So the reason I liked the idea of this race is the fact that I've been to the area so much. My graduation party and a couple birthday parties were close by. I've done photo shoots here and I've played here as a child, so it made perfect sense to run this one.
I decided to really concentrate on nutrition for this race. Maybe it was a little over the top for a 5k race but since I have so many bigger races planned this year I needed to figure out what worked before race day. So I decided to have a couple nice pasta meals for carbs the day before. Followed by a bowl of mashed potatoes before bed the night before. I also made sure to drink water and coconut water all day. Like I said, over the top for a 5k but basically I'm training for bigger things.
Anyway, race morning I had a bowl of oatmeal about an hour and a half before race time. I also drank some coconut water before the race. I felt well hydrated and my goal was to run this without water. I'm a bit of a water hog. I feel like I need to bring water on all my runs, even the smaller runs. It's almost become a bit of a security blanket, so losing it for this one was the plan. Jeff and I got to the race about 40 minutes early, which was good. We just chilled in the truck for a while. My brother had picked up my race packet the day before so I was set to race. 20 minutes to race time I started some warm ups. I ran up and down the block a couple times. I was ready.
I've never felt so ready before in my life. The temperature was on the chilly side. 30 degrees. I've raced in colder, but compared to the weather we've been getting this was cold. However, in a way it was perfect running weather. I decided to move right to the front. There was a small group of runners ahead of me, they were all men. A lot of other runners stayed back a ways. When the gun went off we took off pretty quick. There was a group of 5 or 6 men in front of me. One man took the lead right away. He was quick! The starting area took off down a hill, which was nice, we were all able to get some speed going. I remember looking down at my garmin and seeing 5:30s for pace early on. I knew that was not something I could sustain. It seems like once you get going fast, it's hard to slow down. I ran with another younger runner for the first half a mile and then he slowed up a bit. I was on my own for the rest of it. The leaders seemed so far ahead and there was no one around me. It was weird. I was HOPING I didn't make a wrong turn somewhere.
The race had the runners do two loops around the lagoon. After your first lap, you get a slap bracelet you do your second lap and then you head back to the start finish line. By the time I got my slap bracelet and started my second loop people were starting their first lap. It was a bit weird. I felt like I was being watched by everyone as I ran past and onto the finish. I may have gone out a little to fast but was trying to maintain a pace under 7.
As I ran up toward the finish line a bike cop told me that I could run in the street if I wanted to. He then yelled to every volunteer that we ran by "This is the first lady!!! First lady comin' through!!" It made me laugh a bit. Honestly, whenever I run near bikes, I feel like I need to run faster to keep up. So I guess it was a good thing he was there. He made me run a little faster.
The killer was the final hill. Ha, basically that nice hill we had starting out we had to run up for the finish! UGH! :D So I pushed as hard as I could so I didn't look tired as I got up the hill to the finish line! I finished with a time of 20:32 my fastest 5k ever.... 6:28 - 6:58 - 6:52 were my three splits I'm not sure what the last .10 was because I forgot to stop the garmin.
So this was my first 1st place female win. It was weird. Usually they break it up into age gender awards. I've already won a couple age/gender ones, but never an overall 1st female win. After the race a woman came up to me and shook my hand and tried to have a conversation with me. LOL it was interesting. I got a picture with her and then another man came and photographed me. We hung out for the awards and times to be announced. Hailey, Bella, my mom and Jeff were there. I was stopped by so many people asking about my time, other races, what my pace usually is, etc, etc. It was so new to me. It felt good :D
During the race I felt really good. I tried really hard to pay attention to my pace. I knew that if I went too hard too fast I would die out at the end. Like I said, this was probably the best I've ever felt during a race. My nerves were under control, my tummy felt great, my breathing was fine. Everything worked. I couldn't believe how everything just worked!!!
After, I got the question "What's your normal pace?" ha, not this! This was a PR for me. My fastest 5k time was 23 minutes around a 7:19 pace. 5k distance isn't usual for me. I usually run farther and a bit slower :D Oh well it was a nice change. I'm really starting to see what I'm capable of :D and I LOVE IT!
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