Notes
Well, PR, baby. Did better than I was shooting for, wanted sub 27 and thought I should be able to do it, secretly wanted 26:30 and wasn't sure if I could do it, hit 26:15 instead. Awesome.
Splits were slightly negative, if the mile markers were right: 8:33 pace at mile 1, 8:31 pace for second mile, and average of 8:21 pace for last 1.1 miles. Not entirely sure I believe that, though, as last mile felt slower, and I wonder if the mile markers weren't accurate. Or maybe I was just tired. Anyway, very good pacing overall. Yay.
Shin/foot had been tweaky and did foam roller last night, no problems at all today.
Got up late and so only had a couple swallows of green tea and oatmeal, hardly a meal. Bought an energy bar and water at Wawa and ate half the bar and drank a few sips of water on my way to the race. Walked there from 11th and Arch.
Did 15 minute warm-up about a half hour prior to start and it seemed good. It was raining and I needed to stay warm, though the rain stopped before the race start. I wanted under 27 minutes which is 8:41, and I told myself before the race I was aiming for 8:41, though in the back of my mind there was the issue with my leg feeling a little weird recently, and also some of my training runs being sloggy with my allergies.
Larger 5k and started in a pack. Took me a little while to work my way out, but not too bad. Pace going out felt fast, and I knew it needed to in order to hit my target. So I held the faster pace because I thought it might be about right. Was feeling it primarily in my shoulders, oddly enough. Got to 1 mile marker and gun time was exactly 8:41. Damn. I was really pleased at how precisely I hit my mark. Well, according to my Timex it was actually 8:33 because I didn't start at the front of the pack. But still.
So then my focus became holding steady, because I knew I had what I needed, and maybe a little something extra. I tried to key on other people holding a similar, steady pace. I passed some people. At mile 2 I was 17:04 (my watch) or 8:31 pace. Great.
At this point my focus became holding on. I knew I had it, but I felt very winded and was definitely sucking in air, fighting it. My legs were completely fine; aerobic fitness was the limiting factor here. Again I keyed on other people and tried to pace myself with them. I passed some more people. It felt like I slowed maybe a little, though not much (and when I got my time it became apparently I actually sped up). I was good until right at the end, when I had nothing left for a sprint and a couple folks passed me. But I was okay with that because I knew it meant I had already given all I had, plus the clock was still sub 26 as the finish line came into sight. No way I could get that, but did nail 26:15 with a slow-ish finish to the line. Yeah, it'd be nice to have a kick, but I'll take knocking 1 min. 15 seconds off my race time over a fast finish any day.
So, let's see: I set an appropriate goal and paced myself well. I was very mentally tough. The last mile was hard but I refused to back off, and it turns out I actually ran a little faster. I am excited about my time but even more excited that it seems like I'm actually learning how to race, both the pacing and the mental aspect.
I also am thinking that I might be able to set more aggressive goals for the end of the year. I wanted to go sub 26 which seems in the bag, barring injuries, given I still have 6 racing months left and only need 16 seconds--and my mileage still isn't all that high. Now I'm thinking sub 25 might be the better goal. That would probably be for the fall racing season, but with six more months of running, and a mileage build up, I think I could do it. Which would have me well positioned to go after my old times for next year.
Anyway, awesome. This morning I wasn't feeling so motivated to do the race, and now I'm thrilled I did. And I have new motivation in my training, because it sure seems like good times are ahead. :)