Facing my Fear: Access to Health 5K

The short:
I came very close to skipping this race; I had a terrible run at the event last year and kept stressing about repeating that.  I'm glad I sucked it up and got out there; I managed sub-6:00 pace (5:57) on a hilly course in a heat advisory, plus I won some cash for second overall female.  I'm doubtful that I will ever love the 5K race distance, but I enjoyed this event; maybe some day I will even stop beginning every 5K race report with, "I came very close to skipping this race", bahaha!

Beautiful scenery, eh?

The long: 
I put this race on my schedule because it's a local event that offers prize money, and I had no other July races planned.  My coach included it within a 64 mile week -- and since my "long" run during this 64 mile week was only 12 miles, it was the biggest week I've ever done as far as day after day mileage.  Training through the event was fine (in the name of bigger goals), but last year I'd also trained through it and had an awful race.  Those details are on Saturday here, but I'll just note that it included a 6:31 final mile, which is slower than my PR marathon pace!  Because of that experience, I got scared of this race and decided I wasn't going to run it after all (a local 5K is not worth the worrying I was doing about it!)...then the day before the race I decided I needed to (wo)man up and do it, mainly to help myself in a 5K I'm targeting in August (I use the term "targeting" quite loosely, because I am actually doing absolutely zero focused 5K training).

From running the race twice before, I knew the course was hilly and a bit long, plus we were in a heat advisory on race day, so I was also concerned that my streak of 5Ks in the 18's was in jeopardy.  I knew to keep my time at 18:59 on this course, I'd need to run about 6:00 pace.  I recently ran a 4 mile tempo at 5:53 pace, so I thought I should have it in me, but my tempo course is much easier than this race's course and I ran it at 5:30 a.m., which is much cooler than 7:30 a.m.!  My warm-up did nothing to make me feel better about the whole pursuit; doing short strides at 5:50 pace was far harder than it should have been!

My fast friend Jamie was racing as well, and I'd asked her if I could try to hang onto her.  She agreed, and then on the starting line she said, "I think I'm going to go out at 5:40 pace for the first mile; what do you think?"  I laughed and told her I would not be starting with her after all, as I planned for a first mile of around 6:00.  There were cash prizes for the top two men and women overall, so I hoped to slide in behind Jamie for 2nd.

Start

I was dripping sweat on the starting line even though I shortened my typical 5K warm-up to 2 miles (instead of the whole race course) in the name of staying a bit cooler.  The race starts up a hill, so I didn't feel fantastic from the gate, but I didn't feel awful.  Jamie was out ahead of me from the gun, but I was in a solid second female for the entire race, with some high school and college-aged boys in my vicinity, but mostly I ran alone.  After the first uphill, the course rolls until a decline from around 1.5-1.9+, and I told myself to soak it up, because then it loops around 1 block west and goes back up the corresponding incline for 0.4+.  Last year that incline nearly killed me, and this year it was not easy by any means, but it was easy in comparison.  Then the course rolls again before finishing down the hill we had to climb at the beginning of the race, making for a fast final quarter mile.  I never felt amazing during the race, but I never felt horrible either.  That was a relief after last year's debacle!

Coming down the final overpass hill that we started up

I ended up finishing in 18:48 officially, so even with the course being 20-30 seconds long I kept my 18:XX 5K streak going!  My conservative Garmin had my average pace at 5:57, and for that course and the weather I was pleased with that average.  Afterwards, pessimistic Jon told me that he felt confident that I could run 10 seconds/mile faster on a flat course with a little rest before, and I hope he is correct (I think I also need 50* though).  I am 100% satisfied with this one, though.  I ran very consistent splits (5:56-5:59) and conquered the fear that I had all week leading up to it!  My average pace was 1 second/mile faster than in the Sertoma Duck Waddle last month, but that course was far easier and that day far cooler, so I feel this performance was stronger, regardless of what my official times say - official results are here.  Jamie really rocked it, averaging 5:40 pace or a touch under!

Impeded clock shot

I also looked back to see how long my 5Ks in the 18s streak is, and this race last year was my last one in the 19s (and would have been in the 19s even if the course wasn't long since I ran 19:36)!  That surprised me because I struggled to break 19 forever.  Also file this one under the prize money exception in my Certified in '17 pledge!  All but one of my remaining planned races for the year are certified (and the uncertified one is a 3.35ish mile "5K" with prize money; I'm not counting it against the 5Ks in the 18s streak and last year I ran it in the 20s!).

Onto the next!

