Whoa, I'm Tired: Gilio 5K Race Report and Other Stuff

Yes, I know it's very green. I got sick of the blue.

I ran a 5k yesterday. I wasn't supposed to according to the plan, but I always knew I would end up running it. The road race is put on by one of my good friends in honor of his parents. It is also a major club event for the Greater Norwood Running Club. Despite all of my focus on triathlon, all my closest friends are runners, and we founded this club together. No way could I miss this event. It would have been wrong. Plus, I didn't want to miss it. I wanted to get caught up with all of my friends!

I figured I would run it easy--try to make my splits even and use it as a tempo in the middle of my long run.

The problem is, I can't really run races easy. I just can't. I get into the race, and well, even if I hold back a little, I still race. Give me a number and I'm off like a shot.

I got up early enough to run for an hour before the race. I then checked in and got my number, changed out of my wet clothing and chit chatted with everyone there. I wanted to make it clear to everyone that I wasn't REALLY RACING and that my warm-up lasted AN HOUR. But that made me feel super lame. So I shut up. I did say that I shouldn't run fast--that it wasn't in the plan.

I was so busy blabbing to my running friends that I didn't even notice that the race director was getting ready to say "go." I wasn't even close to the starting line! I just heard a "go!" and then, with an alarmed little leap, I began to run. I tried to stay calm and not charge forward like everyone around me. Slow and steady, I kept repeating to myself. Even splits. Slow and Steady.

Yep. Didn't work. I saw Maureen, one of my teammates, up ahead and I started pounding. Then I slowed. Then I sped up. Then I slowed. It was kind of a disaster.

I went through the first mile in 6:55. I was hoping to do about a 7:10 pace, so that wasn't too far off. Plus, the first mile is downhill. I finally got into a rhythm and just ran. The course is an up and back thing, and soon I started to see my fastest friends coming back in the other direction. I cheered on each friend as they passed by, which let me know that I definitely wasn't work too too hard.... My friend Zac stormed by first, a good minute ahead of the next guy. Then Don and Jeff and and and... you get the picture. My friend Maureen passed and I noted she was the third woman. Where did that put me I wondered? Just ahead of Maureen was a tiny, tiny woman with a Bay State triathlon singlet on. I made a mental note to talk to her after the race and find out who she was. Competition alert!

The last mile of this race is a steady uphill. I actually really dislike the course. (no offense, Mike!) That last mile just kills me every time. I had gone 6:55 and 6:58, but I knew I was trudging up that hill. Also, my heartrate went up higher than I wanted it to, so I tried to force myself to STOP RACING and just slow down. Of course it didn't work and I still raced. I heard someone panting behind me, and what if it was another woman?

I hit the third mile split: 7:05. not so bad. I sprinted in the last .1 and that was that. The course is 3.15--not 3.1--and that .05 counts, Mike! Shorten that baby up! I got a 21:50, which on my watch was a 6:59, pace, but according to them was a 7:03. Whatever. grrr. Cause I'm not racing, right? So why should I care? ha ha.

I warmed down for 20 minutes to finish up the "long" run. I went to see if I placed at all. I love Mike because he doesn't believe in double dipping. I was third in my AG, but I was awarded first, because two of the 35-39 women had placed in the top 3. So I was first in my AG! except that I really was third... :) and I was 5th woman overall. It was a small race, but still, I was happy with my place.

I did chat with that tiny, tiny woman. Her name is Kim. I've seen her name in race results before, actually, so it was fun to meet her. She said she wasn't really a runner. I told her she could've fooled me since she went under 20 and this course is hilly and a smige long! She was nice. Still, I plan to beat her the next time I race her. Of course!

Fun race. I love my running friends. They're the best.

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This morning I got up at 5:45 am so I could go for my long, long, oh so very long bike ride. I know that a lot of you (Claire) do like 200 miles a weekend, but for me 65 miles is long, and that's what was on the plan. Actually, 4 hours was on the plan. Same thing. Anyway. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous day. I went the same route as last weekend which takes me through Hopkinton (start of the Boston Marathon for you non-Bostonians) and to Upton. That's just beautiful country out there. Plus, everything smelled so good! I kept getting whiffs of lilac and earth and manure (okay, manure doesn't smell great--but it's that country smell, you know?) It was awesome. When I got to Upton and went through its "center" people where just entering church-- a large Congregational church framed by trees and a graveyard. It was just so New England Americana. Loved it.

When I got home from the ride it was mid-morning and I had to go on my run. I was spent. I hadn't gone that fast (only 16.3 average mph) but I was just so beat. (Could it be that race? oops.) Anyway, I got out on the run and I felt like I was running in place, like I always do on my transition runs. I picked up the pace and began to feel good. Then I looked at my watch and my heartrate was through the roof! And I was doing 7:30 miles! oops. I dialed it back a bit, and finished up. I just went five, but it was a long five. I really felt it. I was even a bit lightheaded when I finally got inside.

When I came inside the kids where watching Charlie Brown's Christmas. Umm--hello! It's Memorial Day weekend! Then I noticed their "city." It was awesome! They leaped off the coach to show it to me. I took a picture. They're very proud. Apparently they had worked on it all morning while I was out.



After a quick shower I crawled upstairs and took a quick snooze with Linus (one of my two pooches). He's smelly and old, but he really knows how to nap. My kids came up 10 minutes later wanting to know if they could go outside and would I push them in the swing? Argh. The hub. had been on duty all morning, so there was no way out. I tried to convince them we should all take a nap together... but that didn't fly. Oh well!