Frustrating 5k

5k
Wilmington, DE
22:00.0
6th place woman
2nd place age group


Yesterday I finally had a go at the bet and put myself in a 5k down in Wilminton, DE. I was very nervous about the race because it is really my only chance to PR before my trip. I was also not looking forward to the pain of a 5k on a humid night in July. Nonetheless I was there ready to race and mingling with the locals, who were all very nice. We finally line up and take off. The first mile is up around and down a steady hill and I cross the 1 mile mark at 6:32, right on target. We go up and around, then I pass the 2 mile mark at 10:44 and I though to myself, "Awesome!! I can run an 8mm and still PR!" Then we went up to the turn around and I pass the 2 mile mark again at 12:24, I finally realized, "Shit! This is the 2 mile mark, so I have a full mile left to go." This was not exciting news to me because I was already feeling tired. The rest of my last mile went exactly that way. I continually slowed down from that point and felt like absolute shit crossing the finish, especially after glancing at my time, which was something like 21:51, almost a whole minute off my goal time. Ugh!!! I placed well in the race earning 4th overall female and 2nd in my age group. Talked to many nice people after the race and sulked in the car ride home, which was twice as long as my actual race.Here are my frustrations I am hoping you can help me with.1) I have yet to PR this year. I trained more consistently this year than I ever had, but haven't come close to improving my times.2) I hate feeling like shit at the end of my races and it seems like it is a growing trend. I also experienced this at The Broad Street and The Philly Tri. I get a good comfortable start, but never seem to be able to hold and finish out my races like I want to, which is very disappointing and discourages me from racing at all. So, I need your help!! What can I do so I can improve my times and feel better while I am racing? Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated by this frustrated runner.


Responses:

Mighty, take a few & read this:http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,5033,s6-197-0-0-8137,00.htmlThis seems to be in your head....I suffered from this and my remedy was to start out slower and focus on negative splits/strong finishes (tough in 5Ks though)....

Bear


Marita-2) Start slower. Though, if you don't feel like shit at the end of the race, you didn't run hard enough! Feeling like that BEFORE the finish however, is not good. You can start a little further back in the pack than usual, or just plan to stay with someone running slower for the first .5 - 1 mile of a 5K. Then, gradually build up. The race isn't to mile 1, it's to the finish line. For practice, try for negative splits while mowing your lawn! ;-)1) Train INconsistently. Seriously! Mix things up, make things more chaotic. Add speedwork (in my case, with my ankle a little precarious now, I'm doing Rocky steps) or hill work. In the middle of a long run, pick up the pace for two miles, then return to the previous pace. Or, run with Biz. I never know what pace he'll be doing (I don't think he does either)! English Mike too. Or, just talk with Raymond. He'll give you hundreds of pages of info that you'll want to run away from. Fast... thus giving yourself a good run that day!Make sure you are giving yourself enough rest days. Plan them into your schedule if you need to.And, come out to more PR runs! You'll have your pick of paces, and plenty of encouragement.

:-)Kevin

Marita - I know the feeling. With my usual caveat that I wouldn't tell anyone how to train...I'll make a suggestion.I think you probably need some rest. You have been racing (successfully, mind you) a ton. Triathlons, 10-milers, 5K's, etc...in a very tight time window. Maybe scale it back a bit for a few weeks. Let your body recover.Again, as Seebo has said, free advice is worth what you paid for it....but some decreased training and slower runs might be just what the doctor ordered.

Jim

I ditto Jim about the rest factor, and Bear about the mind factor. As a yoga teacher of eight years, I know from experience that if you bring your highest thoughts into your body, you can transform your performance, and just about anything in your life. I recommend enjoying your road trip, enjoying yourself fully when you do get the chance to run, and practising getting in touch your body's capacity. That PR is in there, Marita...

Melissa


Marita,I agree with Jim too. I found after Broad St. that my times at subsequent races got slower. Part of it was hot weather I'm sure, but I realize now that I trained too hard with no rest at all. Best thing might be to forget about running for a week or two while on vacation, and take it easy for another couple after that (I know, easier said than done). I did this for a few weeks, and only AFTER did I realize how burnt out I really was. You just kicked ass at two triathalons, so you have no reason to be down about your training. Some time off during the hot weather will help you re-group, and then you'll be better than ever.

Craig

Marita -I agree with Bear/Biz on this one: try to start out slower and aim for a negative split. Though I am the last person on Earth to suggest that, since I can never do it myself.If it's any consolation, the last 5K I ran (a few weeks ago), I was over a minute off my previous PR heading in the wrong direction. Rest is a good idea, and maybe not racing in the humidity of mid-July.

Steve G.

