Merry Christmas Mile & "5K"!

Few things are more intimidating than racing a hard 5K, but racing a hard mile is one of those things!  I entered my local Christmas mile and 5K events because I needed one more short race for my running club's 2016 Runner of the Year (ROTY) program.  It was the same price to run both races - only $20! - so it also seemed like a crime not to do both.  Since the courses weren't certified, I knew there was a good chance they would be off, and that if I managed a 5K PR it wouldn't officially count.  I hoped that at least one race distance would be close enough to count for ROTY, and I decided to chance it since I couldn't find any certified races closer than a 1.5 hour drive or really justify driving anywhere to run a 5K (after justifying going to Arizona twice this winter, I am justified out!).

As race day drew closer, the forecast got colder and colder, so in the end I never got intimidated by trying to run these short races fast, because I was instead intimidated by running them in super cold temperatures!  Since I expected my performance to decline in the cold, the races became more about just getting them in to get my final required ROTY races combination.

Luckily, race morning wasn't as cold as forecasted, but it was 26 degrees with a wind chill of 18.  I donned a red long sleeve shirt and tights, and Jon questioned if I was actually racing "in that?!", as I very rarely race in tights (I can think of only one other time that I have as an adult, when it was 12 degrees at the 2008 Gobbler Grind).  I just didn't want to be cold!  If it had been a half or full marathon I would've worn shorts and a short sleeve shirt with arm warmers that I could shed, but I figured I wouldn't be running long enough to ever get hot (spoiler alert - I was wrong!).  I also wore Christmas compression socks over my tights to be more festive, and fleece mittens (also a headband to warm-up and between the races, but it ended up around my neck during the races).  For once in winter I was not the person wearing the least clothing on the starting line!

Christmas Mile Ambassadors!

I ran a 3 mile warm-up with about 4 minutes uptempo (6:15ish), and arrived at the starting line of the mile with 8 minutes to spare.  This was perfect timing since I didn't want to be standing around in the cold!  I did leg swings, drills, and strides, and was ready to go!  However, at 8:00 a.m. when the race was supposed to start, there were a lot of runners still making their way to the starting line.  It was a point-to-point course, with parking, registration, and indoor facilities by the finish line, and without the best communication about where the starting line was.  So the starter waited on them.  Then there was another group in sight and we waited some more.  I kept jogging back and forth around the starting area to stay loose and warm, and I also asked the starter if the 5K was still going to start at 8:30 or if it would be pushed back, because at the rate we were going, I was going to have to finish the mile then hightail it to the 5K start, which was in a third location.  He told us they would "probably" push the 5K start time back, and that we also needed to pick up another chip if we were doing the 5K in addition to the mile.  Uncertainty and last-minute stuff is not my forte, so all of this messed with me, but in effect also kept me from worrying about the pain of racing a mile.

The mile finally got started around 8:15 a.m.  Too bad I didn't keep my Garmin running to count that extra mileage I ran while waiting, haha!  I didn't expect too much because of the cold and because the point-to-point course was into a headwind for about 0.8 (also because I wasn't sure if I could run a mile any faster than 5K pace anyhow!); I told Jon to expect me 5:50ish.  At the gun, several men got out fast, and I was in lead female position from the gate.  I was pretty much in throw-down mode from the gun, because, well, it was a mile.  Initially there were about 10 men ahead of me, and a few I passed within the first 200 meters, and then I spent most of the race picking off one after another until I was in second overall when we turned out of the wind with about 0.2 to go.  The man in first was significantly ahead of me (20 seconds in the end), and I'd picked him at the start to be fast because he'd been doing drills and strides and also wearing a Drury singlet.

I hammered the final stretch with all I had, having no idea where I was at because I didn't look at my watch because, well, it was a mile and pretty much just all out the whole way!  In hindsight, I wish I'd set my Garmin to autolap every 0.25 so I could see how even I paced, though.  The finishing clock wasn't working (luckily the chip timing was!), so while cheering for me Jon yelled, "They couldn't get the clock to work!".  He didn't want me to expend energy trying to decode the random numbers it was flashing, but it made me laugh.  I had my Garmin going but I ran through the finish without stopping it because, well, it was a mile, and then I couldn't get it stopped immediately after because I had on mittens.  It did say 1.00 on the nose though!  I went around to the timing table to see my official time on their screen, which was 5:34.  With the cold temperature and headwind, I was pleased with this time.  Had it been 45 degrees, I would have really wanted to be in the 5:20's, but this was definitely better than my 5:50 prediction, my best mile as an adult, and I think my fastest road mile since all of my faster times in high school were run on the track (I think).

