Donkey Dash 5k 2012 race report.
After we got back from Mont-Tremblant, we met up with Coach Jamie to discuss What's Next. In Matt's case it was obvious.. begin the process of training for Bandera 100k, which he'd use to determine if he was going to do the Leadville 100 next year. My plans were a little more nebulous: job 1 was to support Matt in his Leadville quest. But while doing that, I also intended to do some of my own training, and perhaps do a few of his training races, as well. So I threw out some ideas, mostly trail runs and longer races. And Jamie said, "What about some shorter stuff, as well? Maybe a 5k or 10k?"
Ugh. I hate running a 5k. I have way, way more confidence in my ability to pull off a well-executed Ironman than to run a 5k in a manner with which I'm satisfied. That's probably why I've done so few 5ks in the last few years. In fact, I was pretty sure that the last one I did was the Moonlight Margarita 5k in 2007, and that my PR was the 26:07 (8:22/mile) I ran there. Turns out I was completely blocking out the memory of my real PR, 25:54 (8:20/mi) at the horrible 2009 Marathon Relay.
Since then I've run faster paces at triathlons where the run was 2 miles or 3 miles or 3.2 miles, but no actual 5k distances in events, triathlon or standalone. And I also ran 2 timed 5k runs as training runs, when it was in the mid 90s and I ran an unofficial 5k PR of 23:58 (7:42/mile).
So that's what I was trying to beat. And after accidentally rereading my Marathon Relay race report, I had it in my head that it was possible I was going to go out there and run 10 minute miles. And my training since Kerrville has been mostly recovery, with very little actual training, so I felt flabby and out of shape. I even apologized to Matt in advance in case I was unhappy with my time. But on race morning I shook it all off and just went out to do what I was capable of doing that day.
The weather thankfully cooperated, and it was a dry 58 degrees at the start, with overcast skies. I could have done with colder, but it sure beat the hell out of the muggy, warm weather from the past 2 years, and gave me one less potential excuse to fall back on.
Matt ran with Hilda, who achieved a shepherd PR in her first 5k. (Photo by Henry Hobbs.)
I lined up very near the front, because it was a small race, and because it was obvious that there were some people just out to run/walk for fun, and I didn't want to get stuck behind them. Logan played the national anthem, and it cut out right at the end, so the runners all provided a heart-felt "... and the home of the brave" to finish it out. Probably my favorite part of the race. And then it was Go time.
I have no idea how to run a 5k. I'm very good at starting out conservative and sustainable and building into it. That's great for marathons and half marathons. It won't fly in a 5k. You have to start fast and build into faster. But you can't start too fast. It's an art. An art I know nothing about. So Jamie said to start "floating". Fast but not killing myself. I tried to do that.
I was immediately breathing hard, but I knew I could run faster than I was. I tried not to force it, just "float". Not sure how successful I was, especially given it was also a dog-themed race, and some of the dogs out there weren't very good at running in a straight line, so I had to do some dodging.
I skipped the aid station the first time I passed it, even though I felt very thirsty. I wasn't sure I could drink while pushing myself that hard. Sounded like a recipe for choking. As I passed the mile 1 marker, I split my watch and looked at the split. I'm not sure I would have looked if Jamie hadn't said I should. He said I should look, but not freak out if it was faster than I expected it to be. To just accept it and try to build into faster from there.
It was a 7:10. Crap. Now.. 7:10 is great. I mean, I would never, ever, ever be disappointed by a 7:10. But now I have to build? But I didn't freak out. I just tried to keep my turnover high.
And then there was the hill that Jamie had warned me about. Muscled my way up that, and then was back to the aid station. This time, even though I wasn't sure how it would work out, I decided to get water, because all the heavy breathing I was doing was really drying me out. I managed to pinch the cup, pour some water in the corner of my mouth, dump the rest on my neck, and swallow without choking. Yay!
I was getting tired. Which really just felt ridiculous, because I'd been running for like 13 minutes, and .. seriously, tired after 13 minutes? I tried not to think about how far I had left to run, since I hadn't yet gotten to the mile 2 marker, and then I laughed at myself for thinking that what I had left was far.
At the mile 2 marker, I split again. Uhoh. 7:20. But there was that hill, so it's logical it would be slower. I just needed to pick things up for the last mile. David passed me somewhere around here, and I tried to hang close to him, but he very steadily pulled out of my view.
