5 miler | runningandthecity

I feel like Bolt.. what the #)@*^(%^$%)*# just happened?

WHO TOOK MY HORSE????????????? HUH

???

I am not upset, just a bit disappointed and mostly confused…

I really thought this would be a good race… it was 70 this morning!!

Again, I HAD NO CLUE… I really say that a LOT.

To start, I LOVE LOVE LOVE 5 milers, I love them. I really could love them more.

Second, my last one was great, I posted a brutal PR of three minutes, finish time of 35:37, avg pace of7:07.

I figured… it’s been 7 weeks, it’s the exact same course, but today the weather is almost winterishy (unlike the nasty hot hell of the last five miler!), so I’d definitely PR… right?

Of course I’d still have to run hard for it, but I felt I could do it…. It was only teams competing, so not a big race, but super super competitive, which would probably help too…

Ah, and I would have been happy with a 35:30! Or a 5 second PR, I’ll take anything… but it was not to be!!

As soon as we got the GO, I felt it… How? Why? I had no idea what was happening. I usually go out too fast, and this time I felt like I wasn’t moving at all!

My first mile is usually in the 6:50 range. Today’s first was 7:21!!!!!!!!!!!! I know I said OH SH!T out loud when I saw it… I knew my effort was doomed.

A second later, I wanted to quit. I didn’t. I finished in 36:49, average pace of 7:21. Ridiculous. And strange.

My last mile was still the fastest at 6:57, but there was no sprinting, it was a pathetic “letshopeIdon’tdiefromthishowmuchmoretogoIamreallydyingIswear” finish! Definitely not a bangle pump situation.

I know we can’t always have a good race, but I was so confused… I just couldn’t understand it… We can always find something to blame for our crappy performances, but there was nothing too obvious there.

The only thing I can think of is that I didn’t have any Nutella yesterday… That could totally have been the problem. Pasta is not really enough carbs for me and I should know better. I had no energy today. Why do I stray from the process I know works???? Why do I keep doing this every so often??? Ah, I am frustrated and also feel a bit stoopid.

A picture with the team, I am on the left, in pink

After that, Blaise and I did a few more miles, to complete our “long run”, and a bit later I had an OSOM milanesa with two OSOM runners. I am not on my horse today, but I guess we can’t really ever predict what our bodies would do, right???

UFFFFF

I did the Front Runner’s 5 Miler today. I love 5 milers but the last one I did was this same one last year, so I knew there was a high probability of a PR in the forecast, despite the weather forecast: it has been insanely hot all week. Call me crazy, but I don’t enjoy racing in an oven, I am just nuts like that. Love 5 milers, hate the heat. Ergo, I race and whine/curse.

Anyway, my PR was 38:32 (average pace of 7:42). Given that my pace at the 10k two weeks ago 7:25, I had targeted an average pace of 7:20. But I figured in this heat I would be happy with a 37:30 finish time. Ha, as usual, I had no clue….!

While lining up at the corral, I drunk 2 Gatorade cups and dumped 3 cups of water on me. I was already hot and dreading it. We are OFF! This time, I didn’t fight my urge to go out too fast. Why bother? I went insanely fast at the last 10k and it was fine; and I was sure I was going to be miserable very soon not matter what I did… Mile 1- 7:07, whatever, I am hot. Even before the Mile 1 marker I had already fought like 30 million thoughts about stopping to walk. It was very hard for me not to, I was so annoyed at myself and I remembered why I would stop last year to walk in all these races: the #@$^&^& HEAT!!! I decided I would distract myself with all I had, and I would not stop, at all, GGRRR< I am tough, I can do this, no I can’t, can I?, uh, I hate this, I want to walk just a bit, just a couple of seconds, NO! Please, it’s hooooooot, and this is soooo hard, that’s what she said, keep going you m*r*n, you are better than this, but I am hot… the whole five miles went exactly like that!

Mile 2- 7:06… ok fine, but I really wanted to stop. It’s all I wanted.In life. Forever. I saw (and waved at) a lot of people in the park cheering (including yours truly jflecks79), and then this guy runs up to me and says: I was running by you for a while and everybody knows you here, I am getting depressed that no one waives at me. He must have thought I was mental, I was so out of it it took a little while for me to understand “words”… I was just trying not to stop! Or die! Heart rate: INSANE. Yes, I am always this specific and accurate.

Mile 3- 6:50… what? how? I was just focusing on finishing this. I hated racing. All I should be doing today is sit by a pool. Shut up B!tch, you’re MsRitz, you run the run today! Hahahaha! Misting stations are heaven, I need more!

Mile 4- 7:28 let’s finish this…. time to sprint? Can I even try? Mile 5- 7:06. Last mile was run hard but it all paid off. Finish time: 35: 37… WHAT? Yeah, 35:37!!! Average pace of 7:08. Insanity!!!!!!!!!! Almost a three minutes PR!!! And, #4 in my Age Group. That, in NYC, is HUGE! Insane.

As soon as I crossed the finish line I had to hold on to the railings. I couldn’t stand up or see much. People were asking me stuff and pointing to the Medical tent, which was 5 feet away. I couldn’t say no, I just held on. After a few minutes I started walking, slowly, in zigzags… Found Blaise right away, I was still dizzy, it took me a good 10 minutes to feel normal again.

Someone Run the Run today! It was horrible, but I figured I would NOT race in weather like this for a while so I had to make it worth it, and leave with a bang (I am not coming back until it’s snowing!!!). And I didn’t stop once, which was the hardest part for me. We took a million pictures after and since then I have been telling myself all day how happy I am with myself, to the shock/annoyance of strangers, and nodding of friends. I really feel really OSOM. #4th is HUGE for me. HUGE. I am on a horrrrrrrrrrrrse!!

Now I need to recover for tomorrow’s Argentina’s game! At least I got this RR out before who knows what happens to me tomorrow during the game… rough weekend!! 😉 Just one pic for now. More to come!!!