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

Winter's here!

Week of December 5-11, 2016

Mileage 55.6, with a break-through tempo run, a double, a set of strides, two races (same event), a long run, a bootcamp, and some additional scattered core.  This week marked the arrival of our first really cold weather (wind chills in the single digits), and I will admit I started wondering why I decided to run a February marathon!  Running in the cold seemed to take more out of me than running in nicer temperatures, which I don't really remember happening in past winters, so I'm hoping that I will get more used to it.  I typically toughen up as winter goes on!

Monday - Cross-training MonYay with 40 minutes on the elliptical to warm up and 50 minutes of bootcamp.  I was still a little sore from jumping lunges on Friday, so I was thankful we didn't do lunges in this class!  We did plenty of squat variations and weighted swings though, and at one point enough push-ups to make me drop to my knees (6 sets in a row of 6 push-ups/6 plank jacks, holding plank position the entire time, was a little too much for my arm and chest muscles...I know I can do 36 push-ups in a row so it had to be the plank jacks between that put it over the edge).

Tuesday - 9.2 miles total (2.6 warm-up, 4 mile tempo in 24:03, 2.6 cool-down); warm-up and cool-down with Missy.  This was my first tempo run of my new training cycle, and I felt like it was a major victory (except for wishing I'd run 1 second/mile faster...it's always something, bahaha!)!  It was just a really good day, and temperatures in the mid-30s seem to agree with me.  My coach sped up my tempo goal pace range to 6:05-6:20 this training cycle, and said to start slower and speed up as the workout progressed for this one, as usual.  I felt good from the gate and went through my first mile in 6:05, and then I figured I'd try to stay at the bottom of the range throughout, because as you know I am obsessed with negative splitting everything.  I really worked on running by feel instead of by my watch on this tempo, as I ran 5 laps around my 0.8 neighborhood loop -- one long side is a gradual decline and today the wind was behind me on that portion, making it the "fast side"; the other long side is a gradual incline and today the 12-15 mph wind was in my face on that portion, making it the "slow side" -- otherwise I don't think I'd have started quite so fast.

Mile 2 was 6:03, and I still felt good and like I could sustain 6:05ish for the second half of the workout.  The way this loop lines up and based on where I start, mile 3 is always fast (you get to do a nice decline portion twice in this mile - since the entire loop is 0.8 you're repeating the fast part to get to 1.0), and I ended up with a 5:58 third mile.  I'd already been thinking that I'd try to get mile 4 under 6:00, and after mile 3 being under I really wanted to go for it!  Mile 4 on this course is always harder (you get to do an incline portion twice on this mile), so I knew I'd have to push to keep it under 6:00, but I was able to do that with a 5:54.  I finished feeling like I had a solid workout, but not pounded, and definitely like I could race a 10K at about that pace, especially if I hadn't sped up the final mile.

When I saved the workout, my Garmin told me that I ran my best 5K during it!  The course I ran was certainly easier than the Joplin Turkey Trot course, so that was the ticket.  I'm going to have to find a certified 5K and go for under 18:25 for sure!  My gut reaction is "You'd better find a 5K, like tomorrow, to do this!" and "Find a 10K - you can run under 6:05 pace for a 10K, you need to do it now!"- because I've been so conditioned to think I need to race ASAP when I'm in good shape in case I get injured and don't have another chance.  But I'm not so worried about it right now; I am staying healthy following my coach's plan, and if I work to achieve the crazy half and full marathon goal times I've dreamed up, my 5K and 10K times will have to fall in conjunction.  Or maybe the real reason is that there are no certified 5Ks or 10Ks nearby at this time of year, haha!  I know this because I looked for one on December 10!

I looked back at the 4 mile tempo I did at the beginning of my Prairie Fire training cycle (under Thursday here), and I averaged 6:12 pace on it and was very happy with that at the time, so it was really nice to see my improvement from then to now (I ran the exact same course both times).  The temperature was better on this run than on June 9; however, the wind was definitely harder today so I'll rationalize it that way.  When I went inside after this run, I told Jon, "Now I 'just' have to work up to running 13.1 miles at that pace."  Hah.  Between now and my Arizona races, my tempos will get longer and my goal pace range will stay the same, so hopefully I can rise to the occasion and stay in the 6:0Xs or at least at 6:15 on the 6, 8, and 10 mile tempos to come!

