Executive Summary: 25:31, a 4-second PR.

55/219 OA, 20/142 female, 3/30 40-49

So pretty much all of 2014 was a bust for me as far as racing goes.  I started off with a 5K PR in February of 2014, but then hit some kind of mental wall where I would just give up and start jogging my races, sometimes partway through, and sometimes right from the start.  I just never really felt like I had my groove for the rest of the year.  Training would be fine, but I'd have nothing on race day.  I did run my first marathon in the fall, but even there I may have had the same sort of reaction at the halfway point.

After that, I just felt really fatigued and heavy-legged for months. I lost my confidence and felt run down.  My easy pace slowed to close to couch-to-5K levels even.  So I didn't race at all or even do much speedwork for a while.  I focused on easy miles, and kept my mileage fairly low.  Gradually, though, my mojo has come back.  First, running started to feel fun again.  I was able to get my mileage up close to 40 MPW, then added weekly speedwork, and have recently pushed back into the mid-40s and have even been enjoying double-digit runs again.  I was ready to race!  It's been 5 months since my marathon, but I think that's what I needed.

A 5K felt like a good place to start.  Back to basics.  No matter what happens, I only have to maintain for 3.1 miles, right?  For whatever reason, I was nervous that I would bail on this race again, too.  I enjoy the competitive aspect of it, but was worried that this one day was going to set the tone for the year.  I was so nervous that I even considered DNS.  I am way too moody of a runner.   Plus, I've never been great at 5Ks.  I run them somewhat slower than what my training and my other PRs would predict.

In any case, I had to work this morning, but had time to go home and change before the 1:30 PM start.  It was pouring rain today, but the temps were in the mid-50s.  I ran my usual 2-mile warmup with some strides, and got to the start with maybe 20 minutes to spare.

My goal was to PR (under 25:35), but of course my super-secret goal was to break 25 minutes.  I was running mile intervals at 8:04 last summer on Hansons, so I'm pretty sure that's something I could have done at that point, but wasn't sure I was ready today.  The plan was to go out as close to 8:04 as I could, but still wanted to feel fairly conservative for the first mile since I don't have much racing mojo to draw upon right now.

Start: It was a small, local race, with only 219 runners for the 5K.  There was also a 15K that had started 30 minutes earlier.  The course is on an asphalt bike path that was pretty narrow, but I was happy to get away pretty well and could pretty much pick my pace from the start.  The first half mile is a gradual downhill.  I felt pretty good, but also felt like maybe I was breathing a bit harder than those around me.  So I decided to hold steady and focus on not tensing up.  My watch said I was slow.  My body said I was on target.  I was staying relaxed enough to thank the volunteers and wave at photographers, but wasn't running easy by any means.

Somewhere in here, a guy in a carrot suit passed me.  Then I noticed he was running zig zags back and forth along the path.  What a jerk!  But then a woman in a bunny suit went by, and I realized he was pacing her.  She almost caught up, then he took off running, but when he got too far ahead, he'd slow again.  They ran off and out of sight.

My watch beeped for mile 1 at an 8:26 pace.  Slow, but still possible to PR with a negative split.

As I approached the turn into the park, the leaders came by in the other direction.  A guy from my running club was in first place, but he was neck-and-neck with another guy, and both were already looking pretty ragged.  I called out to him, but doubt he heard.  He ended up finishing second, in 16:36 (a PR), just 5 seconds behind the other guy.   It actually was a pretty fast field on the front end for how small it was- 17 our of 219 runners went sub-20.  Not bad considering that I think first prize was a pot of marigolds (think leprechauns).

I ran into the park and towards the turnaround.  There was a water station at the turnaround, and carrot and bunny had both stopped and were just standing there drinking water.  Jeez, some of us are actually having to work for this.  I checked my watch at the halfway point- 12:42.  So even though my lap pace was reading slow, somehow I was on pace to PR if I just held steady.  OK.  Maybe I can do that.  This section was a bit muddy, but thankfully not too long, and then I was back on the path and headed towards the start.  Carrot and bunny came hopping by and back ahead out of sight.

