Race Recap: Sweethearts 5k

Race Morning Recap

I felt great the morning of the race, and really felt like it could be a PR kind of day (my last PR was 28:00, set on Veteran’s Day in Ohio), despite the fact that it was only 25 degrees.

My husband planned to run this race with me, since it was a Valentine’s race after all. He pretty much runs in circles around me when I’m giving my best effort which is SUPER frustrating, but I appreciate that he runs with me so we can spend more time together. He doesn’t really like running, yet he has a hard time sitting on the sidelines waiting for me to finish.

The race was in the same location as the Thanksgiving 10k I ran a few months ago, so we were familiar with the area. We arrived, picked up our packets, and headed back to the car to keep warm. About 30 minutes prior to the race start, we jogged around the block and did some stretching to warm-up but tried to keep from sweating so we wouldn’t get cold. I made a final bathroom stop and we headed back to the car (which was super close to the starting area) to stay warm in the final 15 minutes. 5 minutes prior to the start, we shed our warm layers and headed out to the starting chute.

Race Start

The beginning of the race was a total cluster, with everyone trying to shoot out too fast. I forced myself to run slow on purpose, because I’ve made the mistake of starting too fast before.

My goal pace for the race was 9:00, because a 9:04 average pace would tie my last PR. I figured if I could hit 9:00 average, then I would definitely PR this race.

After the first half mile, MapMyRun told me the bad news, the first split was a 9:48 pace.

Time to pick it up. I focused on keeping my effort light while churning my cadence quicker. The second split was quicker, just under 9 minutes, but my average was still at 9:15…too slow for a PR.

Mid Course

From there, I focused on keeping my effort just under the 9 minute pace, hoping I could make up for my lost 20 seconds at the beginning of the race. I held it for a little while, but I got a nasty side stitch and slowed to around a 9:15 pace while I focused on breathing through the cramp.

I passed SO MANY PEOPLE between the 0.50 mile mark and the 2 mile mark.

At the 2 mile mark, my side stitch had subsided, and I made a quick stop to pull a rock out of my shoe. The rock had lodged itself right on top of my heel. Grr…

Final Stretch

After we passed the 2 mile mark, I told my husband to run ahead and get some pictures of me in action. The whole run up until this point had been a moderate jog for him, so he easily took off ahead of me.

I focused on holding my pace and keeping my cadence quick.

When I rounded the corner and hit the 3 mile mark, I knew I had to kick it down with all I had. It was going to be really close if I was going to make this race a PR.

I was actually surprised at how easily I was able to kick down my pace and sprint out the last 0.1 miles, since I had previously thought I was dying. I’m pretty sure I passed at least 7 people before the finish line.