Hammonton Sprint Triathlon

Hammonton Sprint Tri
July 2nd, 2005
400 meter swim, 12 mile bike, 5k run
1:16.34

So about 2 hours after the Philly Tri I had myself signed up for a small sprint tri in NJ the next Saturday. Kinda crazy, but my cousin Joey from Colorado, who got my into this anyway was racing, so I had to be there!

I went pretty light the week in between, only getting out on Wednesday and Thursday. I had some soreness in my right hamstring and knee, but by Saturday AM I was cleared up and ready to get out there again.

The overall experience was great and relaxing. It was fun to hang out with my cousin and teammate Jeff. They both have lots of wonderful positive energy and have been coaching and encouraging me this entire year, it was an awesome experience to finally race with them.

Some highlights of the race:
1. The lake was disgusting
2. Timing was done manually or "old school" as my cousin called it, which made the awards an exciting time
3. Fun, mostly flat bike course, with a great tail wind going out.
4. Nicely shaded run course with fun turns and a nice downhill motion on the way back. I felt like I was flying after the turn around
5. Race marshals did a poor job of marking the trail during the race. There were several times I was confused, slowed down or actually turned around by their directions.
6. Lots of fun, sociable, exciting people to race with.

In the end I won my age group, was the 11th woman to cross, came in 104 out of 189 and got some nice swag.

Thank you Joey and everyone else for getting my involved, showing my the ropes and continually encouraging me. I think this is the beginning of many triathlon seasons to come!

Philadelphia Triathlon

Sunday, June 26th
Olympic Length Triathlon
Fairmont Park
Overall Time 3:11.

So this event really began on Friday night for me because I had the pre -party at my place. It was lots of fun with many people from many parts of my life wishing me well and having a great time together.

Saturday was also really fun. I spent several hours at the expo hanging out with my teammates and soaking in the entire event. I finally received my T3 warm-up shirt and was proud to wear it around the expo and the triathlon the next day. I spent Saturday night putting everything together and generally being nervous for the event.

Then Sunday morning finally came!!!!! and with a 5am wake up call. I quickly got dressed, ate and warmed up my voice. Why might I need to warm up my voice for a triathlon? Well because not only was this my first Olympic length triathlon, but also my National Anthem debut at a major sporting event. Crazy, huh? Actually the singing was really the easy part and a very successful part of the day. Right after I was done, Barbara, the official at the start said, "You nailed it!" which was a wonderful start of the day.

Over the next hour I watched every competitor take off and after about an hour it was finally my turn to start. It was an easy start in water that was surprising clean and refreshing. Swimming in the ocean those few times really made this swim easier. It did seem a long trek to the Columbia bridge though and I was really excited to get on my bike. There wasn't much of a current and I found it hard to swim straight, but after 39:18 I was in right on time.

Right as I was out of the swim finish I got the first glimsp of my family who made great efforts to see me and sing and be on time for the event. It was an inspiration every time I saw them! Pretty soon I was enjoying our challenging bike course through Fairmount. I think this was my favorite part of the race. It was great to ride the course without any barricades or cars to worry about. I felt really comfortable working my gears and for the first time ever I even raced with a little bit of strategy. I hit 32.2 mph and averaged 16.7 mph. My split for the bike was 1:29.08 placing 747 overall, which isn't bad for first time cyclist, on a hybrid, with a hilly course.

After a little over two hours I entered the third leg of the race, the run. Even though I am a runner I have actually been most nervous about this part of the race. This is the longest event I have ever done and running takes a lot out of you, so I knew it was going to be a mental and physical challenge. I think I started strong, but tired. I didn't pass people like I did at Parvin Park, but I knew I was keeping better form than most. I tried to keep my stride small and quick for the first two mile or so, but I am not so sure how successful I was considering my last two miles. This is the part of the race I was able to really see all my supporters. I stopped to hug my family and get some devine inspiration at about 2 1/2 miles into the race, then saw my running friends, T3 teammates and other supporters up until mile 4. IAt this point the race starts to turn on me a little. Our last 3 miles were out on the un-shaded portion of West River Dr, so my body was done running by mile 4. The list two miles were the most hellish miles I have ever experienced, so when my name was finally called at the finish I really felt like I accomplished something! My run split ended up being a slow 56:22 with a 9:05 pace. Ugh! I finished the race in 3:11.19, 730 out of 1003 and 33 in my division out of 70.

I must say that every one one person that was there cheering me on at that point felt like 10, so thanks for everyone who come out. You kept me going through my longest race ever!!!

Check out my official results at: http://www.lin-mark.com/results/results.asp. My bib was 1141.

Thundergust Triathlon

This Saturday I successfully participated in the Thurdergust Triathlon in Parvin New Jersey State Park. So now it is official, I am a triathlete! Whoohoo!!!