Now to go 10 seconds faster in a certified race

Splits - didn't quite get my watch stopped immediately

Wednesday - 13.3 total, with 10.3 base miles (7:36) on one of our hillier routes bright and early with Missy, and 3 late runch (7:44).  The morning run was dark and cold (22 degrees), but it's so much easier to run 10 dark and cold miles with someone else than by yourself!  And I was thankful for no wind.  And soon 22 degrees at 5:30 a.m. will not even be cold (oy!)!  The second run was a bit of a struggle-fest; you think that 3 miles at a relaxed pace is insignificant pretty no matter what, but I started it at 2:20 p.m. and hadn't yet eaten lunch, and I ended up with a horrible side cramp, probably from needing sustenance!  I'm aiming to do all of my second runs at lunch, albeit usually earlier than 2:20 p.m. (work interfered with that on this one, although it was probably still easier than going out into the cold dark snow flurries at 6:00 p.m.), and I will definitely ensure I fuel better next week between my two runs.

Related fun fact:  whenever I stop runs on the nose on my mileage (e.g., 3.0 instead of 3.1 or 3.2), it means I either felt crappy or was in a hurry!  The 3 miler was the former.

Thursday - 8.2 miles with 6 x strides in the last mile at lunch (7:27). This was my first run of more than 4 miles from my current office, as we expanded into a new building in April 2016 and I only run my main runs over lunch when it's really cold out, so I'd only done short second runs a few times from this location.  I tried a route I ended up liking pretty well that included a Springfield Greenway trail (it was 1.7 miles to the trail).  It was 23 degrees with a 14 degree windchill on this run, but that was much better than 6 degree wind chill and dark at 5:30 a.m.!  I was fine temperature-wise, and it's amazing how much warmer the same temperature feels in sunshine vs. pitch dark!

Friday - No running today, in the cold and blustery 14 degrees.  I did the elliptical for 30 minutes and a 15 minute core/arm strength workout; no bootcamp due to my Saturday races.

Saturday - 9.8 miles total, including the Christmas Mile and "5K" races (race reports here)!  My mile time was 5:34, and I ran the long 5K course at 5:57 pace (6:00, 5:54, 6:00 mile splits and 5:54 final 0.21).  The race director announced that the 5K course was long at the starting line, so it was hard to give 110% knowing that the course wasn't accurate, but I did my best and would have finished an actual 5K in about 18:30, beating my Tuesday tempo time on a harder course (but I missed the Garmin "Fastest 5K" photo!).  The 1 mile was accurate and a nice point-to-point course (the only downside was that it was against the wind most of the way, but the race organizers can't control that part!).  I wasn't the most excited about these races due to the forecast for them, but I needed them for a 2016 competition I'm doing through my local running club.  It ended up being a little warmer than expected (26 degrees/"feels like" 18), but I still raced in tights, which is a very rare occurrence.  I was very pleased with my times in that temperature, as performance starts declining when it's that cold.  I placed overall female in both events, behind the same one man in both.

Sunday - 15.1 mile base pace steady long run (7:34), with Missy on farm roads.  The wind was insane this morning, making me even more thankful to have Missy along!  I was also thankful that it was 42 degrees, because that wind at 15 degrees would have been awful.  We ran out into the wind a little slower than usual (7:45-7:50), but I told her that I guaranteed that when we turned around we'd be running 7:20 pace at the same effort, and that is exactly what happened!  15 felt short and I am ready to ramp up my long run distance and also have some workouts during long runs in the upcoming weeks!

I have my training schedule through the Arizona Rock 'n' Roll Half on January 15, so it's feeling pretty real!  I am thankful that I have that race to kind of split up my marathon training, as it's 5 weeks away so feels pretty close.  The Phoenix marathon is 11 weeks away, and for me that would be a very long time to go with no races!  I know I'll question why I picked a February marathon on every really cold day, and certainly on any treadmill runs I do, but big goals know no off season!

Arizona x 2!

