Race Report: Free to Play 5K

My fifth 5K race this year. This race was actually a last minute decision to enter. I had plans on entering then decided not to and then about a week out decided to just do it anyway. It was a cross country double loop course at the North Spartanburg Baseball Complex. To make matters worse it was quite chilly with a light drizzle.

I arrived about 45 mins early like I always do to give myself 20 mins to warm up and 10 mins to stretch after registering.

Mile 1 – Went well, it started with a slight uphill before going downhill then around the baseball fields. At first it didn’t seem so tough to run in wet grass until I hit some really wet spots.

Mile 2- Started struggling really bad with heavy jello leg feelings. It took everything I had to pick them up and take a step forward. At this point, I was questioning myself on why I even was doing this race.

Mile 3 – It took every effort to just keep moving. I almost wanted to give up and just call it quits but I was determined to finish. By far this was the hardest 5K I have ever ran. What was suppose to be a slow easy fun run turned into becoming quite a hard and challenging run.

I finished with a time of 38:15, not bad for me at that course but it was last place which caused a lot of disappointment shortly after the race. The next day, I realized half the pre-registered participants didn’t even show up to run so by just showing up, I felt I already won the race. It’s a reminder to not get caught up in my times and just go out there and run my best each and every time. I’m realizing that everyone is different and for some of us running doesn’t come naturally and we must work harder to become faster and more efficient.
But crossing that finish line is still the best feeling though!

Race Report: Colon Cancer 5K

My 4th 5K Race. Got there 45 mins early, registered and walked around for about 20 mins then did my pre-run stretching.

Mile 1 – Felt great on but of course it was mostly downhill. Relaxed and breathing and heart rate was under control (stayed around 150 bpm).

Mile 2 – Was a bit of a struggle as the course started to go uphill and was forced to take a walk break at 2.5 miles. Overall still felt pretty good but was having trouble keeping my breathing under control (160-170 bpm).

Mile 3 – The last 1/2 mile was uphill and I struggled the last .6 miles of the race. I ended up walking to the mile 3 marker and then sprinting the last .11 miles to the finish line.

I went in with a goal of finishing under 36 mins and I finished in 37:05. It’s still almost 3 minutes better than when I ran this course back in May so I can’t be too disappointed to see that much of an improvement. I need to work on controlling my breathing more, especially during uphill climbs and increase mileage so that I’m not feeling like I hit my reserves at 2.5 miles.

Race Report: Back to School 5K

This morning, I participated in my third 5K with a goal of 35 minutes or better. I finished in 36:50 (according to my Garmin Forerunner GPS watch) so I didn’t beat my goal. But I did finish 3 minutes faster than my previous 5K on May 9th but it’s hard to compare since they are different courses. I am okay with that time but not excited about it. I know I can do better than that!

I started out way too fast the first mile so of course the last 2 miles, I really struggled. I slowed down and walked at the 1 mile mark but really should of kept on running. I guess mentally, I still have it in my head that I can’t run more than a mile but I was actually feeling fine so I honestly believe it was a mental block not a physical one at that point. After that, it was hard to start running continuously again. By mile 2, I had very little left in my legs plus lost focus on controlling my breathing and heart rate. I did have my iPod and never again will I race with music…it was too distracting when I’m trying to concentrate on my race. When I’m training it’s great but not during a race. Plus they advertised the race as being traffic free but it wasn’t, about 4-5 cars had to maneuvered their way around the crowd of runners.

Even though I didn’t feel like I had a great race, I’m not going to give up and keep up with my training! I have to look at it is I’ve been only running for 5 months and who knows what will happen this fall when the weather cools down.

My next 5K is on August 29 at Duncan Park, the same course as the Run for Scouting 5K I did back in May so it will be a more accurate test to see how much I will have improved in 3.5 months.