I tried again to pick things up. My legs were having none of it. I couldn't believe how uncooperative my legs were being, when I was only asking them to run 3 miles. Legs are jerks. Meanwhile my brain has latched onto the freakin' Star Spangled Banner as the song it wants to sing. That's just not a good motivational fast running song. I kept demanding it use Cake's The Distance instead, but it kept drifting back to patriotism.
Just after mile 2, we ran past the parking lot leading back to the finish line, and did an out and back. I was hoping to see the very frontrunners coming back in, but I'd just missed seeing who was racing for the win. It was an uphill to the turnaround, and it took forever to be able to see where the turnaround was, but I just tried to keep my legs moving. I felt like I was running through molasses. I told my legs to move faster, and they completely ignored me. I really didn't want to ruin this great run I was having by completely falling apart on the 3rd mile.
Fortunately at the turnaround, it was all downhill back to the finish line. I felt like I had no power in my legs, but somehow I made it back to the parking lot, and made the final turn. I gave it all I had left, then tried to find yet another level when I hit the mile 3 marker. I split at the mile 3 sign and saw 7:29. Ugh! I used that to motivate me to pick up my uncooperative feet and drag myself across the finish line as fast as I could. And then I was done.
Time to beat: 23:58 (7:42/mile)
Time I ran: 22:46 (7:20/mile, though results say 7:18/mile, and I like that better)
A new PR! And was it as bad as I had built it up in my mind? YES. I still hate 5ks. :)
Fortunately I'm very happy with this time, which is a rare and very nice feeling, so this should tide me over for several years until I've gotten faster enough that I'm confident I can beat this time with this same amount of effort. And maybe finally some day run my first sub-7-minute mile?
I hadn't seen a whole ton of women during mile 3 as I was going out and people were coming back in on the other side, so I crossed my fingers and went to look at the results, and I was 3rd in my age group! However, I was also 9th woman overall (out of 115 woman), so I checked the two women ahead of me in my age group, and one of them was also 3rd woman overall, which means she was pulled out of the age group results, and I was 2nd in my age group (of the 16 women in my age group)!
I got a mug and a coupon for 2 free beers! (Photo by Henry Hobbs.)
So overall, a very satisfying ending to a thing I was dreading completely. And now I'm very, very much looking forward to runs longer than 45 minutes and being able to eat in the manner to which I've become accustomed, because I'm burning so many calories.
Ugh. I hate running a 5k. I have way, way more confidence in my ability to pull off a well-executed Ironman than to run a 5k in a manner with which I'm satisfied. That's probably why I've done so few 5ks in the last few years. In fact, I was pretty sure that the last one I did was the Moonlight Margarita 5k in 2007, and that my PR was the 26:07 (8:22/mile) I ran there. Turns out I was completely blocking out the memory of my real PR, 25:54 (8:20/mi) at the horrible 2009 Marathon Relay.
Since then I've run faster paces at triathlons where the run was 2 miles or 3 miles or 3.2 miles, but no actual 5k distances in events, triathlon or standalone. And I also ran 2 timed 5k runs as training runs, when it was in the mid 90s and I ran an unofficial 5k PR of 23:58 (7:42/mile).
So that's what I was trying to beat. And after accidentally rereading my Marathon Relay race report, I had it in my head that it was possible I was going to go out there and run 10 minute miles. And my training since Kerrville has been mostly recovery, with very little actual training, so I felt flabby and out of shape. I even apologized to Matt in advance in case I was unhappy with my time. But on race morning I shook it all off and just went out to do what I was capable of doing that day.
The weather thankfully cooperated, and it was a dry 58 degrees at the start, with overcast skies. I could have done with colder, but it sure beat the hell out of the muggy, warm weather from the past 2 years, and gave me one less potential excuse to fall back on.
Matt ran with Hilda, who achieved a shepherd PR in her first 5k. (Photo by Henry Hobbs.)
I lined up very near the front, because it was a small race, and because it was obvious that there were some people just out to run/walk for fun, and I didn't want to get stuck behind them. Logan played the national anthem, and it cut out right at the end, so the runners all provided a heart-felt "... and the home of the brave" to finish it out. Probably my favorite part of the race. And then it was Go time.
