Three PRs in Three Weeks - Zoom-Zoom was Right (Read 924 times)

The usual disclaimers.  I'm 52 and have been running for just  three years.  I was a high school athlete (tennis) during the early Title IX years, but was not a runner.  I'm a slow runner, but I'm sticking with it. Dang it.

So, fast forward, after my PR in the Sunburst Half Marathon in early June (by 20 minutes!) and my PR in the Cherry Festival 15K on July 11 (a tough race by all accounts), Zoom-Zoom suggested I try the shorter distances again and see how much faster I might be.  When I started running, I ran a lot of 5K races, but mostly enjoy 15Ks and Half Marathons now.

Sooooo, I ran my first 5K since March last week (July 18) in a nice race called the "Run Through Sparta 5K".  It was actually my third year running this race.  Went out sluggish, or so I thought and my first mile was just under 10:00 (fast for me)!  Felt stronger as I went on and finished in 31:18, a PR by more than a minute.

Saturday (July 25), I decided at the last minute (truly) to run the Coast Guard Festival 10K in Grand Haven, MI.  As Zoom-Zoom has described, it has had some organizational issues, and did again this year (5K leaders followed the "pace car" and it didn't exactly follow the route or something like that).  Lesson here: listen to Zoom-Zoom.

In any case,  I started out feeling sluggish again and was just generally wishing I had gone to the 10K run in Fremont, so didn't check my time until 2 miles.  Hmmm...20:14, just a shade behind my PR time from the 5K the week before.  Could PR this thing despite humidity, hills, crankiness.  I hit three miles in 29:14.  Now I'm in OMG mode.  The third mile was 9:00 flat! 

Then, the wheels blew off.  After an ill-advised stop when nature called, I began losing time in earnest.  My foot went numb (always a problem in the third or fourth mile), so  I opted to walk up the first big hill and through the water station.  I started the fifth mile rather deflated, but picked up speed again when feeling came back in my foot.  I hit the last bit strongly with some determination- even though the last .1 is straight up hill.  I finished in 1:05:57, a PR by more than a minute.   Huh.

So, PRs at all four distances that I run since June.  I'm humbled and amazed.

Thanks again to everyone that pushes, cajoles, encourages and celebrates with me on this incredible journey.  Best piece of advice that I've received?  Run more miles, mostly easy.  It has made all the difference.

Thursdays are jammed solid in August, but I'm interested in the Newaygo 5K before Labor Day - is that the last week of August or September 5?  If it is September 5, I'm doing the Beaver Island Half that day.

 Poo, it's 9/5.