The cold & non-working clock really messed with Jon's finish photo precision

After I finished the mile, I got my chip for the 5K, which took longer than expected.  Then I ran inside to the bathroom, then back out to where I thought the 5K started, only to find out it started elsewhere.  So then I ran to the other side of the building, also helping other runners find the 5K start.  I had planned to keep running between the races to stay warmed up, but I didn't like feeling scattered with not knowing where I was going (however, again it distracted me from worry about the pain of racing a 5K).  I found the 5K start and the starter acted like they were about to start it, then said we were going to wait because some people needed their chips still.  At packet pick up they only gave out the 1 mile chips I guess.  So I again jogged back and forth around the area while they called out all of the names of people who needed another chip.  I also talked to the guy who had won the mile, and he asked me what I was planning to run the 5K in and said he was also going to be close to 6:00 pace.  This time I kept my Garmin going while I was jogging around to count my mileage for the day!

At 8:43 a.m. they were ready to start the 5K.  The race director made some announcements noting where the course ran, to be cautious when turning into the neighborhood on the narrow sidewalk between a tree and a brick planter, and that, oh, the 5K course was long.  This irked me because he knew it was long, and based on where we were starting it would have been really easy to move the starting line up however far was needed to make it correct.  There was not a starting line chip mat even; it would have been as easy as moving two cones!  I was glad that the mile had been accurate to use for ROTY.  But, what could I do at that point except for make the race of an unknown 5Kish distance into a good workout?

We took off, and after things got sorted out I was in second overall, behind the Drury singlet man who had won the mile.  He started out faster than me, but then I was pretty steady in my distance behind him - about 10-15 seconds.  I wasn't getting closer, but he wasn't pulling away.  I went through my first mile, which had a long but minor incline, in 6:00 per my Garmin (there were no course mile markers), and pushed my long sleeves up.  I kept telling myself, "just stay on his butt", because I'd recently read a blog post where a gal told herself "just stay on their butts" throughout most of her marathon with a 2:42 pace group when she was working to get an Olympic Trials marathon qualifying time at California International Marathon (before the standard changed to 2:45), and it seemed like a good mantra when you had someone to try to hang close to.  I figured if I worked to stay as close to him as I could, and to reel him in if I could, I would keep up a good pace.  I was also just hoping that "long" didn't mean 3.8 miles!

Mile 2 was 5:54, and I kept telling myself to "just stay on his butt".  It was hard, and it actually felt longer than usual for a 5K following that 1 mile!  But at the same time, I knew I could do another mile around 6:00, even though I wasn't loving the course.  It had a hairpin turn, two times where we took very sharp turns onto a thin sidewalk between trees and a brick planter to get onto a different road, and another straight where we ran on a crappy sidewalk uphill for 2 blocks.  It was flatter than the Joplin Turkey Trot 5K, but not as good as my tempo course.  I continued to keep as close to the overall male as I could, still 10-15 seconds.

As we were coming around towards the end I could tell it wasn't going to be super long (no 3.8 miles, whew!), but that it would be long enough that a good time was out.  My watch beeped 6:00 for mile 3 (why couldn't I find 1 more second on miles 1 and 3?!), and for a bit I kind of quit trying because I knew no matter how strong I finished I wouldn't have the time to show for it.  The guy I'd been hanging on had a good 10 seconds on me still so there was also no hope of catching him.  But then, I told myself to suck it up buttercup; I could still run a solid Garmin 5K even though it wouldn't be official.  So my final 0.21 ended up being 5:54, but I'd say it was more like 0.1 at 6:25 (giving up) then 0.1 at 5:25 (sprinting).

My official time was 19:07, but my Garmin had my average pace at 5:57, which is an 18:30ish 5K.  I knew that I had no chance at an "official" PR in this race going into it, since it wasn't certified, and I am almost glad I didn't average 5:55 pace (what I need to beat my current PR), because then I'd have been really disappointed I didn't go to a different race...admittedly, I still kind of am.  Doing this with no pre-race rest, in the cold, and on a mediocre course was enough for me to know for sure that I can run faster than my current PR, though.  I know I have a sub-18:25 in me, and I am going to find a nice certified course and make that happen in the spring!

5:57 average, wahoo!

I ran a bit of a cool-down, then went inside for the awards ceremony.  They had coffee, donuts, and cuties for us, and also Santa for the kids as well as Christmas crafts.  Albani completed every craft they offered while I stretched and we waited for the awards, and they gave her a crafting medal!  She loves to run 1 mile races but it was too cold for her to do this one (she stayed in the car parked right by the finish while Jon cheered me in at the finishes).

I'm still glad I ran this, but it again reaffirmed my plans to only run certified courses!  Also if I compete in ROTY next year I will not wait until December to get any races I need -- that mainly happened this year due to being off for 7 weeks in February and March with a tendon injury.  In December through February, I like to practice the wait-and-see method with local races - wait until a few days before the event and see what the forecast is like before committing!

Race results for both events can be found here (just remember that the 5K was not a 5K when looking at everyone's times/paces!).

We look like we are over it here

Crafting winner!

Afterwards, we went to Walmart & saw Santa, again