I have no idea how to run a 5k. I'm very good at starting out conservative and sustainable and building into it. That's great for marathons and half marathons. It won't fly in a 5k. You have to start fast and build into faster. But you can't start too fast. It's an art. An art I know nothing about. So Jamie said to start "floating". Fast but not killing myself. I tried to do that.
I was immediately breathing hard, but I knew I could run faster than I was. I tried not to force it, just "float". Not sure how successful I was, especially given it was also a dog-themed race, and some of the dogs out there weren't very good at running in a straight line, so I had to do some dodging.
I skipped the aid station the first time I passed it, even though I felt very thirsty. I wasn't sure I could drink while pushing myself that hard. Sounded like a recipe for choking. As I passed the mile 1 marker, I split my watch and looked at the split. I'm not sure I would have looked if Jamie hadn't said I should. He said I should look, but not freak out if it was faster than I expected it to be. To just accept it and try to build into faster from there.
It was a 7:10. Crap. Now.. 7:10 is great. I mean, I would never, ever, ever be disappointed by a 7:10. But now I have to build? But I didn't freak out. I just tried to keep my turnover high.
And then there was the hill that Jamie had warned me about. Muscled my way up that, and then was back to the aid station. This time, even though I wasn't sure how it would work out, I decided to get water, because all the heavy breathing I was doing was really drying me out. I managed to pinch the cup, pour some water in the corner of my mouth, dump the rest on my neck, and swallow without choking. Yay!
I was getting tired. Which really just felt ridiculous, because I'd been running for like 13 minutes, and .. seriously, tired after 13 minutes? I tried not to think about how far I had left to run, since I hadn't yet gotten to the mile 2 marker, and then I laughed at myself for thinking that what I had left was far.
At the mile 2 marker, I split again. Uhoh. 7:20. But there was that hill, so it's logical it would be slower. I just needed to pick things up for the last mile. David passed me somewhere around here, and I tried to hang close to him, but he very steadily pulled out of my view.
I tried again to pick things up. My legs were having none of it. I couldn't believe how uncooperative my legs were being, when I was only asking them to run 3 miles. Legs are jerks. Meanwhile my brain has latched onto the freakin' Star Spangled Banner as the song it wants to sing. That's just not a good motivational fast running song. I kept demanding it use Cake's The Distance instead, but it kept drifting back to patriotism.
Just after mile 2, we ran past the parking lot leading back to the finish line, and did an out and back. I was hoping to see the very frontrunners coming back in, but I'd just missed seeing who was racing for the win. It was an uphill to the turnaround, and it took forever to be able to see where the turnaround was, but I just tried to keep my legs moving. I felt like I was running through molasses. I told my legs to move faster, and they completely ignored me. I really didn't want to ruin this great run I was having by completely falling apart on the 3rd mile.
Fortunately at the turnaround, it was all downhill back to the finish line. I felt like I had no power in my legs, but somehow I made it back to the parking lot, and made the final turn. I gave it all I had left, then tried to find yet another level when I hit the mile 3 marker. I split at the mile 3 sign and saw 7:29. Ugh! I used that to motivate me to pick up my uncooperative feet and drag myself across the finish line as fast as I could. And then I was done.
Time to beat: 23:58 (7:42/mile)
Time I ran: 22:46 (7:20/mile, though results say 7:18/mile, and I like that better)
A new PR! And was it as bad as I had built it up in my mind? YES. I still hate 5ks. :)
Fortunately I'm very happy with this time, which is a rare and very nice feeling, so this should tide me over for several years until I've gotten faster enough that I'm confident I can beat this time with this same amount of effort. And maybe finally some day run my first sub-7-minute mile?
I hadn't seen a whole ton of women during mile 3 as I was going out and people were coming back in on the other side, so I crossed my fingers and went to look at the results, and I was 3rd in my age group! However, I was also 9th woman overall (out of 115 woman), so I checked the two women ahead of me in my age group, and one of them was also 3rd woman overall, which means she was pulled out of the age group results, and I was 2nd in my age group (of the 16 women in my age group)!
I got a mug and a coupon for 2 free beers! (Photo by Henry Hobbs.)
So overall, a very satisfying ending to a thing I was dreading completely. And now I'm very, very much looking forward to runs longer than 45 minutes and being able to eat in the manner to which I've become accustomed, because I'm burning so many calories.