Kind of…
I didn’t log too many miles this week, and I haven’t been sticking to my training plan too harshly. In fact, I haven’t even really looked at it… Oops! What I need to do is type it up into a calendar so it’s easier to look at. I plan on doing that after I’m done with this blog entry! (*Fingers Crossed*)
Last week, I started by recuperating from Sunday’s 10k PR!
Monday:
2.5 miles (9:45 avg pace)
I used this recovery run to “run” some errands. I was on the lookout for a Bachelorette Party gift that included lots of bits and pieces. It was definitely fun to run with a purpose, and this would not be the last time I would “run” errands last week!
Tuesday:
Track
5.8 miles (with warm-up/cool down)
2x1200 (on chips) long interval pace
5:43, 5:43 (7:41 avg pace)
3 sets of 400-400 (400’s at short or medium interval pace with 100 float between each 400)
1:46-1:45 (7:07-7:04)
1:47-1:45 (7:09-7:02)
1:49-1:48 (7:19-7:16) Trying to hold on strong, but definitely tired!
Wednesday:
Rest
Thursday:
4.89 miles (10:15 avg pace)
Another night of “running” errands. This time planning for a bachelorette party. I ran at least 2 miles holding cupcakes! Mmm!
Friday:
Rest
Saturday:
Race Day - Oktoberfest 5k
This is a small race (about 724 total participants) in Mt. Angel, OR; famous for its Oktoberfest (hence the name). It was a pretty foggy morning, so the sights along the course were definitely hidden, but it looked like it would be a beautiful place to run! The weather here had been pretty great running weather, except for the humidity. (Believe it or not, we don’t get a whole lot of humidity here in the NW.) But it was a great morning to be racing! We arrived early to make sure we had no problem picking up our packets. (No problem at all!) And waited around (listening to some occasional German music) until the start of the race. I warmed up a bit about 20 minutes before the planned start time. My legs didn’t feel too terrific for some reason; like they never really warmed up, and were still pretty stiff. I hoped this wouldn’t affect the race. (I wanted a PR!)
Pretty soon, it was time to line up. I placed myself about 3 people behind the line, and soon enough, the gun went off! Holy smokes there were a lot of people quick off the starting line, but I resisted the urge to keep up, and immediately found my planned pace. I was hoping to hold 7:30’s, at least at first, and then give it all I had in the last 0.6 miles. There were a few turns soon after the start, and then we were out on open road. This mile held a lot of downhill, but I tried not to burn out my legs right at the start, especially with my legs feeling a bit rough!
Mile 1: 7:32 (Pretty dead on!)
Soon after the Mile 1 marker (which was pretty accurate according to my Garmin) the 5k’ers made their turn-around. It was pretty neat to be able to count the people in front of me. I only counted the females: 13 ahead of me at this point. Since the first mile was mostly downhill, this mile was mostly uphill. I was feeling a lot stronger at this point. Maybe it helps that I’ve gotten pretty strong with hills, and was able to get past quite a few people (2 girls, I believe). As we were nearing the end, I feared I had gone out too fast; I was pretty exhausted, and my breathing was definitely labored. Soon enough, we crested the hill, and made a turn into some neighborhood roads. Soon after landing on a flatter road, I was feeling fresh as a daisy, and ready to finish the last mile strong!
Mile 2: 7:52 (This could be better.)
The last mile wove through the neighborhood surrounding the park/start/finish area. I passed some more people here, including J (he’d been sick and wasn’t feeling very good on this last mile.) Finally we turned onto a familiar road; one I had seen on the way to the start area from where we’d parked our car. At this point, I had about 0.6 miles to go, and I was feeling it. I had pretty much followed my plan. My new mantra was “A 5k is supposed to hurt.” A couple more turns and we were onto the home stretch. I could see another girl in front of me, and really wanted to pass her so I could finish in the top 10. I couldn’t tell if she was in my age group, but I knew I could be in the running for a Top 3 Age Group finish (i.e. a ribbon!)
Mile 3: 7:12 (Almost over!)
The finish shoot is a little awkward, in that it is on a narrow stretch of sidewalk/trail going into the park. Because it was so narrow, and a guy had come and chased me and the girl in front of me down, I wasn’t able to shoot past the girl just in front of me, but I did manage to finish strong!
Mile 3.13: 0:52 (6:43 avg pace)
Official (non-chipped timed) Time:
23:28.40 (7:34 avg pace)
I finished just out of the Top 10 Females (11th) and just out of the Age Group awards (4th). That’s what you call rotten luck. At least I know the girl just ahead of me was out of my age group, and the girl who finished 3rd in my age group finished a full 40 seconds ahead of me, so there wasn’t really anything to do differently. And what else do I know? I totally PR’d!!! Woohoo! I’ll take it.
There was also a pretty neat raffle drawing post-race (which neither J, nor I won…ah well) which included things like tech shirts, tech socks, German flags, mustard (from the nearby Abbey), and Road ID (among other things).
Overall, it was a great and well organized race. I’d be interested in trying out the 10k course, too. It looks pretty similar to the 5k one, except it continues on the road after the 5k turnaround, and loops around the Abbey. Hopefully, if we do it again next year, the weather will be a little more cooperative, and we can actually see the Abbey.
Another reason to potentially do this race again next year: so that we can stick around and actually go to the Oktoberfest celebration that the town is famous for. We didn’t get a chance to this year, because I had a Bachelorette Party to finish up planning for/attend. What are you gonna do? ;)
Sunday:
Recuperate post-Bachelorette party
Not bad for a slow running week, but maybe I can start following my training plan, with a little more planning! Here’s hoping! :)
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