Two small syllables can strike such fear in this runner's heart: Five K. I run marathons and I spend hours at a time on my bike. How hard can a 3.1 mile run be? The hardest, if you are doing it right - the phrase "verge of instant death" comes immediately to my mind! I know that 5Ks are good for me and that I should be running them more often, but I end up only running one or two a year. I'm sure that I could name many reasons why this is so if I really thought about it - I'd rather spend the time running longer distances, I'd rather spend the race entry budget on longer races, I'd rather run slower for a longer amount of time...you get the picture. My 5K personal record (PR) dates way back to the
Cougar Prowl in April 2012 and I was starting to think that it would be one of those records that lived forever. I ran that 5K in 24:22 on a pancake flat course on a wonderfully cool morning. I have come close a few times, but just have not been able to break through that plateau.
I have been running so strong since Redman 70.3 and at one point in December I decided that I should try a 5K again sometime soon. My interval workouts and tempo runs were going so well and I had a great run at the Dallas Marathon Half, the moment was right. It worked out perfectly that one of our favorite races, the Jiggle Butt 5K, was coming up on January 9. I ran this race with my friends in
2014 and we had a great time. I remembered that it was a good course and I had a pretty strong run that day too, one of my faster 5Ks at the time. Looks like the stage was set - game on.
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| Irene, Mama C, Drum, and Me (Photo: Mama C) |
I began to wonder, though, as my car was blowing all over the road on the way to the race - wind is not my favorite and it was high! Run hard and see what happens - that became my plan for the day. I met Drum, Mama C, and Irene shortly before the race which was held on the University of Arlington campus. There was a good crowd there and lots of positive energy - the magic of race day! I ran a super short warm-up and it was time to go. Gulp. Run hard. See what happens.
I decided to only check my pace when the miles beeped and to watch my heart rate to insure that I was working hard enough. I also decided that when I passed someone I would work my hardest not to let them re-pass me. The wind was coming strong from the north and the course was not super hilly, but it wasn't flat either. My strategy was to run harder when I was running downhill and/or the wind was at my back.
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| Traditional A-Frame Hug - who knew we would both PR?! (Photo: Mama C) |
Before the race I heard someone say that they'd run the course during their warm-up and that it was long. I was not excited to hear this, but what can you do? My mind was put at ease a bit when the mile 1 marker came up before my watch chimed a mile. This was the case throughout the race so I knew that it wasn't going to be as long as I feared it would be. Oh well, better to PR on a long course than a short one - right? My watch chimed and when I looked at it I saw 7:38, right on pace!
My other plan was to get to mile 2 and try to maintain my pace before making a push in mile 3. I'm not sure how this actually played out, but I kept that steady effort during mile 2 and was rewarded with a 7:39 split. Consistent to the very end, that is how I roll. We were turning in and out of the wind and the course was rolling a bit so I felt very pleased to see this progress so far.
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| This snowman needs a cheeseburger or two (Photo: Mama C) |
I prepared myself for mile 3 - just keep pushing, MK, you are on pace for that long desired PR! The spectators were few in number but big in spirit and I appreciated the occasional distraction that they provided. The Jiggle Butt is an all-women's race that raises money for victims of domestic violence at the Safe House so many of the volunteers and course guides were men. Funny guys, let me tell you.
I headed south and on a street parallel with the finish when a spectator told me that there were only about 4 blocks to go. How could it be sooo faaarrrrrr? I could hear the timing mat beeping and that was a good sound in my ears. We turned a corner and headed north, into the wind and directly to the finish line - maybe a quarter mile to go! I focused on the finish line and pretended that it was pulling me towards it like a laser beam. I glanced at the time on my watch and knew that it would be so close, but totally in reach. Run hard, MK! Somewhere in this home stretch I caught a glimpse of Drum on the sidelines and she screamed "use your arms!" Oh wow - I forgot that I had arms!! They really helped in that final push too. Hello finish line!! My final mile came in at 7:40 and my final time was 24:05 - I got that PR by nearly 20 seconds!
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| Cool down shenanigans with Drum (Photo: Mama C) |
I got a bottle of water and walked down the sideline as the feeling of imminent death slowly began to leave my body. Dang, that felt good. I found Drum and we got a couple of cool down miles and found Mama C and Irene. Drum told me that she came in 2nd overall and also got a new PR herself (so speedy, that one!). I thought that I might have placed, but I had no idea until I checked the results and found that I was first in my age group. Icing on the cake, for sure! I had just raced a nearly 4 year younger me....and I won!
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| Photo: Mama C |
I credit much of this new PR to the different approach to training that came with my Redman 70.3 training, but I credit an even bigger part of it with my renewed mental game. My mantra for the new year has been "fearless" and I think that is showing up in my training and my racing. It was so reaffirming to start the year off with a new PR - I can't wait to see what happens next!
