Today, I ran the Parkland 5 Mile Holiday Run in Parkland, Florida. This was to be a test of how well I am doing and whether I can race without albuterol. I got to say this test was a success.
I did no taper for this; in fact, I've run a lot of miles this week. So, my legs were tired and so was I. Still, I thought I could still PR. After all, my PR of 44:50 is soft and from two years ago. In April, I attempted a 5 miler race and had a huge asthma attack, coming in at a disappointing 46:33, which was the story of my first half of the year.
But I knew I felt much better now and my runs have gone well, so I was ready to see how well I could do. I've been doing multiple marathons so I also knew there is no way to get a huge PR in any of my races and the closer to my second maniac star, the tired I'm going to be. So, this weekend worked perfectly.
I woke up at 5am with a migraine. Not as bad as others, but still a bother. I drove to Parkland, which is around 45 minutes away, picked my packet and went out for a warmup run. By the time I was in Parkland, I was nauseous from the headache. At least the weather was nice, 71F and 69 dewpoint, but that means the humidity was close to 100%. I was soaked before I even started the race.
Instead of my usual racing flats, I went with regular trainers (Mizuno Precisions). Since I've twisted my ankle three times this week during runs, I didn't want to lay low on the support and have more issues. The extra weight of the Precisions did not hurt me and I don't think I could've shaved that much time by using a light shoe.
The race was advertised as flat and fast. It was fast, but the last two miles were not flat. My plan was run by a HR of 172 and not to look at the pace this time around. This has worked well for my asthma and I knew it was the best to control it if I was not taking any medication. And off we went!
Mile 1 - As is typical of a run by HR, the first mile is always faster than the rest. The most important part of this is that my HR and pace show a very nice improvement as compared to a month ago. Pace: 8:01.
Mile 2 - At the end of this mile, I started coughing, which is a prelude of an asthma attack. However, as recommended by my doctor, I refrained from using the inhaler to see if I would get an asthma attack or get over it. Pace: 8:32.
Mile 3 - At this point, the temps were close to 75F and the humidity was still high. There is no shade on the course, as is typical of South Florida, so I am sweating like a pig, but still running a good pace. I was still coughing throughout this mile but by the end of the mile, the cough just went away. Pace: 8:31.
Mile 4 - As soon as I passed the Mile 3 marker, I saw the uphill and I was dang, who puts a hill at the end of a race? But I tackled it and pushed on until the end. Then I noticed that there was no downhill, only another uphill coming up, bah!!!!!! Pace: 8:46.
Mile 5 - This mile starts uphill and continues uphill until 4.85. At this point, I see the last turn and the finish. I know my Garmin is pacing long but I know I'm close enough to finish and way ahead of a PR. Pace: 8:53.
Finish time: 42:46.
I checked the results and got 4th in my AG and 53th overall. I think that is the highest I've ranked in the OA results for any race here, as our races are typically large.
Overall, this was a success. First, this was a PR without any asthma medication, no taper, and no speedwork training. For me it's more important to have run strong and asthma free than to PR. That I accomplished both is a miracle I'm going to enjoy for a while.
Damaris
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Are we there, yet?
Yea, Damaris! Great strides in the right direction, not to mention a PR on top of it.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Chief Unicorn Officer
Awesome!! What a great day all around!! Congrats
Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54
Great job on a great race. Dang you are getting fast!
~~~~~~~
Traci
Anomalous
Awesome, D! Congratulations on the AG placement and sans Albuterol success!
Half Fanatic #3091 ~ Marathon debut: 11/16/13 Anthem Richmond Marathon
"Run from what’s comfortable. Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious." - Rumi
Running for two!
Pre-Preggo PRs--5k 23:00, 10k 49:07, HM 1:57:40
Post-Preggo PRs--5k TBD, 10k 54:45, HM 2:28:05
Nice work D, a PR and no inhaler needed. Sounds like everything came together for you today.
YAYpril - B-Plus
Great job, D! Congrats!
Congratulations, Damaris!
From the Internet.
Glad to hear it was a success! Congrats!
Smaller By The Day
Dang Damaris! That sounds like a monumental occasion in your life as a runner. Absolutely amazing. I'm very happy for you.
Improvements
Weight 100 pounds lost
5K 31:02 Sept. 2012 / 23:36 Sept. 2013 (Same Course)
10K 48:59 April 2013
HM 2:03:56 Nov. 2012 / 1:46:50 March 2013
MARATHON 3:57:33 Nov. 2013
Very happy for you! Congratulations on a great race!
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
MM#5991
Congratulations on your new PR
Lori
*it's Bertha or me. My money is on me.*
**"There is no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone".---- Sandy**
Skirt Runner
Great job Damaris! So happy you were able to run inhaler and asthma attack free!!!!
PRs: 5K- 28:16 (5/5/13) 10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13) 4M- 41:43 (9/7/13) 15K- 1:34:25 (8/17/13) 10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14) HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14) Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)
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