well this was definitely not the 5k i was hoping it would be, but that’s ok there were still some good things to come out of it.
for whatever reason today my legs didn’t really show up… i could go on with a list of excuses (it was hot, i had to swerve a ton around the 10kers, i didn’t warm up enough, etc…), but whatever, it’s a 5k, i could find another one next weekend if i really wanted, that’s the best part of them.
i decided to run this race without music. it bugged me in the last race and i haven’t been using it at all. i figured since i don’t use it at the track i would be able to dial into my mind easier since i am not used to it. this would be the first time i “raced” without music.
after running a 5k 2 weeks ago i had been told this race was a much faster course… not so many turns, no gravel patches, etc, but then i started hearing things differently from some friends before race… hill in the first mile, etc. i had planned on beating that time of 22:31 without really a problem. i warmed up just under a mile and headed over to watch the 10k start. 5 minutes later it was our turn and i lined up closer to the front than 2 weeks ago to make sure i was crossing the line right when the horn blew.
the race started on a slight uphill, i knew that going into it, but usually at the beginning of a 5k i don’t really have a problem finding my pace. i was working hard and i looked down and was shocked at the pace i saw. i tried to ignore it and just kept running on effort, but the effort felt WAY harder than the pace that was showing on my garmin.
mile 1 – 7:22
finally we were in mile 2 after what felt like a never-ending mile 1. this mile wasn’t that much better except that the hill that was in mile 1 wasn’t there. i still felt like i was working really hard and my pace wasn’t showing it. i had caught up to a bunch of the 10k runners at this point and was having to swerve around them quite a bit. i ended up just staying out on the very right of the cones and running in the middle of the road when i had to.
mile 2 – 7:31 seriously? this is my 10k pace
i didn’t even look at my mile 2 split because i didn’t want to know. i was going back and forth with a guy at this point and then finally i was able to push past him and leave him. i continued to pick people off and was pushing hard. we came around a curve and i knew we would have just over .5 mile to go and i was not feeling great, i just wanted to be done! i was able to keep pushing and climbed up the last little hill before the turn to the finish line.
mile 3 – 7:05 this is where i wanted to be all along!
i saw the finish line and just went for it. finally it was there and i was able to stop running! i was hot and tired and not very excited about the time on the clock.
last .12 (per garmin) – :48 (6:37 avg)
garmin total: 3.12 miles/22:46/7:17 avg pace
i shook it off pretty quickly, went and grabbed my camera and cheered on the rest of the runners with my team and got to see chris come into the finish of the 10k.
we hung around for a while and chatted with our friends and then hit up the awards…. and guess what?!?!
THIRD in my age group!
finally
so even though it was a crappy race and i felt bad the whole time, i still was a happy girl since i got my age group award i have been wanting for so long. i was also the 10th female overall 
5ks happen… fast, there is no time to mess up in them. even though i started out not great, i still finished up that thing very strong and know i have a faster one in me on a different (and colder) day.
happy 4th of july!!!
congrats on the ag award! happy 4th : )
congrats on the award!
Hey well done! Just think of the bling you'll get when it IS your day!
Congrats!! Great race in the end.
congrats! wasn't that one of your goals? the AG award. another one checked off the list.
Very exciting about the AG award, congratulations!!
Wow! Given this wasn't quite the race you'd hoped it would be, you still scored an AG
You'll be climbing up that podium in no time.
AG WINNNNNAHHHH!
congrats!!! happy happy holiday weekend.
congrats on the age group award! u rock girl!
congrats! that's so awesome and exciting
i love picking people off at the end of races, it just makes you feel so hardcore 
Sorry that you didn't have the race you were hoping for, but CONGRATS on the AG award and 10th overall female! You'll have that sub-22:30 SOON!
I would so gladly trade a not-so-good time for an AG award. Just saying… So congrats! Nice last mile negative split there. Woohoo!
Congrats! Maybe not a PR, but a fast race still!
Finally! Hooray! The medal looks great on you. You wear it well.
congrats on the age group award!! that's fantastic!
Well I am sorry that the race didn't go exactly as you planned. Those 5ks can be so tricky. But congrats on the AG award! That is awesome and 10th female! You kicked butt!
CONGRATS on your award! that is so awesome
3rd AG, that rocks! And I bet the heat had a lot to do with your time – I slow down a lot in the heat but feel I am working harder. I wonder if there is a calculator that corrects for temperature. I bet you'd be please with the time you'd get with the correction! So I say, congrats!
Congratulations, Aron!!!
Congrats on the age group award!
woo hoo!! congrats on the ag award, and 10th overall is not shabby at all either!
5k's are heartbreakers. you hurt the whole time and maybe only shave a few seconds off your time, if you are lucky! there have been occaisions where i was more sore after a 5k than a marathon… sad! lol
Yay – that is awesome!! Good job speedy!
congrats on placing! Sorry you were having a rough time at the start, but you finished strong and look very cute with your bling!
Congrats! Way to go. It's amazing how difficult it is to gage your pace by how you feel. Sometimes I feel like I'm not working hard at all and my pace is so much quicker than I had planned – then of course the opposite happens.
I really hate peaking at my Garmin during a race.
For having legs that didn't show up, that's a great time
Congrats on the AG place!
Congratulations, lady!!! I knew you could do it. Can't wait to see what you could do at a 40 degree 5K!!!
I haven't raced a 5K in years and sort of doubt I ever will again. They just hurt SO damn bad and there is no time for messing up. But then again, you're right… You could do another one in a week or two.
congrats on the AG award!
Congrats on the AG award!
Yay AG win!!!
Way to go on the AG award!