Once again I am behind in my blogging, which is kinda sad since I only blog about races and have only run two this year. Work has been quite busy with a bit of travel so that is my excuse right now. I am sitting in the room at the Holiday Inn Sunspree in Wrightsville Beach, NC so before Owen and I start our day at the beach, I though I'd get started on my post on both the Run for the Oaks 5K (this post) and the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach half marathon (next post). In case anyone is following along with my 2011 race schedule (probably just me), I did end up skipping the St. Patty's Run Green on Mar 5th. Too many things going on that day (soccer, birthday party, dinner with friends, etc) and I also had flashbacks to the hot hilly 2009 race, so decided to skip it.
I ran the Run for the Oaks 5K in 2009. It was only my 3rd race since being in NC and the first one where I really sort of trained for it (I started running with the Raleigh Trail Runners in February 2009). It was freezing rain or really just barely above freezing because it was technically rain. So this year was beautiful in comparison. A bit chilly but perfect weather really. I got to the race early enough and got a great parking spot right on the corner of Blount and Hargett, across from Marbles Museum. John W. was just coming back to his car when I got there so we went over to pick up my race packet and of course find a port a potty (my ritual). We saw Sarah and Barry there too and a few other familiar faces from the local running scene. As I was not going to do a long warm up, I brought back my stuff to the car and then got ready for the race by taking off any unnecessary clothing. I ended up just with shorts, tshirt and my arm warmer thingys and gloves. I was so excited (sad I know) to finally wear them in a race. They are pretty awesome.
I found Sarah and Barry again and after another trip or two to the porta potty, Sarah and I did a really quick warm up and then ran to the starting line. I always make sure to get up front these days because I know awards are based on gun time and I need all the help I can get! I was hoping for a PR today but didn't feel I really deserved it because I hadn't really done the training I had planned to do. It had been a cold winter so I did speed work only once outdoors and a few times on the treadmill. But not really any in recent weeks. My planned Thursday tempo runs (target of 7:20 or less) had also turned into fun Thursday Cary/Apex area runs at about 8 to 8:30 pace, which I enjoyed but then really had no idea if I could keep up the tempo run pace since I hadn't done any recently. But you gotta have some fun right?! Beyond a PR, which was 20:49 (Run for Healthier Babies 2009), I also was hoping for a sub 20 5K at some point in 2011 but that would be a miracle if it happened today.
So at the starting line I tried to focus on thinking positive, mind over matter, which I truly believe in because I have willed myself through many races to achieve several goals. Now I am not saying that you can just pick a time and achieve it with no training, but I do believe the mental part is what prevents many runners from achieving their goals. I went to the start of my first half marathon in a long time thinking I was aiming for 1:40, but I ran it in 1:36 which made me realize that the only thing holding me back was the thought that I couldn't run that fast. I don't think that positive thinking will get me to a sub 19 min 5K, but for sure it got me under a 22 min and then a 21 min 5K, so maybe a sub 20 is in the cards someday.
The one thing I am really bad at is even pacing. I usually go out fast hoping to bank some time and then get slower as the race goes on. My review of all my recent 5K times showed that very clearly. Sometimes mile 2 was slowest but usually that is because it was a hilly course at mile 2. Most of the time mile 3 was slowest. So with that in mind I was trying to not do that this time. But it's hard to not want to jump out there to get a head start. So while I ended up kinda doing that again this time, I didn't go crazy and held back a little bit. My first mile felt pretty good, I had to consciously try to slow down because it's easy to run down Person Street at full speed seeing everyone else doing the same thing. Still I ended up doing the first mile in 6:23 which I knew was too fast.
In the second mile, to my defense, there is a bit of an uphill climb. But I slowed down on that one quite a bit, with a 6:41 pace. I was starting to get a cramp or pull in my right hamstring, which is one area that typically doesn't bother me. Knees, calves, inner ankle and quads in long races, but usually not hamstrings. So this slowed me down quite a bit. Still I was determine to keep the pace as best I could. At that time I had my Garmin set, as I usually do, on the average pace for the current mile. So I just kept trying to keep that as far below 7 as possible. I have run quite a few 5Ks where the last mile gets above 7 minute pace, so I was determined to prevent that this time, hamstring pain or not.
During the end of mile two or early in mile 3 I saw a kid, Winston, who I used to see in most of my races in 2009, but hadn't really seen for a while since I didn't do many 5Ks in 2010. He was 12 the last time I saw him, so now he is 14 and much taller and with bit of a deeper voice. Wow I was feeling old when I chatted w. him before the race! Anyway I passed him which I sometimes do, and he sometimes passes me, which I am sure will be more the norm from here forward! He is one of those runners who doesn't always seem to know how fast he is. Mind over matter...perfect example. Well that day I guess he thought "ok, no way am I going to let some 40 yr old woman beat me!", so he passed me again shortly thereafter. I wasn't bothered by that as I was running for time and I was proud of him for taking back his rightful place. I have seen him give up a bit (my perception at least) in some races that he clearly had the speed and stamina for. As for me, I was just trying to run through my hamstring pain to the finish.
The last part of the course gets a bit twisty turny going up and down several streets. I actually like this because running a mile straight back down a long wide Raleigh street is torture for me. I'd rather run around the little streets and then "oh surprise there is the finish" so close that it's not as painful. So this is why I like this course. I am told there is a part where you can see the finish line (big blow up arch in the road) on one of the turns far before you reach it. I guess if I saw that, it would be torture, but I was so oblivious I didn't see it so that was nice for me.
By the time I saw the finish, it was fairly close so I did my best sprint to get this over with. The last mile ended up being 6:50 pace. And the last 0.1 or so was a 5:47 pace because I saw the clock was under 20:49, my "old" PR. My now "new" PR, if you count chip time, which I do, is 20:34, 20:37 gun time. So not quite close enough to the sub 20 I was miraculously hoping for, but enough to earn me a new PR, a first place age group finish, fifth female overall, and 45th of 393 total runners. This race doesn't have an overall masters category, bummer. I would have been first in that category as well. I guess last time I ran it I wasn't 40 so didn't pay attention to that. I ended up with a gift card to TAF, I think it was $20 or something. Last year I got some Run for the Oaks water glasses, which I hardly use, but I have to say I prefer that over the gift cards. Still it was a great day for the race and despite the hamstring issue and feeling undertrained, I PR'd. Go figure. I guess that gives me hope for the sub 20 later in the year since if the hamstring didn't hurt and I went out slower in mile 1, I would probably have done better. And who knows, if I actually followed the planned track workouts and did some tempo runs, that would probably also help!
Beyond the race itself, it was nice to get back out to a local 5K and see so many running friends. Pauline (4th age group) was there and looking hot with her new sleek hairdo, barely looked like she sweated with perfect hair after running a super fast race. John W. ran a sub 20 in his first 5K in like 20 years, wow! And Sarah (3rd age group) and Barry ran together, shaving 5 minutes off of Barry's prior PR. If he keeps that up he'll be passing all of us! I saw lots of other runners I know from the Boston Marathon plane ride, from a few runs at ATT and Umstead, etc. And after the race a few of us grabbed a quick coffee and breakfast (mmmm, chocolate chip scones!) at Morning Times cafe. All in all a great way to start the spring race season! Next race (which I have already completed at the time of this post), Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon!
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