Race Report: GW Parkway classic
Well - this should be a short report. I attempted to run the GW Parkway Classic 5K this morning, but pulled up a bit after the first mile marker due to breathing problems from pollen. Conditions at the start were 75 degrees, bright sunshine, and a pollen count of 11.5 out of a possible 12.
I really shouldn't have tried to run this race.
-I considered dropping out earlier this week, to give my achilles tendonitis and my calf strain a bit more time to heal, but decided to see how I felt on race day.
-I considered dropping out last night when I saw the temperatures would be in the 70s (higher than I like to race), but decided to see how I'd feel in the morning.
-I considered dropping out this morning when I felt headachy and crappy upon waking up, but decided to push on.
-I really considered dropping out when I arrived in Alexandria at 6:30 am (race start at 8:00 am), only to spend the next HOUR finding parking (it was complete gridlock).
-As I stood at the starting line (after an inadequate warm-up, due to taking so long to park), I found myself unable to breathe out of my nose, and could feel the gunk accumulating in my lungs. I considered dropping out then, but decided to at least start the race. Who chickens out at the start line?
I hit my ideal pace at the start, and held it even as my breathing problems became more labored. I passed the first mile marker in 6:17, but felt my throat starting to close up, the same way it had during the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. Since it was so early in the race, I decided to pull up. I really hated doing this, but I decided it just didn't make sense to push it in these conditions. Especially when I'm still recovering from my tendonitis. And especially when I've got a 5K scheduled for next week in better weather. Better to DNF voluntarily than to DNF involuntarily.
Good news is, save for the breathing issues, the 6:17 mile felt very easy, giving me confidence for next week's race.
I really shouldn't have tried to run this race.
-I considered dropping out earlier this week, to give my achilles tendonitis and my calf strain a bit more time to heal, but decided to see how I felt on race day.
-I considered dropping out last night when I saw the temperatures would be in the 70s (higher than I like to race), but decided to see how I'd feel in the morning.
-I considered dropping out this morning when I felt headachy and crappy upon waking up, but decided to push on.
-I really considered dropping out when I arrived in Alexandria at 6:30 am (race start at 8:00 am), only to spend the next HOUR finding parking (it was complete gridlock).
-As I stood at the starting line (after an inadequate warm-up, due to taking so long to park), I found myself unable to breathe out of my nose, and could feel the gunk accumulating in my lungs. I considered dropping out then, but decided to at least start the race. Who chickens out at the start line?
I hit my ideal pace at the start, and held it even as my breathing problems became more labored. I passed the first mile marker in 6:17, but felt my throat starting to close up, the same way it had during the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. Since it was so early in the race, I decided to pull up. I really hated doing this, but I decided it just didn't make sense to push it in these conditions. Especially when I'm still recovering from my tendonitis. And especially when I've got a 5K scheduled for next week in better weather. Better to DNF voluntarily than to DNF involuntarily.
Good news is, save for the breathing issues, the 6:17 mile felt very easy, giving me confidence for next week's race.