Alternative title: The PR that wasn't.
When I first met with Coach Britt a few weeks ago, we talked my goal races. The
Jim Gibbons was on my radar as well as the
RNR Chicago Half Marathon. Throughout my training, although I had 2 goals, my mental focus remained on my half marathon. When the Jim Gibbons race was approaching I thought a PR would come "easy" based on my training. Note: No 5k PR is ever easy.
Race day came and since the start was at 6:25pm, I had all day to be nervous about the weather, the course, and other things one is worried about during a 5k. After work was over (which felt like forever), I headed over to the blogger meet up spot with
Amanda and
Maggie. At the meet up spot,
Lauren and
Britt came out to cheer us on even though they weren't running the race. What fun blogger friends that just come out to watch you run! :)
After the photo we headed towards the start. I did a few quick warm up laps behind the porta potties with Maggie before the race to try to get the heartbeat going. When the gun went off I was really focused on not going out too fast. The plan was to keep the first mile at 7:20. When my Garmin hit 1 mile, I was right on Target. At mile 2 I decided to pick it up. That probably wasn't the best idea and I probably should have tried to keep it around 7:20. I saw Britt at the turnaround which was really motivating. I waved and she snapped a pic of me going by.
I really like this photo. I feel I look how I felt at this point--strong and fast. My mile 2 split was 7:15. I continued to pass people that had originally flew past me in the beginning so that felt good, but I felt myself slowing down. I had my watch on average pace (not lap pace) so I don't think I really realized how slow I was going. I thought I had this PR in the bag. When I got towards the end and saw the clock, I thought there had to be a mistake. My average pace on my Garmin was equating to a PR?! I tried to kick it out at the end, but it was too late. Mile 3 was clocked at 7:32. As we all know, Garmins are not an exact tool. The reason why I thought I had a PR was that my average pace was below my PR pace. The distance on my watch was 3.14 which probably accounted for the weaving and wide course lanes. (Note: I should pay closer attention to tangents in 5ks.) My final official time was 23:02. Not a PR but close. Special thanks to Lauren who was near the finish line, cheering us through the final stretch.
The more I think about the race, I can't be disappointed in myself. I gave it a good try and it just wasn't my day. This wasn't my race (this time). That is the great thing about 5ks, there will always be more. I know I have a PR in these legs... Now it is time to refocus my energy and mentality into the RNR Half Marathon. The more I think about it, I feel this is where my heart has been all along. RNR, I'm coming for you!
The race course itself was a nice out and back. There was some gravel so it seemed a bit dusty the first mile when the super speedy folks were literally leaving u's in their dust. I loved that they had race-day packet pickup so I didn't have to stress about trying to get to whatever random downtown location days before the race. They changed the shirts this year to offer a dryfit gender specific option, but the shirts were kind of boxy and not very fitted/flattering. They were still better than a unisex shirt though. 1 post-race beer was included with our entry and we had a choice of Summer Shandy or Miller Lite. Hello Summer Shandy! To me, it was the obvious choice. They had a live band playing some fun tunes and some folks even brought a blanket to sit and hang out for awhile. It was a fun race and definitely family friendly. I continue to recommend this race as I think it is well run, well organized, and for a good cause.
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Hanging out with the FNRC post-race
L to R: Me, Amanda, Wayne, Susan, Tony, Maggie |
Now it is time to have some fun at the Warrior Dash this weekend! :) I'm ready to get covered in mud on a 90 degree day.