Mile 2 beeped in 8:35 according to my watch.

Now this is becoming very hard work.  Breathing is labored.  I can pick up my pace a little bit, but not much.  I am listening to a guy who has been approaching for a while.  I don't think I can hold him off, but I'll do my best.  We go up a very short little hill, and both slow a bit, but I feel like he has the edge.

Meanwhile, another dude comes out of nowhere and sails by both of us.  I didn't recognize him at the time, but now I see that he's the guy who I outkicked at a 10K last year.  It is so on if I see him again at another race.  He will be "short, bald dude" for now,  but I can look up his name from last year's race I bet.

The guy who had been on my heels does eventually pass me.  He has earbuds in.  I work to keep him close, but it's tough.  Now we're to the very gradual uphill that will take us back to the start.  Behind me, I hear the jingling of runners with beads or something on.  Probably women, and I can't spare the energy to check back, but I know they're close.  Just assume they're in my AG and don't let them pass!

Pre-race, I'd had visions of a sub-8 final mile, but that's not happening.  I am hurting here.  But when I can finally see the finish, my watch still says 24: xx.  I can still PR if I hurry.  I find a landmark and decide that I just have to kick from that point in.  It's going to suck, but it will be over soon.  Run!  Run!  I'm sure I made all kinds of proper end-of-5K faces for the spectators as I brought this one home.

In the end, my watch and the race results said 25:31.  My watch says the course was short, which is why the pace numbers didn't match.  (Mile 3 was supposedly an 8:24 pace, but I didn't notice at the time)  But, the course is a certified course, we went under several overpasses, and my Garmin has been a bit funky lately.  So I don't really have any reason to doubt that it was a legit 5K, really.

I finished one second behind earbud guy, and 4 seconds ahead of the jingly girls (who were all in their 20s anyway).  After getting my chip cut off and my finishers' pint glass, I had to sit and recover for a few.  Earbud guy had vanished, but I got to congratulate bald dude.  He really did have a strong 3rd mile.  Then I put my swag away, and checked my results.  I was 3rd in my AG, but it turned out that awards were only to 1st place.  Still, we all got a nice tech shirt and a pint glass.

The nice thing about a 5K is that that's pretty much all the recovery you need.  I had planned to run a 1-mile cooldown, mostly for the mileage but also to reduce soreness later, but felt good, so I ran 2 instead.  They were slow miles, but pretty comfortable.

All in all, I think it was a successful race.  I probably could have pushed more in the second mile without losing too much in the 3rd, but I don't think I could have done that today, this early in the season, without a lot of recent experience or confidence.  What I got today was a new PR, and the chance to make a fresh start for 2015.  Now I have to look at the calendar and see what I want to focus on next!

Nice way to find your mojo again!

"Somewhere in here, a guy in a carrot suit passed me."  This part made me LOL.  Very unexpected.  Ha.

How did the carrot and the bunny do?  Don't ya just hate people like that? the nerve of them.  Maybe it was The Halls and they went incognito.

Your RRs read like a good book.  I love them.  Im so glad you decided not to DNS!  You did a great job racing this and dealing with lots of mental "stuff" that's the hard part sometimes, right?  Looks like a bright year for you   Congrats on your PR and AG placement

Nice race, congrats on the PR.

Thanks for all the kind words so far.  I have an event that I need to be at most of today, but in the mean time, I found some start and finish photos of me.

Start.  I'm in the pink with the black hat.  Those kids looked like they were having a blast every time I saw them.

This is what a 5K finish face is supposed to look like, right?

Great job, Zel!

A strong start to the racing season, congrats on the PR.

Did the narrow start line cause any trouble?

Nice entertaining RR Zel. I'm training for my first 5K right now and you just got me febrile (can I say that in English?)

You did what Mr. Hall could not; finish a race. Just doing that was huge, now you can put that whole mental nightmare in your rear view mirror and get back to the good gettin', racing your ass off!