Big Chill 5K - Race Report

Training:
This is probably the first time I've really trained for speed rather than distance, which was new and kind of exciting. I focused on two things: speed and consistency.

This year I've run more than any other year of my life (almost 350 miles), but also suffered from shin splints for the first time. Each time (July and October) I'd reach 10 miles per week, I'd throw in one single interval training session and walk away with sore shins and have to rest for a week or two. This time around, I decided I'd build mileage from scratch, but at a slightly faster speed (10 min/mi instead of 12 min/mi). It's been working well, and I even had two consecutive 10+ mile weeks with no pain. I guess I'll have to stay away from interval workouts for a while, even though they're fun.

In the last few weeks, my best runs were a 2 and 2.2 mile run at 10 min/mi, and a 4 mile run at 11 min/mi, all personal bests in training. I've been hoping for a sub-30 5K as long as I've been running (about 4 years), and really thought I could do it (I once ran a 29:45, but I really don't think the race was a full 5K. It didn't feel right).

Pre-race:
I had asked my boyfriend to pick up my race packet the day before the race, because pick-up was 7-8 AM and the race wasn't until 9 AM. I'll always choose the extra hour of sleep. Unfortunately, they'd lost my registration and he couldn't sign the waiver for me, so it was an early morning anyway. Entry for the race was a toy donation for Toys for Tots, so I hadn't paid yet anyway.

I was worried about getting locked out of the race (already 7,000 registered) so I called and asked...and they said they didn't have a cap on registration. That's good because it meant I would race, but potentially bad for several reasons. Most races cap registration because of limited space, water, or medical support. I prepared to race without any of these things.

Race Day:

I woke up early and ate my usual pre-race fare: an Eggo waffle with a light spread of peanut butter. It was 2 hours before race start, which was perfect.

When I arrived at 7:45 the next morning, I re-registered...but there were no more timing chips left. I was a little cranky about this, because I knew it was a crowded race with a crowded start, and I hoped I'd come close to 30 minutes.

I planned to run with a friend of mine who had run cross country in high school, but hadn't been training lately. She hoped she could keep up with me, and I hoped I could keep up with her.

We lined up a little ways behind the wiry guys in singlets (it was 40 degrees F and drizzly), right around some not-too-skinny women who we matched perfectly.

The race started, but I didn't hear the gun go off. It took a few seconds to get the start line, but I started my GPS tracker as soon as possible.

It was crowded, but for the most part, I didn't have to run too much around people. I had to make a few quick moves to avoid getting cut off, but it wasn't as bad as I expected.

I lost my friend within the first half mile...she pulled ahead. I didn't want to blow myself out early. I really wanted this race. I tuned into the song that was playing in my headphones and focused on keeping a steady effort on the gently rolling hills that I was not expecting.

The official split for my first mile was 9:40, which is right on target for a 30-minute race. Runkeeper (the GPS app on my phone) told me 9:20, so I assumed it was not playing fair.

The hills kept rolling, but I was moving steadily. I slowed down a bit in the second mile, moving steadily but not painfully. Runkeeper split was 9:40.

The last mile started to get painful, but that's about right for a 5K. My legs felt fine, and I realized after the race that I didn't have any problems with my legs, feet, or shins at all. The problem was my lungs. They started to burn as I tried to pick up the pace just a little bit in the last mile. By the last half mile, I had to take off my gloves as I suddenly started burning up.

The end of the course had a lot of turns, so I really didn't know where the end was and I didn't trust the GPS. My lungs were really burning. We made our last turn, and the finish line was not very far away. If I had known how close it was, I could've made my final kick earlier, I think. I kicked it and crossed the finish line with 30:18 on the clock.

My friend had finished around 29, and she claims that it took at least 15 seconds to cross the start line after the gun. According to Runkeeper, I had run 3.18 miles in 30:18, which means we covered some distance before the start line, or I spent too much effort running around people. It also said I completed 3.11 miles (5K) in 29:49.

So, if you squint, I kind of got a sub-30 5K. I don't feel good about it, though. My next chance is a 5K in early February, but by then, I hope to have loftier goals like 29 or 28. In fact, I think I'm going to do my own unofficial sub-30 5K, maybe in celebration of New Years'.