As I mentioned here, I'm running the Phoenix Marathon in February, and this has been the plan since, well, last February when I was unable to run it due to a tendon injury.  My coach mentioned that it would be good to run a half marathon the weekend of January 28-29 during my marathon build-up, or the weekend of January 14-15 as a second best option.  Finding halves in January in the Midwest is no easy task!  I found one in St. Louis, the Frostbite Series Half, and tentatively planned it for January 28.  I ran the event in 2014, and while the St. Louis track club puts on a wonderful event, the course is not certified or fast, and the weather is always going to be a roll of the dice for that one (and any other one in Missouri in January).  I also thought I might just run a half time trial on my own, or probably with a training partner or two, that weekend.

I then decided I'd look at race options in cities that Allegiant Air flies directly to out of Springfield.  I found one in the Phoenix area, the Arizona Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in Mesa on January 15.  I looked at it kind of in jest, and mentioned it to Jon also mostly in jest ("but it would be a great practice trip before the marathon!").  A few weeks later, the topic of that race came up during a training run, as Amy ran the full marathon at the event several years ago and said it was a great course.  At that point, I was fresh off my half PR at White River, freshly aware of how much difference an amazing course could make, and salivating to schedule a half (and one with a competitive field - even better!).  Still on my runner's high after that training run, I researched the event a little more, and discovered that I met their elite time standards for a comp entry, deducting a potential expense and getting me in the elite corral.  I then mentioned the possibility to my dad, as I knew Jon and I both couldn't go to Phoenix twice this winter, and because I would need to fly out of Wichita (near where my parents live) anyway because the returning flight to Springfield was too early on January 15.


My dad told me he would love to go to the race with me, but at that point I still felt it was hard to justify going to Arizona twice over the winter for races, as much as I wanted to...I mean, look at my past patterns; I ran two Midwest marathons this season to avoid race trips and have only flown to one race in my 25 years of running, the Portland Marathon in 2009.  A few days later, my dad told me he saw that the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction is the same weekend just outside Phoenix in Scottsdale.  My dad is a big “car guy”, and has been to this event once before and loved it (loved it enough to drive to it from Kansas when all of the flights were sold out!).  I could tell he was really excited about this possibility when we discussed it in person on Thanksgiving, so that pushed this race from a distant thought to something I really might do.

It snowballed from there, and I went ahead and applied for an elite entry the day after Thanksgiving.  When we found a Cyber Monday deal for round trip tickets on a direct flight from Wichita to Phoenix for about $80 (plus fees; there were fees) and I found several decent cheap hotel options within 2 miles of the start and finish lines, I almost felt like it would be a crime not to run this race!  So we booked our flights!  The following day I received confirmation of my elite entry, and a request for my information to include on "the start list" (I learned that this includes stats on race wins, PRs, records, etc. that they may use to announce top entrants; I immediately felt like a huge imposter, a feeling which I know will continue as I stand in the elite corral among actual elite runners).

I’m going to Arizona twice this winter!  I’m not making these trips to not go for PRs, so I am ready to get out and train for these puppies!  When does my mileage increase to 60 and when do long tempos start again?  Am I really only 4 weeks off of the Bass Pro Marathon?!?!

Phoenix and Beyond

Since I ran my first marathon in 2003, my running status could nearly always be classified into one of two categories:  1) marathon training or 2) injured.  I feel very fortunate to be steady on the first path recently, and the key to that has been my coach.  I’ve worked with him for two marathon training cycles now, and I ran two marathons 100% healthy with each cycle (Bass Pro and Dallas in 2015 and Prairie Fire and Bass Pro in 2016).  I also ran several other PRs during both cycles, including significant half marathon PRs (Waddell & Reed 2015 and White River 2016).  These 4 marathons were my 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 5^th best marathons ever (Bass Pro 2015 being the slowest of the four and my 5^th fastest, which was still surprising since it was treated as a training run sandwiched between two 20 milers the weekends before and after, and I didn't taper or run all out).  I tried to go at it on my own again between these two cycles at the beginning of 2016, in an effort to avenge my 3:01 at Dallas, but the only place that got me was injured and sitting out my planned February 2016 marathon, which was the 2016 Phoenix Marathon.

