Earlier this week I got a little race registration happy and decided to sign-up for a local 5K just for ‘fun’. I seriously just wanted to break 21:00 and get a solid speed workout in. I love to run, that’s no secret, but it is really challenging for me to do speed workouts on a weekly basis. It scares me, I know it’s going to hurt, and it is hard to push yourself when you are out by your lonesome. I was dedicated to speed work while training for Boston and NYC but with this spring being all about fun and not PR’s, I’ve only done two speed workouts. I completed one tempo style run and another 800 meter repeat workout so far this spring. This time last year I was logging 800 meter repeats or mile repeats weekly so I seriously didn’t think sub 20:00 would even be within reach.
The race started and finished in front of COSI. I usually like to get to races a bit early, but with traffic and a nightmare of a parking lot that took FOR-EV-ER to enter, I got to the race about an hour before the gun went off. This made me a little uncomfortable because I had to book it to pick up my registration packet, hit the restrooms, do my 3 mile warm-up and still have time to stretch and pee again. I somehow managed to accomplish all of that and made it to the start line with 5 minutes to go. My secret to success? Forgo the restrooms and porta-pots and find a seedy alley to pop a squat it.
When the gun went off, I just focused on putting one foot in front of the other and pushing myself. When I came through the first mile I looked down my watch and saw 6:10 on the screen. I honestly didn’t believe my eyes and shrugged and kept running.
The course had some surprising hills that I wasn’t expecting specifically during mile 2 and 3. Historically I suck it up reaaaaal bad in the second mile. I looked down at my watch rolling through mile 2 and saw a 6:46. Now that I believed.
I gave myself a pep talk like I always do after mile 2 and said I could indeed break 21:00 if I just held onto this pace. There was an unforgiving hill half-way through mile 3 but I just put my head down and kept pushing on. My reasoning? I just paid money to do a speed workout, I might as well give it all I had in the final mile and make it worthwhile and get my money’s worth.
I came to a fork in the course – 5K runners to the left, 10 K runners to the right. I was so relieved I chose to do the 5K that day and just kept chugging along and then I was surprised to see the finish line SO close. I gave one final kick and when I crossed the finish line and looked down at my watch and saw 19:47 flash back at me, I was in disbelief.
Did I seriously just tie my current 5K PR?
Then in my mind the excitement began to quickly increase. If it was socially acceptable I would have totally started screaming 19:47! 19:47! 19:47! In the same manner that Data from The Goonies screamed when he found the 50 dollar bills…While simultaenously fist-pumping…No idea what I’m referring to? Click on the video below to be caught up to speed on this 80′s classic.
According to the official results I rolled through the finish in 19:48, ONE second from my best 5K race to date. I have no explanation. I feel like this is completely insane. But I’m going to take this huge confidence boost and hold onto it really tight moving forward. To make it even crazier, I placed 3rd overall for females, 1st in my age group and 14th out of 477 total racers.I seriously can’t wipe the smile off my face!
I guess there’s a lot to be said for aiming to have ‘fun’!
Have you ever surprised yourself by an unexpected performance?
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Molly, you are such an inspiration – congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!
Completely awesome race!!!! Still kicking ass I see
I can not imagine rolling in that fast, I would be yelling out the time as well. Congrats!!!!
[...] I am SO pumped for you. I have an incredibly hard time really putting into words what it feels like to toe the line in Hopkinton, and to run those same streets that the greats have run before us. It is truly the most magical race experience EVER. I will be cheering for you from afar and know that you will be so, so awesome that day! Don’t waste a single second you are in Beantown, breathe it all in, because it will go by SO quickly. The gun goes off, your quads get torn to hell and then before your know it you are making that left turn onto Boylston. There’s a whole lotta magic that occurs in between but it seriously goes by SO quickly. This is YOUR time. YOUR moment. One that you have worked SO damn hard for! Make CLE proud and show Boston your SWAGGER. -Mollyberries [...]