Sunday, May 6, 2012

Run for the Zoo 5K Summary

Preface
  • My training hasn't been going well.  I was having problems with my knee that kept me from training the way that I wanted to. I've been running conservatively and my knee seems okay at the moment. However, this past week I started having problems with my back.  
  • I told Husband that I wanted to come in under 31 minutes, preferably closer to 30 minutes.  That's quite a bit slower than those ~28 minute 5Ks that I was doing last year, but seemed doable under the circumstances and I just really wanted to finish without pain, finish strong, and have fun.
Inspiration
  • "If you don't like something, change it;  if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."  - Mary Engelbreit

The Good
  • I started, I ran, I finished.
  • As usual, this is a well organized race with lots of volunteers.
  • No knee pain, no significant back pain.
  • Officially placed 41 of 111 F45-49, 1065 of 2175 total participants.  Sounds pretty much middle of the pack to me.  Nothing wrong with that.
The Bad
  • My Garmin says 31:53, exactly the same as my Garmin read last year at this race.  Last year I ran this after several months off, so I was happy with my time.  However this year, I've been running (albeit not very consistently) since mid-February, and for that reason I'm not so happy.   [Official time: 31:48 10:12 pace.]
  • Last year it was cold and windy for this race.  This year it was sunny and warm.  It was definitely more comfortable this year, but I wish it had been a bit cooler. 
  • I wanted to finish strong, and while I did run the last stretch quite a bit faster than the rest of the run, I never really pushed it the entire time so it was more of a relatively strong finish rather than an actual strong finish.  
  • I am disappointed.  Logically, I should not be unhappy with my time because I treated this more like a training run than a race, but I still find myself feeling disappointed.  It's not so much that I'm disappointed with how I executed the race, I'm disappointed that I'm not where I want to be because my body isn't cooperating.  
The Ugly
  • Other than my attitude right now, nothing.
More Inspiration (because I need it right now)
  • "To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have." - Ken S Keyes, Jr.  

11 comments:

  1. significant yay on "No knee pain, no significant back pain"

    The rest will come in time.

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  2. Did you see animals or was it just for a zoo not at a zoo?

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  3. YOur attitude isn't ugly! You're disappointed,and that's reasonable! ((hugs))

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  4. Had a great time reading your post. Just keep on striving.

    knee pain

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  5. I can understand that you are disappointed but I think there are a lot more positives than negatives here. You did well and that is still a very good time, well done! Things will fall in place and come together over time.

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  6. sounds like you met your goals! well, except for the digits, soooooo don't be fuddy duddy!! :-D

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  7. Despite your disappointment I think there was far more wins here; especially the no back or knee pain part! Just keep at it girl, the speed will come.

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  8. Great results: you are in the first half.
    31:48 is not bad at all because your goal was to finish the race with no pain.
    Better times will come and you will be able to run as fast as you like.

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  9. OUCH! That last quote hit it on the head........ Remember, you're running........

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  10. I totally get where you're coming from Lisa. We all know not to compare ourselves to others but sometimes comparing ourselves as we are now with how we were then is destructive as well. Acknowledge the disappointment then let it go. There were so many positives about your race to celebrate as well. Hugs!

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  11. Love those 2 quotes! Could not have said it better :)

    I'm sorry the race didn't go as planned, sometimes you need a bad run or race in order to appreciate the good ones. Don't give, keep running and I'm sure you will be back very soon!

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