Even though I'm a control freak, I'm not dumb enough to try to do it on my own again, and I am now on my Phoenix 2017 build!  This cycle begins with a recovery phase, though, before building my mileage back up, and this will without a doubt be the most maddening part of the training cycle (winter weather will likely be the second most maddening part)!  This is where I would screw it all up if I were on my own; I’m on a high coming off of my half PR at White River, it feels like the Bass Pro Marathon was forever ago, I even ran a solid 5K, I’m feeling enthusiastic and good, I am ready to jump into harder training, and I wouldn’t take recovery time on my own accord.  But, I’ve learned that less is more sometimes, and I am following my coach’s recovery plan (I think my exact words to him were, “I will follow the plan and not be crazy.”).  Looking at it objectively, it also makes sense to take these easier weeks when I’m still feeling good instead of getting run-down and then trying to come back from that. 

I get back to up 50 miles a week before too long – the week of December 5-11 – but I’m ready for 60+ miles weeks!  I will peak at around 65 mpw this training cycle, compared to 60 mpw in my last cycle, so it’s a conservative increase.  I've also learned that consistent weekly mileage over time means so much more than peak week mileage; running an 80 mile peak week after several weeks in the 50s probably won't help you more than running a 65 mile peak week after several weeks at 55-62 (the latter being what I'll do), and too big of a jump for peak week could get me injured anyhow.

I'm going into the cycle fitter than I've ever been, and it's a shorter build up due to the amount of time between Bass Pro and Phoenix (16 weeks total, so really 4 recovery weeks then a 12 week schedule).  But I’ve also been thinking:  "How am I going to run a marathon PR only increasing by 5 miles a week?  Shouldn’t I be doing 75, 80, or even 90 mpw?!  Look at everyone else trying to improve marathon PRs – aren't they all doing more?  People are running triple digits!  I'm not doing enough!"  Are you gaining some insight into how I end up injuring myself when I made my own schedule?  Haha!  Making long-term plans helps my patience, and I’ve learned that miles and patience are probably more helpful than anything else in marathon training.  My future builds will also be longer than the 12 weeks of this one.  Perhaps my long-term development with mileage and marathon training cycles will look like this:

• February 2017 – Phoenix, peak at 65 mpw
• Fall 2017 – one I can drive to, and probably Bass Pro as as B race, peak at 70-75 mpw
• May or June 2018 – maybe Lincoln or Grandmas, peak at 80 mpw
• December 2018 – perhaps California International Marathon, peak at 90 mpw

Right now, this is all very tentative and CIM is my hope to run my dream time if I can step up to it, hopefully along with Liz (who has inspired me to even consider it!)!  Who knows if these thoughts are even reasonable; I may not be able to tolerate that mileage, period, or be able to handle it along with life as a full-time working mother (time to hire a cleaning service, honey!).  For now, I’m going to run my recovery 40 mile weeks and remember to be patient!  I am super excited to be working towards Phoenix, and in true Sara form I officially committed the day after the White River Half (I got an elite entry!).

Dream big - it's the only way it will come true!

I found the magic formula for running 5Ks in the 18s

Here it is:

1. Select a holiday-themed race
2. Run on tired legs
3. Set no goals, and in fact plan to run at 10K to half marathon pace
4. Make sure there is another barrier to running well (e.g., the course has 160 ft elevation gain, you'll be running the whole race alone and finish 5 minutes in front of the second runner, etc.)

We trotted!

I signed up for the Joplin Turkey Trot 5K at the urging of my sister-in-law, as we both ran the race last year and it's the closest Turkey Trot to my in-laws, where we have the huge Ibbetson Thanksgiving.  I registered before I decided to run the White River half marathon, so it wasn't planned that I'd be racing again 5 days after a half, but that's what happened.

My struggle with 5Ks has been real (although I felt better about it after I stumbled upon a blog written by an Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier who noted she couldn't seem to race 3 miles at 6:00 pace; however, she ran 26.2 miles at 6:15 pace!).  After a particularly rough 5K in July that I couldn't even finish at half marathon pace in the third mile, I pretty much just gave up ever running a 5K in the 18s (I tried many times in 2015, and nearly always came up with a 19:0X).  Then, I had a good 5K (for me) at the Trick or Trot last month, finishing in 18:46, showing me it wasn't impossible.

After I was already registered for this Turkey Trot, the race organizers posted on Facebook that the course was different than the 2015 course.  This disappointed me, because the 2015 course had been flat and fast (the struggle at that event, though, was 30+ mph winds, and I ran a 19:0X).  Looking at the new course map, I thought it went around a park that was quite hilly, so I mapped the course on mapmyrun, and the site confirmed my assumption and quoted the route as having 164 feet of elevation gain.

