Happy Sunday! I hope everyone had an awesome week. I switched things up this week and instead of doing a long run, I did a 5k time trial! It was fun to do something different, and definitely a learning experience. But first… I’m linking with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown! I’m going to be brief in the first part of this, so we can get to the fun stuff later in the week.
Monday
Day off, always.
Tuesday
Easy four mile run, followed by pull-ups.
Wednesday
Five mile run with two miles at tempo pace, and I’m still trying to figure out what that is. I’m just starting to add in some speed work, which I’ll be talking about later on…
Thursday
Lower body strength. I focused on single leg activities like Runner’s Touch, single leg squats, calf raises and side planks.
Friday
Easy four mile run, followed by Gauntlet Plank workout.
Saturday
Three very creaky miles. Everything felt achy and I thought “How am I going to run a time trial tomorrow???” I hoped it would be like a theater performance, where I bad dress rehearsal means a good opening night. Followed this with pushups- my “ten down” routine which equals out to 55.
Saturday Night
Here’s where things got fun! There’s a SLIGHT chance that going out to World of Beer the night before my 5k time trial wasn’t a great idea… but my husband and I and another couple wanted to go out to celebrate the fact that we’re all fully vaccinated, and this was the night that worked best for everyone’s schedules. I didn’t want to be a wet blanket and say “I have to be very careful about what I eat and drink because I’m running a race tomorrow… well, not an actual race… I’m going to run as fast as I can and then write about it on my blog…” No. I just went out like a normal person and enjoyed myself. It was the first time I had been to a restaurant since the pandemic started, and it was amazing.
Sunday
Oof. Started out a little fuzzy, but drank a large glass of water with electrolytes (note to self: next time, do this the night before.) I got outside and did a two mile warmup. I actually felt okay- the electrolytes must have done their job. Then I did some drills and strides, and was ready for my 5k.
A note about pacing. I haven’t run a race since the pandemic started, had an injury in September and have hardly done any speed work. I actually have some experience with this situation, and the last couple times I ran a race with no speed work after coming back from injury, my mile pace was 8:40. I’m kind of mad this is actually a category in my life, but it is what it is. You have to know where you’re starting from or you’ll never get anywhere. So my vague, hopeful pace was around 8:40.
WELL. It turns out that was a GREAT pace… for two miles. I tried to find that 5k pace where it’s painful, yet sustainable but when I started the third mile I started to feel awful. I seriously wanted to stop. I had to remind myself that it was a 5k- if I were running a live race would I really want to DNF a 5k? Or walk it in? I knew I slowed down, but forced myself to keep pushing as much as I could. I didn’t allow myself to check my pace, because I was afraid I would be so discouraged (I felt like it must be around 9:30 at that point) that I would just stop. I just kept pushing to the next telephone pole, then the next, and then next… and finally my watch beeped 3.1.
I still wasn’t ready to look at the time- I just turned it off, and when I stopped wheezing I ran a slow cool down mile. The pace for my cool down was 11:42- that’s how wasted I was.
When I got home I finally screwed up my courage and checked my pace. The first thing I saw was my average pace- 8:47. NO. WAY. How could my average pace be 8:47 when my last mile was so slow? Then I checked my splits- first mile 8:37 (excellent.) Second mile 8:49 (hey! I didn’t know I slowed down there) and third mile… 8:55. Really??? I though it was much, much slower. Now I’m kind of mad I didn’t check my watch during that last mile- instead of discouraging me, it might have encouraged me to speed up a little. Physically I was exhausted, but our minds are so powerful.
My takeaway from this was: NEVER, EVER, GIVE UP. Sure- 8:47 isn’t what I set out to do, and it’s slower than my usual coming-back-from-injury pace, but I was so close to stopping in that last mile. At the end of the day, 8:47 is something to feel good about- quitting before the end would have felt terrible. And hey, the first two numbers are right- let’s just say I ran 8:4x and call it a day, ha ha.
This time trial got me really excited to race again! Where else can you experience exhilaration, dejection, redemption, and learn great life lessons, all in the course of half an hour? I’m going to do some speed work and sign up for a July 4th 5k. And this time I won’t spend the evening before at World of Beer- that might help.
Did you race this weekend? Do you have one coming up?
Have you ever given up during a race and regretted it?
33 Responses
I have no doubt that you’ll be picking up speed from here (and me — I could never race at that pace, period, maybe for one mile? Definitely not now).
That pretzel . . .
I still haven’t eaten in a restaurant and not sure when I will!
It was weird, I didn’t miss eating in restaurants for the longest time, and then suddenly I felt like it again.
i appreciate your faith in me, Judy! If I can just keep myself from being injured, I’ll definitely pick up my speed. But unfortunately that seems to be a big “if” lately.
ha I guess carb loading with pretzels and beer should now be your go to! Nice job out there. I am terrible at pacing for a 5K and that is why I rarely do them, Way to go!
Thanks Deborah! I do think I might skip the beer next time, ha ha.
