Sunday, February 14, 2010

Sweetheart Run 5K Race Report

I had a great chat with Coach on Saturday. I was telling him that I was a bit nervous about this race. I was really only doing it for fun and haven't done any speedwork this year. But with a day to go, I couldn't shake the desire to "do well" and pull off a time within my normal 5K finish time window. He reminded me that I'm training for a half-marathon, not a 5K. By my own definition, if I finish the 5K feeling good and wanting to do it again, that is success.

And that brings me to this morning. I looked at the weather forcast. Temp was expected to be about 34 deg at race start, which would be good, but it was windy with a windchill of about 28. Not horrible, but not ideal either.

I made the executive decision to go with a wardrobe change to something a bit more conducive for blocking the wind. This meant leaving the cheetah skirt at home because it no longer matched. However, I was set on wearing a skirt of some sort over my tights, so I went with basic black instead. No photo of the outfit today, sorry.

Long story short, the wind was not my friend this morning. There was a segment on the bridge that was straight into a headwind. I'm fairly certain that one bit is going to be quite a bit off my normal 5K pace.

Update: Just looked at the results on my Garmin in half mile splits. Yep. Exactly what I thought, a 10:41 pace for that bit. Ouch. Freaking wind. The remainder of the race had the wind either as a cross wind or at my back, and those splits are more on par with my 5K pace. And in my typical style, I picked it up at the end and 'sprinted' across the finish line. Woot!
Overally, while I'm not *thrilled*, I am still pleased with my final time: 30:34 (a 9:48 avg pace) which put me 7th of 25 in the f40-49 age group. Husband had a good race as well: 26:38, 6th m40-49.

[Side note: When I mentioned racing a new age group, I was expecting 5 year age groups. This is not the first (or second or third or fourth) year in the f40-49 age group. LOL]

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks. We have tomorrow off and are hoping to take advantage of the opportunity for a bike ride. Fingers crossed for good weather!

27 comments:

  1. Sorry the wind was so bad. Good job for finishing strong.

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  2. Nice job especially with a whipping wind like that! Too bad you couldn't wear the new Cheetah skirt....it is so cute.

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  3. I think you did pretty dang good despite the darn wind! I hate running in the wind.

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  4. NIcely done, despite the wind. Sorry you didn't get to wear your pretty new skirt. ;o)

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  5. Hi Lisa,
    Way to rock it with some fierce wind:) Also, congrats on placing for your age group...that is so great:) I hope that you have a nice bike ride tomorrow!!

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  6. Nice work! Dang wind! I think that's the worst when running.

    I recently ran a 5K while training for a half - no speedwork, etc. My time was slower than usual too. Don't worry about it - you'll speed up when you train specifically for a shorter race! :)

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  7. Nicely done!

    I was happy just to finish my 5k today, given that I haven't been training for ANYTHING. Yikes.

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  8. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. That wind and the wind chill can really change everything! You did great.

    HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

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  9. how did you get that garmin graph ? do you have the 305 forerunner, what are you using ???

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  10. enjoy your day off! you had a good race, enjoy the time you put up.

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  11. You did so well at preparing for the wind/weather. Some runners forget to look at the weather forecast.

    10 year age groups are unfair: A 40 year old and a 49 year old, a 50 year old and a 59 year old competing .. I could go on. I am discovering the "Age 70 and up" (or even "Over 60")
    My default perspective: running is good for me, winning is less important. Cheers!

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  12. That's nicely done! Focus on what we have control over, eh? Times inevitably take care of themselves....

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  13. Nice work to you and the hubs. Sets the stage well for the rest of the races this year.

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  14. running in wind stinks, and i know because i live in kansas....
    way to gut it out though, and finish strong...

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  15. Ugh, the wind here was miserable on Sunday so huge kudos for doing a great job!

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  16. Headwinds can suck the life out of me in seconds. Yay you for getting through that and having a run to be proud of! So much fun catching up with your blog again. :D

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  17. Nice job with the 5k! Not bad at all, even with the wind.

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  18. Congrats to both of you! Wind is a killer.

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  19. Wow, that is a GREAT time...wind and all. That wind, it is my foe too...

    good going girl!!!

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  20. Bummer you couldn't wear the cheetah skirt I love it!

    Congrats on a great race despite the wind!

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  21. Bummer about the skirt! Good race though and great placement in your AG! My AG is the same as yours, but there are always hundreds!!! I think I need to go to my hometown for a race!! Well done!

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  22. Wind is the hardest to run in. It is just tough! Good job in the race!

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  23. Yep, many smaller races I do have the same F40-49 AG. Well done in that wind!

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  24. Congrats on the race!

    I laughed that you didn't wear your skirt because it didn't match. I wore orange and purple the other day.

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  25. Too bad you couldn't wear the new Cheetah skirt....it is so cute.

    Work From Home

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