So with these factors in combination, in addition to being in a recovery phase, I wrote off worrying about my time in this event.  I wanted to try to repeat my overall win from 2015, however, but said I'd run to win and hope it was faster than the final 5K of my recent half!

On race morning, I tried something new with my warm-up.  I've noticed that I nearly always feel the worst on my first repeat of any speed workout, and I nearly always am able to speed up throughout tempo runs and longer races, so it's like I need some faster running to get going, and more than just strides.  I ran a 3.1 mile warm-up, which is pretty typical, but I threw in a faster mile (6:29).  In the end, I think this was helpful and got me really warmed up; however, at the time I was running it, it actually made me question if I could even run that pace for the 5K!  I guess that is proof that I needed it.  I did everything else as usual, including some plyometrics, leg swings, and pre-start strides.

Starting photo, from the event's Facebook page - where's Sara?

When the gun went off, a high school aged girl took off quickly, and after a quarter mile or so I figured I'd better go cover her since I wanted to try to win, and worried I was going to have to really hammer it if she could maintain her pace.  I pulled up on her and went around her rather quickly a bit before the mile mark, and she was breathing really hard.  I came through the mile in 5:52 due to chasing her and the decline, so then I thought, "Well, it's already 1/3 over, I might as well try to get in the 18s."

Then I saw the men ahead of me turn right and start climbing a mountain.  I soon learned that this was not a course to negative split on!  My second mile was 6:03, which I was happy with considering the major hill.  There were several men around me to work on pulling in, which was nice.  At the mile 2 marker, in my typical 5K fashion, I was split between thinking, "Wow, these things are short; only 1 mile to go!" and "Oh geez, this is way too fast, I have to run another whole mile at this pace??!"  Mile 3 had two major hills, and I ran it in 6:07 (oy - a major positive split!), and then we also had to go up incline and against the wind to the finish, so my final 0.11 was only 5:57 (compared to a 5:19 final 0.1 in my last half, haha!).  But it was good enough for an 18:42 official time and the overall female win, which I was pretty pumped about!  And my little Garmin read 3.11 on the certified course, making me proud (it is crazy that I get super excited every time my Garmin is super close/right on on certified courses?)?  Official results here.

The old course was better

18:42 is actually my fastest 5K as an adult on a certified course!  I ran an 18:18 in 2010, but the accuracy of that course was questionable, so I kind of keep it in mind with an asterisk, and my actual certified course PR is 18:25, run as a teenager.  So, after this race the wheels started turning...could I have run 20 seconds faster on a flat course?  I think I could have - and if I wasn't 5 days off of a hard half perhaps I could go a little faster than that.  So, add a lifetime 5K PR to my ambitions...or maybe don't, because if I plan to try I'll probably run 19:0X!

Another really fun thing about the race was seeing my friend Liz and her entire family (and running a cool-down with her)!  She and her husband, son, daughter, parents, older brother, and younger brother run a ton of races together and always have the best family photos in matching race gear.  For this one they all had adorable turkey hats!  Liz and I used to train some together when we both lived in Southeast Kansas, and in this race she out-sprinted the high school girl who went out too fast and placed second overall female.  She is apparently really good at out-sprinting teenagers, which is pretty impressive (I for one would not want to get into a kick battle with anyone younger than me!), and I thought it was a great showing for us 30-something moms!

Also along those lines, my sister-in-law told me before the race that there was no way she would break 30 minutes, and I told her I knew she could.  She ended up running a 29:01!  Her 3 young children watched the race with her mom, Jon, and Albani.  We loved having our nieces and nephew there!

After the race, our blessed Thanksgiving continued with Jon's extended family as well as my amazing parents (around 50 people total in attendance!).  I challenge myself to be thankful every day, because we have sure been blessed and we have so much, but it is also wonderful to set aside a day where our whole country is especially thankful, and everyone just seems to be nicer to each other.  Anytime any of us complain about anything, we should be required to list five reasons we are grateful!

Wishing you and yours blessings to be thankful for today and always!

