5k Race Report, aka Chris attempting to HTFU while screwing a bunch of stuff up (Read 480 times)

The race: Stanley's Dream 5k in West Chester, PA Running it at all was questionable and I strongly considered a DNS for this race. My sinus infection was raging and my cough was back, but things stabilized some after I was out of bed so I decided to head out. Note to self: I can hustle out the door to a race, but my partner is not as fast. He had the "audacity" to want to shower and shave before leaving, so we had an awful fight. We rushed to the start area and I grabbed my registration form and materials while he parked the car. I ran to the place that registration was supposed to happen, only to be told it was 3 blocks away. I had 8 minutes until the gun, and Tony (my partner) was nowhere in sight. I ran to registration, assuming he would be directed to the new site as well. You know what they say about assumptions... (more on that later)... Got in a short warm-up between the run to registration and a 3 minute jog up and down the street after registering. My knee, which was sore when I got out of bed, loosened up. No ITB problems. I was good to go. I got a bit stressed when there was no sign of my partner when we lined up for a chaotic start. There were chips, but no starting mats, so some people were pushing to get forward as some walkers were obviously in front. I started off the first mile too fast, and looked down my garmin at the .4 mile point and was in the low 8:00 mm pacing. This was a problem: I don't even interval train that fast. Just one day after sending a friend JK's race tips list, I blew one of the biggest ones. Time to slow down... Easing up some, I finished Mile 1 with an 8:13 time, making me highly suspicious I was in the high 7's for a good part of that first .4. The pack started to pull away from me after mile 1 and I focused on running my own race. The course was set up in two loops, and you pass the finish at just before the halfway point. I was still fast, since the clock was showing 12:XX as I ran past it. Slowing down a bit more, I finished mile 2 at a much more comfortable 9:10 pace. At this point, my sinus infection started to complain about being out in the cold and windy 27 degree weather. My eyes were tearing, my nose was ruinning, and breathing hurt. Hmmm...shouldn't have started out too fast, should I?? Now I was paying the price... Even worse, the closest person in front of me was about a quarter mile ahead and I was not closing the gap. There was about another 1/8 of a mile to the next runner behind me, so I was running practically alone. No spectators, no birds. Heck, I would have even appreciated roadkill to break up the monotony of the course. There also was no sign of my partner anywhere along the course, so I started getting paranoid he was mad and left me at the race. I figured I could ease up and still blow past my 29:28 PR, and worry about a better time when I was healthier. However, I had a secret goal to come in right around the 27:00 mark or just below, and I still could pull that off. My pace had eased to 9:30 mm to accommodate the sinus pain, but I decided to pick it up and go for it. Mile 3 was completed at a 9:11 mm pace, and I pushed to the finish with no one in front of me and someone trying to pass me and finished in 27:22. No sign of my partner, though, which means-- NO PHOTOS. I eventually found him at the car. Turns out, since no one knew where the race finished (including people blocking streets), he didn't want to miss me and went back to the car. Whew-- not walking home. This time. In reflection, the race was not quite the PR I wanted, but still something I'm happy with. Mostly, I'm proud that as sick as I am that I even chose to start, and prouder still that when I could have backed off on the solo portion of the course (not even a spectator or squirrel) I dug down and pushed to the end. A great start to the year, and hopefully a sign I can HTFU and get back into a training groove.

Now that's the way to start a new year, well done!

Nice work!

Way to go on the massive PR, Chris! I hope you get over the sinus problems--mine unfortunately keep flaring up after each race.

Nice job, Chris, and congrats on the PR! Great report, too! Happy New Year

AWESOME JOB!!! CONGRATS on the PR!! You are going to BLOW that PR away the next time you race a 5k!!!