Swag/awards (the card is a free pasta meal!)

Follow the rules: Don't take outside aid during a race

I read a lot of running blogs, and my favorites to read are those written by women who run around my same paces, women who have run or are training for OTQ marathons, and women who balance working and/or Mom-ing with running.  I love reading training week re-caps to see what others are doing, and race re-caps to learn about how others pace, strategize, etc.  I'm not a big fan of running blogs with a bunch of involved recipes (because I'm a lazy cook), and I also don't enjoy running blogs by men nearly as much as those by women.  I could go on, but that isn't the purpose of this post!

I love reading race reports, and recently I've noticed that several runners don't know that per USATF rules, competitors aren't allowed to accept nutrition that doesn't come from official aid stations during races.  The pertinent competition rule is:  "A competitor who collects refreshment from a place other than a refreshment station is liable to disqualification by the Referee."  See item (g) on page 132 in this document (which is actually page 140 of the PDF viewer pages).

It certainly doesn't hurt to be familiar with all of the USATF rules on road racing, and they make up a very small portion of the cited rule document, plus many rules are more related to race organizers' duties, making the whole thing much quicker reading than you'd think at first glance!

I've read a number of race reports in which runners have described taking nutrition from their families on the course, from friends who "jumped in" to run a few miles with them, from their significant others on bikes (having someone run or bike with you during a race is an additional issue for several reasons), etc. -- and I genuinely think that most people just don't know that this isn't okay.  I did not always know either.  If you are competing for overall or age group awards in any USATF certified and sanctioned event, you should be vigilant about taking only the nutrition offered on the course and what you carry yourself.  Of course, everyone participating should follow all of the race rules, but those competing for top placings have more to lose. 

Wouldn't it suck to win prize money in a race only to be disqualified because you took a gel from a spectating friend?  Wouldn't your win feel like cheating if you had extra fluids provided by a family member on a hot day, and went on to win by a tiny margin over someone who didn't get those extra fluids?  Don't we all dislike dopers and course cutters?  Just don't break the rules! 

And honestly, I wouldn't be too happy if someone beat me after being paced by her husband on a bike with him carrying fluids for some or all of the race when I didn't have a bike escort.  Luckily I've never been in this situation, as it would be tricky to navigate.  But, I do have plenty of tips for preparing to use the available course nutrition and for carrying your own during marathons -- I do a combination of the two.

Follow up questions:
Do you personally disregard this rule?
Have you seen people break this rule?
Would you report someone violating this rule?

I got you that time, sub-6:00 tempo -- and the 2:45:00 standard is official!

July 11 gave me news to celebrate -- USATF announced the official 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifying Standards!  It's been presumed that the women's B standard would be 2:45:00, but it wasn't official until it was official -- and today it became official!  This is great news for me, because there was always the possibility that the standard could be faster, like 2:42.  A 2:45:00 will be a strrrrrrreeeeetch, because everything went awfully well for me to run a 2:49:20, but I am ready to give it a go.  If the standard was 2:42:00, I would more likely be ready to give up.  So not feeling the need to give up something I've been dreaming about is fantastic news!

Whoop whoop!

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I've recently had a little beef with 6:00 pace on my tempo runs.  In May 2017, my 4 mile tempo ended up being 6:01 pace and my 6 mile tempo was 6:00 pace.  Back in December 2016, I did a 4 mile tempo at 6:01 pace as well.  Last week, I did a progression 10 mile run in which I ran the last mile in 6:01.  I kept saying, "I'll get you next time, 5:59!" 

Last night as I was mentally preparing for today's tempo, I starting wondering if I was ever going to stop saying, "I'll get you next time" to 5:59.  I haven't been unhappy with 6:00-6:01 tempo averages, because they were PR tempos and towards the lower end of my goal pace range from my coach, which is currently 5:57-6:10 (and on the progression run, my last mile was scheduled at 6:10, so I was under my goal).  But who wants to run 6:00-6:01 when one can run 5:59!?

Well, today I didn't get my 5:59 average; I got a 5:53 average (splits below)!  This was at 72* with 88% humidity (dew point 70*), so I am also officially heat/humidity adapted.  I felt smooth and strong throughout, and it just clicked.  I had company for the first time in over a year on a tempo; Jessi, Missouri State's top distance runner, who I am doing some training with over the summer, did this workout with me, and having her along was extremely helpful and probably the complete reason for the success.  When we came through mile 1 in 5:57, that pretty much sealed the deal on aiming to be sub-6:00 for every split (my initial aim was to start at more like 6:05 for the first mile), and I ended up with a beautiful negative split, which is the only way to run tempos after all.  I finished feeling like I'd run hard, but with some left in the tank -- again, a perfect tempo.

