Spud Run 5k '10 Race Report

Before I begin, I'm going to ask that you please vote for me in the Recipe Rivalry. I would also appreciate if you passed the word along and got your family and friends to vote as well.

Coming off a rather dissatisfying 5k (only because I knew I was capable of more) the idea of running another 5k greatly appealed to me. I've never run two races so close together, but after talking it over I decided that I didn't feel dead and I should do it. My goal time was 23:28, or a sub 24.

The only obstacles in my way with this race wasn't vehicle issues, but a lack of power due to the storm that blew by the night before. Sucks, but I roll with the fist bumps and don't let it get me down. I did get an amazing 9 hours of sleep since I went to bed at 9 pm, so waking up at 0635 felt great.

Mile 1 - 7.34
ALL MILE SPLITS WERE MARKED. DID YOU HEAR THAT, CHICAGO? (This race was also a fund raiser, so anyone who gets mad at me for ragging on a $40 race with 1,200 entrants, cannot.)

Anyway. I could tell that I started off pretty fast. This race was just as fast as Chicago, but with less people. I wanted to push the pace and hang on as long as possible, so I did without feeling like death.

Mile 2 - 7.54
I drove the course the day before and noted that mile 2 was marked right as it changed over to 2.1. Don't know about the accuracy and I didn't feel as if I slowed down that much, but whatevs.

Mile 3.1 - 8.30
That works out to a 7.43 minute for the last mile, which wasn't fast enough to get my goal time. The only reason I ran a sub-24 was because I really kicked it in at the end, which is always great but I'd rather have more of an insurance with an overall faster pace. I always say that I could have run faster, and I know I can definitely run faster miles, so I wasn't pleased by that aspect of this race. I was happy with my time, all things considered, because I won 1st in my age group again!

Total Time - 23:58

For this mile, though, I felt like an actual competitive racer. I zeroed in on two ladies (who weren't in my AG, actually, but whatever) and decided it made sense to catch up and pass them. I've been in a competitive rut where I refrain from caring if I pass people because I'm "only racing for time", and I couldn't get myself to push during the end of the race. This is one aspect of my racing I'm working on because I really want to race competitively. In order to do this, I need to push beyond my comfort zone and realize that I may feel crappy for only a bit at the end, but that's just what a person has to do if they want to race well.

I've also come to the point where I MUST focus on speed work more than I have been if I want to improve. On the running front I've done well, but my running will greatly benefit by added speed training to increase my foot turnover and smooth out my stride. Not only that, but I need add in some strength training, too.

I'm also really proud of my brother, who snagged 3rd place in his age group with a time of 22:13! Way to go, little bro! This was faster than his time in Chicago (I forget what that was) and the Sunburst. (All his running accomplishments are courtesy of me, who got him started.)

I'm still chasing a 23:23.