Valentine 5K

Valentine 5K

Goal time: Beat 23 minutes. Best 5K time so far was 23:12, but that was on a course that was measured short. So actual 5K PR was 23:23.

Well, bad news when I woke up. We had about 3-4 inches of snow overnight. I can't say I was happy about that, but thought, if I can get there, I'm running it anyway.

So I went out and shoveled the driveway and got dressed and ready. I grabbed a banana and drove into town to buy some coffee. I was on my way for a 1 hr. and 15 minute drive to Madison.

As I travelled further north, I noticed less and less snow on the ground. First good sign....I liked that! By the time I got to Madison, there wasn't even any snow on the grass. Go figure!

I arrived fairly early(10ish) and since the registration didn't start until 9:30 the day of the race, I was one of the first ones because the race didn't start until 11. Another good sign for this race? My number was 23. For any of you basketball fans out there, you know who's number that was. I thought it was retired, but they gave it to ME!! heehee Michael Jordan, eat your heart out.....or run with me in spirit! :-)

I affixed my number on my shirt, used the restroom and climbed back into my van to listen to music until about 20 minutes before the start. Hopped out and ran a very slow one mile for a warm up and then stretched out. We all started to walk towards the finish which started on the running/bike path behind the university dorms. A little crowded for a start of a race, to say the least. I'm not sure how many people ran it but it couldn't have been much more than 100, if that.

My goal was to use doc's advice(even though I haven't incorporated his doctervals yet) and go out hard and just hang on for life.

First mile was on a slight decline, which meant an incline at the finish for this out and around course. After juggling around some people I settled into what I felt a pretty good clip, and hopefully a pace that I could keep up.

First mile split time was 7:04. Okay, alot faster than normal, but to be expected.

Started to really feel it between miles 1 and 2 and then another long hill right before the 2 mile point. Who said this was a flat, fast course? It wasn't that bad, but enough to slow me down a little. I was just trying to concentrate on form and pushup. Get those arms pumping!

Second mile split time was 7:44. Oops....starting to lose it...get it together Weebs! Think about that frickin' PR you want so bad. At this point I was playing a constant game of cat and mouse with a 20something guy messing with his headphones. He would fiddle with his headphones and slow down and I would pass him. He would look up and notice me passing him and speed up.
I was still passing a few but was actually sticking with a small group of people. I could see one young gal dressed in red ahead of me and we were running the same pace. I just couldn't reel her in.

At the 2.5 mile marker I decided to just let it hurt. I knew the hurt wouldn't last long. I had no idea what my time was at this point even though I had my Garmin on. I just didn't have the energy or want to use the energy to bother looking. By this time I had finished playing games with "headset man" and finished him off. Next up was the gal in red. I was gaining on her ever so slowly. Could I catch her within a half mile?

Coming up on her my third mile split was 7:35. Not as bad as the 7:44, but I guess I was still hanging on. With .1 miles to go and the finish line near, I gave it all I got....lungs were on fire...almost upon her. With about 25 yds to go....she gave it one last sprint...my legs just wouldn't go any faster than they already were. She just barely beat me. Last .1 split was 26 seconds.

Total time: 22:50!!!! I did it! I beat 23 minutes. Wooohoooo! I walked around trying to catch my breath...wanting to hurl so bad. I congratulated the "red" girl and told her she had a target on her back that I just couldn't catch. She told me this was her first race in a while. She looked like she could have kept going....damn young kids! heehee

Oh and "headset man"? He must have been right on my tail because right after we crossed the line, I slowed down and he happened to pass me before the chute narrowed and he got yelled at to stay in order. lol Priceless!

Jogged a slow mile after and back to the place where the food and drink was. I'm never hungry for anything after a 5K(except maybe a couple of orange slices) but would have liked some cold water...received warm water...blech!

I went back to my van to call a few people that wanted an update postrace and made my way home.

So now I'm just basking in my glory. This is the first time my lungs were so sore that I kept coughing afterwards to clear them. Very weird feeling. It was in the 30's and a beautiful day for a run, so it wasn't the cold that did it.

And now to take a little nap. I'm beat! Plus I gotta get ready to go dancin' tonight with my girlfriends!