The day started with a 5am wake up call. Kinda tough on a Saturday morning, but I got up no problem because I didn't sleep much the night before anyway. I think pre-race jitters are the worst to combat!!! So once 5 am rolled around I was ready to get out of bed and get this process started. I packed the night before, so all I really had to do was get dressed and find my way out to the car. By 5:15 I was on the road. The drive to Parvin State park was very easy and less than an hour long, but my nerves were cookin'. I had to remind myself several times that I actually find all of this to be enjoyable and that I voluntarily signed myself up for this torture, I mean race.

I got there pretty early and started to find my way around and get set up. Everyone there was super nice, which is one of the awesome qualities about triathletes I have come to notice. Every triathlete I have met has been very helpful and encouraging. To get ready for this season I joined T3, a small, Philly based Triathlon team. I have learned so much from them over the past year and was really glad to be sporting their uniform that day.

One small glitch at the start is that we weren't supposed to wear our wetsuits, because the water was so warm. I was a bit bummed, because I wanted the practice for the Philly Tri, but all turned out well. This is one complicated sport! We had a small meeting on the beach and they reminded us about the wetsuit rule and tell us about the course. I just want to note that the race was publicized as a .4m/16m/4.5m. They told us nothing different about the race lengths at the meeting.

Then we all lined up and began our swim 4 minutes apart. The swim entrance was as everyone has reported. Lots of arms, splashing and bodies everywhere. I know I clocked at least one person on the head, but I did apologize. Once we were around the first buoy though I was able to get into my bilateral stride. The swim was a "dogleg", we entered from one point, swam around some buoys, then exited at another point down the shore. From shore I counted six buoys across before the final turn, so you can imagine my gleeful surprise when needed to turn after I only counted four. I don't know what happened to the other two, but I was happy to be swimming to the finish. The leg to the finish did feel like forever though and I think I stood up and started to run a bit soon. Nonetheless I finished in 8:59, way under my estimated time of 15 minutes.

The transition went smoothly. Thanks to Mitch I had some water for my sand covered feet and was sure to get my treasured Oakleys on. Even though the swim took less time than expected I felt like I was behind the pack starting the bike. The 16 mile stretch was very flat and easy to ride. There was one bumpy stretch of road that lasted a few miles, but the only thing we had to work against was a bit of wind. Actually the breeze was a bit of a blessing. It kept us cool out in the hot sun and dried us off quickly. I was grateful that I had a fitting the weekend before, so I knew my bike was going at its top speed. I must say that aerobars rock!!! I spent most of the race tucked in due to the wind and knew they were helping me with speed and energy. I have to point out that after this point in the race I don't believe I was passed by a woman, although I did a fair amount of passing, so my energy level going into the run was high. I finished the bike in 48:07 with an average speed of 18.7 mph.

My transition into the run was easy. I was happy to see only one other bike on my rack. The run was completely shaded, which was a nice break from sun soaked Kelly Drive. I tried to follow Chris' advice and didn't really open my stride until after the first mile. Despite my efforts to chill out in the beginning I found I was passing people left and right. The best feeling was passing a bunch of young guys I had met before the start of the race. We were making our way around the lake and I figured I had about a mile and a half left, then I see my friend Mitch and ask him how much longer. To my surprised he said 200 meters! I didn't believe him and asked someone else and they confirmed. So I got into gear and sprinted with another woman to the end. Apparently the race was changed to a 5k, but they didn't tell us. I wasn't too mad, but was a bit bummed to know I could have paced the run differently. However, I did finished the race with lots of energy and very high spirits. My 5k time was 22:31 with 7:16 splits. Not to shabby after two other races. Perhaps I need to race a 5k for The Bet sooner rather than later.

My final time was 1:24:33 and placed 185. I was 5th out of my division, first time females.
I enjoyed the awards assembly where many T3 members placed and had fun meeting people and talking to everyone about their race!

This first race was an incredible experience. The high I got last for days!!!!! Now I can't wait for Philly where the field will be wider and the course more challenging!!

Here are my official results, placements and paces:
swim: 8:59 190 22:26
Bike: 48:07 228 18.7
Run: 22:31 93 7:16
Overall: 1:24:33 185, 5 of 19 in division

Caesar Rodney Half Marathon

Sunday, March 13th
13.1 miles running
Wilminton, DE on Caesar Rodney course
1:44:56 with 8:01 pace

Philly Triathalon, Here I COME!

Sunday, March 20th
10 miles cycling
My house to the loop
about 45 minutes

First bike ride for a long time. I can feel the burn in my legs and need to learn how to work my gears.



Satuday, March 19th
8.5 miles running
The loop with PR
67 minutes

Felt good the whole way through and recovery is getting better. I did intervals the last 2 and a haf miles. On for 30 seconds and off for 30 seconds. I did one two minute break and strided/sprinted the last half mile. This is in effort to imporive my 5k time. I would like to break 21 minutes at the Clean Air run.


