A week and a half ago, I completed my first Twilight 5K in Ithaca. It’s one of those summer races I have been meaning to do for a while now (hello cheap entry fee) and I finally bit the bullet and signed up. I was feeling pretty good going into the race and was really hoping for a PR. In some ways I did PR, because my time was shorter than my fastest racing 5K, but the distance was shorter that my last PR 5K (3.17 miles).
In retrospect, I think I could have come close to hitting my PR goal if I hadn’t been so fixated on getting Runkeeper to work in my first quarter mile of the race. It was an easy flat course and along a path I’ve run on many a time during my marathon training. One thing I realized is that I really need to learn how to not place myself at the head of the pack! I know I am not a fast runner so why do I put myself through the frustration of being passed by a million people?! I hate the feeling of being passed. It’s especially frustrating when said passers try to be encouraging. I mean c’mon, we all know what you’re rely thinking.
source: http://theoatmeal.com/
Perhaps if I started in the back or middle of the pack I could for once gain the pleasure of passing someone by. Alas, maybe someday I will learn! Or maybe someday I will be a faster runner and it won’t bother me so much.
Overall, I think I did fairly well. My pace was only 12secs off of my PR pace so it wasn’t like I completely flopped. I look forward to more summer races and hope to work up my speed as I learn more about HR training and incorporating speed work.
Slow Mo Mother Runner 