Jon wanted me to mention that he took this clock shot while holding our 3-year-old niece

This is my 5K face!  Those gloves were so bulky, but warm.

It's a cutting board!

P.S.  Ironically, my next 5K and final race of 2016 is at the Christmas Mile on December 10.  And I'll be really living on the edge and also racing the 1 mile, as it's the same price to run both, so how can you not?!  My plan is to run both at 10K pace, hahaha!  I have some Christmas themed compression socks that I'm pretty pumped about wearing there.

In this obsession with the things the world says make us happy

Are we ever satisfied, or are we always searching for the next big thing?

With running you can always strive to improve your personal records.  Whenever you accomplish one goal, there is another one to try to rise to: check one off, then make the next.  There isn’t a ceiling.  It’s usually easier to try to reach higher than to appreciate how far you’ve come.

The attained is not as mythical as the unattained, and doing something can make it less special.  It’s often not as earth-shattering as you imagined, and maybe it doesn't change your world like you’d imagined.  Once you’ve done it, it’s no longer this legendary pie in the sky dream; but something you did.  And after all, it can't be that big of a deal if you actually did it, right?

I’m guilty of wanting more and more with running, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be satisfied with my running accomplishments.  I think I’ll forever be chasing my next PR or standard, although at some point in the not-too-distant future that will mean age-graded times.  Is this a good healthy passion, or is it being greedy?  Sometimes I’m not sure.  How can any of us best balance striving to improve ourselves while at the same time being thankful for what we’ve achieved (none of which we actually deserve!)?

When I set my sights on a sub-3:00 marathon, I thought that if I ran it, I would be content and perhaps even retire from marathons and focus on half marathons; like it was the pinnacle of marathoning for me.  But then I did it, twice, and it doesn’t seem like it’s that big of a deal.  Can't I try to go faster?  Looking at my past patterns of behavior, it should not come as a surprise to me that I’m not content with it, but in all honestly I really thought I would be beforehand.  I guess at one time I thought it was my ceiling, but I don’t think that any more.  

Pretty much sums it up!

I’ve worked a lot this year on not letting comparison steal my joy, and it's something I'm proud to report that I've really improved on.  I'm more joyous and thankful for the accomplishments of others than I ever have been, I know there is room in this world for us all to be our bests, and I want to support others around me towards their goals of being their best (running related and non-running related)!  With this situation it’s not really me thinking about the women out there who are faster than me (although there are a ton and that does cross my mind!), but more me knowing that I have more in me.  I want to be the best I can be.

I’m not sure what I expected would happen when I achieved my sub-3:00 goal, but it seems that I thought something grander would happen than what actually did.  Don’t get me wrong; I celebrated, I was joyous, I had wonderful runner’s highs, I was thankful and felt so blessed, and I treasure the lifelong memories of these races and of the training cycle that led up to them - but at the same time both of my sub-3:00 marathons were cloaked in some disappointments as well.  This was namely my wrong turn at Bass Pro, and a weaker final 10K than I wanted at Prairie Fire (which I believe was due to the illness I had 9 days prior to the race, running so much of the race solo, and the side cramp I had that was possibly due to taking a saltier gel than my usual around mile 19).  But those reasons, along with relatively low mileage for a competitive marathoner, are also why I know I have a faster marathon in me, so I am thankful for that!  If a PR race goes off without a hitch, it’s hard to envision ever running better.

I wrote a draft of this post before I ran my 1:22:37 half marathon PR on Saturday, and I admit that I was thinking a lot of "it's not fair" about not having a race where everything went off without a hitch.  God must have been trying to teach me patience and appreciation, because at White River I felt that I did; that the race couldn't have gone any better.  And I am sure I appreciated that more due to my experience in my marathons!  This was also how I felt about my previous half marathon PR in 2015.  What wonderful blessings to have been given!

In the end, my season PRs made me very happy, and it felt great to achieve something I worked towards for so long.  In a way I felt like I earned the PRs, but on the other hand I know I didn’t deserve any of it!  But the best gift I have isn’t achieved in any way, which is often very hard for the Type A in me to grasp.  That gift is Heaven, which I could never do anything good enough to earn or deserve!  Now that is a true blessing, and likely the reason why nothing in this world will ever satisfy any of us - it's not intended to.

One of my favorite verses!