Forums >Racing>OKC Turkey Trot 5k RR - My first sub-30 (I'm a noob)
Not a dude
I posted in the "Suggestions" area about having a spot just for race reports because I didn't see much of that going on here, but someone else suggested that this is the appropriate place for that. I had posted this in the Runner's World group as I am one of the refugees and I would like to be part of this community as well. So here goes....and please, be gentle. I only started running this past April.
A couple of weeks ago my mom and I decided to sign up for this race and earn some bonus calories for Thanksgiving Day. Plus, it came with a participation medal, which I think is hilarious for a 5k. Who doesn't love a stupid, cheesy medal with a turkey on it??? Anyway, the race was just outside the OKC bombing memorial with the course in a loop around downtown and through some really pretty neighborhoods. It was windy and I am sure weather.com lied because it definitely didn't feel like 63 degrees out there. I learned my lesson from the half marathon when I was dressed too warm and I dressed in a tank top and running skirt. I was really, really cold initially, but was comfortable once I started my warm-up. Some folks were wearing turkey hats and a couple of guys were pretty much naked except for loin cloths with turkeys on them. Hopefully the wind didn't blow the wrong way.
Knowing that there were likely to be a lot of walkers in the field, I said goodbye to my mom and lined up pretty close to the front so I would have a better chance of not getting stuck behind one. Someone needed to wear some deodorant because they were absolutely foul-smelling. I remember there was this thread on RWOL about folks not using deodorant and stuff before races. I understand that you're just gonna get sweaty anyway, but man...have some consideration for other people who have to smell YOU plus 1400 other funky smelling mofos lined up at the start.
I was just gonna jog this initially, but decided the day before that it was worth PRing since I figured it wouldn't take TOO much effort given that my old PR of 31:01 was really soft. However, I wasn't sure how hard I would be able to push since I had run a half marathon four days ago. I planned to go out at a pace of 9:35 and hold it because that would yield a sub-30 PR while still being somewhat conservative.
Mile 1 - 9:12 - oops...a bit faster than planned, but still felt doable. I decided to try to stay at this pace.
Mile 2 - 9:10 - getting tougher, but still felt doable
Mile 3 - 9:48 - there was an unexpected hill and I was running straight into a pretty strong headwind. Those two things combined sapped the strength in my already worn out legs. I just couldn't make them turn over any faster with that wind.
The last .1 - 59 seconds
Total time: 29:10
This 29:10 still isn't that great, but it put me in the top 25% of all females and within my AG. I'm still pretty much mediocre, but improving consistently. I can't ask for much more than that. I'm looking forward to my next 5k on December 8th. By then I will have fresh legs and I hope to go sub-28.
Antipodean
Congrats, Flippy. That's great improvement. I wonder how low you can get your time. When's your next race?
Julie
PRs
5k 24:54
10k 52.30
"It's not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves."
~ Sir Edmund Hillary
Nearly a 2 minute PR - nice!
Finland has it all.
Congrats! Especially impressive to set a PR in a Turkey Trot--those things get crowded.
Good job, I remember my first big-city 5K, I lined up a few hundred people further back than I should have.
And I always love going out hard in a 5K that I think I can PB in but am not really trying to peak for.... might as well see how fast you can go. Go too fast, there's always another race. The constantly dropping PB is fun - especially when they come down fast in your first couple years running.
Any chance of a public log? RA race reports usually involve post-mortem on training for the race as well - my favorite part of my own race reports, I've learned a lot from it.
Congrats, sounds like a great race!
2013 Goal: Make 3:00:16 go away.
Based on what I see in your log, FlippyN, (with all the risks that come from such an at-a-glance input)...you're doing plenty of distance work for a good half marathon and running more days would offer the most improvement bang for your buck. Knocking out those 2-3 day breaks would be where I'd start.
Did an angel whisper in your ear and hold you close and take away your fear...In those long last moments
Proboscis Colossus
Good job! I've really enjoyed the few turkey trots I've run.
In fact, I believe I was running one at the exact same time as yours, over in Edmond.
That wind really was something, wasn't it? Sometimes I think if all the landowners in that region simultaneously plowed under the indigenous vegetation to make room for their wheat crops, the wind would blow the topsoil up and away in huge, economy-crippling dust storms that would barrel over the area for years, leaving only barren land and bitter heartbreak behind. But probably not.
Roadrunner's Apprentice
I remember the feeling the 1st time I broke 30 minutes. Congrats!
2013 Goals:
- sub-26 5K : sub-56 10K
- Tell all of my excuses to shut up and lace up...
Professional Jogger
Me too, I totally remember hitting the sub-30 5K - I ran without a watch so I really had NO idea until I hit the finish line.
It's a great feeling to get under 30 - keep at it and you'll be doing a sub-26 min before you know it.
We’ll pick ourselves up. We’ll keep going. We will finish the race.
PRs 5K: 26:46 10K: 58:28 HM: 2:11
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