Oh, that pretzel!!!!!! There’s a reason I don’t like speedwork, and it’s because the numbers mess with my head too much. I don’t get inspired or motivated to push faster…I tend to get discouraged. And, I remind myself (in those uncomfortable moments LOL) that I’m not an Olympian nor am I getting paid to run xx:xx pace, so why put myself through it? Of course, it’s ALWAYS exciting to be surprised with a faster-than-expected finish time. Also, for myself, it’s difficult to read my watch while in motion (especially if I’m running faster than normal). I’d rather just run and then check my time after I finish because I doubt I’d be able to make up for the miscellaneous mili-seconds I’d lose by scrutinizing the numbers anyways. At least that’s what I tell myself 😉
That’s a valid point- it is hard to read the numbers on your watch when you’re running fast(ish.) And there are lots of ways to get faster- like running lots of stairs for example 🙂
Well, the pretzel and the beers could be considered carb loading, right? When I was training for one of my marathons, my coach had me do 3mile repeats. I made them into 5ks and they really helped me work on pacing consistently. Someone mentioned that I don’t do speedwork, but essentially, my Friday runs are 2 3 mile repeats, because I stop halfway to take pictures. I try really hard on those runs to push my pace but to stay consistent. So see, there is a method to my madness, lol….
I also have RBF in my selfies–I guess I’m just too intense when I’m running, lol
Ha ha, that was ME who mentioned that you don’t do speedwork. Shows how much I know. And there are obviously ways to do speedwork that don’t involve going to the track. Regularly doing 3 mile repeats would help a lot- you always get better at things you practice consistently.
I bet that pretzel was good! I’m glad that you enjoyed a night out with friends. I bet it’s nice to have a “normal” night out again – one of the best things about being vaccinated! I’m looking forward to my first night out – just waiting on a few of my friends to be fully vaccinated before making that happen.
Speedwork is so hard, especially for a 5K. I have never successfully paced myself for a 5K, lol.
Most people seem to feel that 5ks are hard! It’s just a tricky distance to get right.
I hope you get a chance to go out soon- we all deserve a reward these days!
Oh wow that pretzel brings back memories of when I was in Berlin for the marathon. We had our share of “brezels” and they were so good. I’m thinking you carbed up well for the 5k time trial! Great job!
Yes, one thing I was not low on was carbs. And also- I was in Germany for a while working at one point, and I consumed way more than my fair share of pretzels. And beer.
Nice job on the 5k! It’s really hard to push yourself in a virtual race, so I think it counts more than a “real” one. I used to be really good about not going out too fast in 5ks, but last year when I did virtual racing I was just about dead and totally ready to give up at about 2.5 miles…of course I didn’t but I sure WANTED to.
Yep, that was me! I think my next race will be live, so we’ll see if it goes better!
My hubby and I celebrated with indoor dining too once we were both vaccinated.
Nice job on the time trial. I’d be thrilled with that pace.
I have really slowed way down. I have areal 5k next wekend. I hope my ego can handle it lol
Yes, Darlene- the 5k is definitely a humbling experience! Maybe you’ll do better than you think- remember not to give up in that last mile!
Getting vaccinated is a great reason to celebrate! My son will get his first shot tomorrow, so that will be all of our family with at least one dose. My husband is looking forward to the day he is going to “throw his masks in a fire”. LOL!! Good for you for keeping at your 5K. You just never know! I just turned down a summer coaching gig for 5K training. I know I could run the race pace, but training for it- with a bunch of speedy track workouts – nope!!
Yeah, those 5k workouts are HARD. I can see why you turned that gig down!
My daughter is getting her first dose of Pfizer on Friday, and then our family also will be completed with at least one dose (my husband, son and I have all had two!) We actually have a firepit in out backyard and I know where our masks are going to go- although we’ll hang onto them for just a bit longer.
So glad you could get out and celebrate with friends! The beer festival sounds so fun and that pretzel might have actually been a good way to carb up for the race! Congratulations on a faster than expected finish time!
It’s hard sometimes to juggle training and maintaining a social life, so good for you for just going with the flow. I love it! And look, both events (the festival and the race!) turned out pretty well!
Ha, yes both things went well. I mean, well enough- like I said, I wouldn’t go out like that before a big race or anything. There are better ways to get carbs! Although maybe those ways are not as fun.
How fun to be out with friends! And, it looks like that pretzel and beer was some good carb-loading 😉 Nice work with your time trial!
Ha ha, yes, that’s exactly what I intended- carb loading!
We had our first “date night” since the pandemic. We ate outside, but it was a lovely evening for that anyway.
Good going on the 5K time trial. I think the 5k distance is really hard for reasons you touched on. You have to be willing to make it hurt to be impressed with yourself. 😉
Yay Coco, I’m glad you had a date! At first it felt weird to be out without a mask, but then I forgot all about it and it felt completely normal.
Oh that pretzel! Yum! We were promised a pretzel at the end of the Reykjavik Marathon and I ran the whole thing with something like that in mind (ooh the cubes of salt!) then I was presented with a limp roll which I ate a bite out of and dropped, to join all the other one-bite-then-dropped bits in the gutter. Anyway, well done on the time trial!!
Ha ha, that’s cruel! I can totally imagine the disappointment. There’s no substitute for a pretzel. Although maybe the Icelandic word for “limp roll” is actually “pretzel.”
You. Are.Amazing!
I’m so proud of you. And it’s only going to get better from here. You rock!
(I’m also you got to get out, as well. That must have felt great!)
Thanks Jenn! I’ll definitely be calling on you next time I need a pep talk!
Not looking at your watch may have also been the saving grace! what if you’d looked at it only to feel more discouraged about the speed??? And hey maybe going out the night before was a good thing ;-). haha! in any case I’m really glad it gave you a good feeling in the end and hopefully there are some live races in your near future!
Thanks Renee! I think not looking at my watch was a good thing… not so sure about going out the night before, ha ha.
Congrats! 5ks races are fun but still hard. I did one race after training for weeks. I did great but not a PR but still proud of how I did.
Pretzels and beer are amazing! Yum
Pretzels and beer=fun. 5k races=hard. Maybe they should always be paired together to even things out!