It took me a few tries to get that sub-6:00 average, but I didn't give up.  I am going to try for that 2:45 with the same abandon.  I hope I can get to that 2020 starting line, God-willing, and that my friends with this goal can too!

All the compression socks

I am obsessed with a huge fan of compression socks.  I like to run in them and recover in them; the latter has much more research-base supporting its effectiveness, but I think they help me during my runs too -- even if that's a placebo effect, believing I'll perform better can't be a bad thing, right?  I also think they're helpful when traveling and in other situations where I'm sitting for longer than normal (e.g., attending a conference or meetings during which my standing desk is not an option!).  Here are my thoughts on the five different brands I own, in alphabetical order.  I do not receive free products from any of them (although I wish I did!), so this is unbiased.

CEP
Size:  womens II
Pros:  thick in the toe and heel areas, perfect tight fit
Cons:  pricey, lack of cute patterns, slightly too long for me
When I choose these:  marathons in which maximal blister protection is needed (warmer temps, net downhill)
When I wouldn't choose these:  when I'm being frugal (the main reason I don't own more pairs than I do currently) or when I want fun patterns
Related story:  I wore these for my first sub-3:00 marathon and for my first (and only, so far) sub-2:50 marathon

Crazy Compression
Size: XS
Pros:  great fit, super cute designs including holiday/seasonal patterns, frequent discount codes offered, thinner fabric is nice in warmer weather
Cons:  thinner than the other brands; I have never gotten a hole in them, but I also haven't had mine that long
When I choose these:  in warmer weather and when I feel like looking playful
When I wouldn't choose these:  since I haven't run over 17-18 miles in them yet, I wouldn't wear them for a marathon at this point, but I will be testing them on more long runs
Related story:  I wore these for the Rock the Parkway half, and had many, many people compliment me on them during the race!

Newzill
Size:  womens S
Pros:  thicker overall, feel well-made and durable, a few cute patterns, free shipping and/or discount codes frequently offered
Cons:  thicker fabric is not ideal in warmer temps, only a few colors and patterns are currently available, no XS option, slightly too long for me in the foot and calf, not quite as tight-fitting as I prefer (i.e., I won't buy any more until they start selling XS)
When I choose these:  in cooler temps
When I wouldn't choose these:  in warmer temps
Related story:  My training partner Danielle, who is a 3-time USAT Duathlon National Champion, is a brand ambassador for Newzill and also the reason I ended up with a few pairs of these.  I've had these less than 2 months, and it's been warm, so I haven't worn them that much yet.

Pro Compression
Size:  XS
Pros: perfect fit for me in tightness and height, many cute designs including holiday/seasonal patterns
Cons:  not as thick as CEP and Newzill in the toes
Disclaimer:  I own by far the most Pros, because I buy them on eBay for under $10 a pop.  They are marked as irregular in pattern only (not in fit), but I've never been able to find anything actually wrong with them, and if you know how picky I am that's saying something.
When I choose these:  most of the time, because I own so many pairs
When I wouldn't choose these:  for a marathon when maximal blister protection is desired; I have worn these for marathons with temps in the 40s-50s and in half marathons at all temperatures with complete success, but wouldn't run a 70 degree marathon in them
Related story:  I wore these the second time I broke 3:00 in the marathon, and for my PR half and second fastest half marathon.  I guess I meant business in those races, because I wore solid colors for them, but I've worn the heart, Christmas, and clover patterns for other races, many of which had no relation to actual holidays, haha!

2XU
Size:  XS
Pros:  perfect level of tightness, plain black available that works under work clothing better than patterns/colors
Cons:  different "models" are confusing, more expensive than most (but still cheaper than CEP), a bit thin like Crazy Compression
When I choose these:  for work
When I wouldn't choose these:  I don't run in my one pair of these, because I "save" them for work, but I think they'd work under most circumstances except for when extra blister protection is needed.
Related story:  Sorry, no fun facts about these!

For reference on the fits noted, my calf circumference is 12.5" at the widest point, I am 5'7", and I wear shoe size 9-10.  If your calves are smaller than mine, I would not recommend any of these brands, because I buy the smallest size available in all of them.  The upside is that the smallest size works even with my large feet!

From L to R: Newzill, CEP, Crazy Compression, Pro, 2XU