Friday, March 18th
25 minutes in pool
200 meter warm-up
Ladder work out from 25 meters

This was my first "workout" in the pool. Usually I would just swim laps for as long as I could. I did a ladder starting at 25 meters and going to 100 meters with 30 second rest in between. I did each "rung" twice and it took me about 20 minutes. It was a hard workout and only took 20 minutes. I will probably do it again. It felt good to be in the pool again.


Thursday, March 17th
4 miles
Wissahickon Forbidden Drive
30 minutes

This was a good run because I was originally only going to run 3 miles and ended up doing 4. Yeah!!! If felt good to be back in the Wissahickon. Spring is a coming!!


Tuesday, March 15th
bike 8 miles
45 minutes
run 4.4 miles
don't want to know
Kelly Drive

Today was my first bike/run. I went a little early and did some biking before my usual group run. Both were kinda slow, but it was windy and I was still recovering from Caesar/Rodney. I discovered that running after a hard race actually helps with soreness. I was very sore on Monday and Tuesday, but it all went away after my workout Tuesday night. Thanks Russ!

Still hurting after the long ones, but it is getting better

Sunday, Feb. 27th
12.5 miles
approach 2 hours
My house, to the loop and then some

This was a T3 run with Jeff as the run leader. There were 4 large guys and me starting out and for the first time in this type of situation I was leading the pack. I was very surprised at the pace my male counterparts were keeping. I think we finished the first mile in 10 minutes or so. It did speed up a bit, but overall this was a very slow run. It was probably for the better because when we finished the loop I had energy to do a little more. So I went up to the first mile marker and back. I am happy with this run because I didn't really stop much. I had to stop before we started the loop, but then we did the entire loop without stopping and I even kept going when my partner left me. I did stop at Lloyd hall on the way back for a bathroom break. I was very happy it was there! I always pray that I don't have those kind of issues during my races. They don't affect me too much on my runs, but you never know!!!

One of my main goals of this run was to actually be functional afterwards. This time I had to be because I had a shower to go to and a performance that night. Overall I did not have the stomach issues I had last week, but my muscles ached a little more, especially my quads. I haven't felt anything from my Achilles, which has been an issue in the past, but my body was tired. On Monday, I woke up kinda cranky and tired. Once I got home (early dismissal) I took a hot bath and a 2 hour nap. All was well, once I got in that extra sleep. Ah! So I guess that I am still conditioning myself and not totally up to par. However, it is only February. I just hope the Caesar/Rodney isn't too painful. We will see. If it is, I can't say I didn't try to be ready for it.

As I expected

As I expected I kinda lost track of this training log. I haven't written for about two weeks, but have definitely still been training. So below this blog are some of the runs I have done over the past few weeks. Right now my energy is focused on the Ceasar/Rodnet Half Marathon, which I am running on March 13th. I can't believe I an STARTING my season with a half marathon. Usually it is the culmination of my season. That being said I am a little nervous and even dowright scared. I ran 12 miles last week and didn't feel so hot afterwards, so I am wondering if I am pushing my training. In response to that over the next two weeks, this past week included, I am really concentrating on running even though the triathalon is looming in front of me as well. I don't think anything can match cardiovascular strength, most especially in long distance races. I am sure I will be able to compete as long as I am in shape. So I am going to put in as many miles as I can over the next two weeks and hope for the best. You can never achieve something great, without taking a great risk, right.?


Friday, Feb. 25
3 miles
Kelly Drive
about 25 minutes

Thursday, Feb 24
5 miles
Wissahickon (finally)
In the snow!!!
about 40 minutes

Monday, Feb. 21
1 mile swim
1 hour with a few breaks
20 minute run on treadmil
Was not hurting afterwads, but body was very tired

Saturday, Feb. 19
12 miles
The loop into Manayunk and back with Steve D.
about 1:45
Felt terrible afterwards

In comparison...

Tuesday, Feb. 8th
4.4 miles
??????

Didn't push too hard tonight, but was still able to finish with the top girls. I guess they were stepping back as well. Part of my goal during these runs is to finish with the top women's runners. I only do it when people are sitting back or not as many come out, but i at least try :)
There's lots of talk about the Ceasar Rodney. it should be a lot of fun!

Sat., Feb 5th
9 miles
1:

So my goal today was to run long and not wipe myself out. So I took an easy pace, enjoyed my company (Steve D) and accomplished my goal. We think we did the run at an 8:30 pace and pushed the last 1.5 miles. It was fun as usual and I was living off the swimming I hard isnce the day before. Slowly but surely I am getting back to my old running self. I can't help but compare myself from last year, where I wasn't running at all at this time. Now i am getting ready for my 3rd half marathon! yeah!