, and then I saw the next number. Mile 2: 6:30. Well, maybe not all is lost!! I keep at it, somehow I get on a rhythm, Mile 3: 7:03. Not knowing the course well really did me in. I didn’t get to push in much in the last half mile. Last effort: 6:28 pace.

 

I doubled over. I saw my time. I cried a bit. I hugged. That’s IT. I am back. The drought It’s over. It took 14 months, but I am back. I wanted to cry but I had no energy.

 

This is all unofficial, results are not up yet (?!??!). But my watch said 21:05. 6 freaking 48 average pace. Insane. I was happy, and hello Tessa comes and tells me she won the race. Seriously, she won the women’s. Insane!

 

 

 

We all hung out for a bit, had some fun and then it was the awards ceremony. I had won my age group last year but this time there was a lot more people… so who knows! I am never good at knowing who is ahead and who passed me. It turns out, I won my Age Group again!Fabo on top of FABO. Good night indeed. Congrats Tess!!!!