Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Recipe for a 5k PR.

A couple of weeks ago my co-worker & friend Miranda heads-me-up-ed about a local  run/walk 5k to support  cancer fighters, survivors and their families! I was super psyched to have another race on the schedule and began to immediately plan for a major PR.  This would be my 4th ever 5k and I was itching to get a sub-30 finish. In my planning, I forgot to consult my schedule.....anyways- I give you a recipe for a PR. 

1. Bonfire the night before the race. The key to speedy running is bonfire-hair. The smell will keep you going  and your fellow racers will lay on the compliments. "Yes, my shampoo is a spin off of the regular apple-wood scent." 
2. Work a midnight shift proceeding the race. I promise you will finish faster if you have been up for at least 16 hours and are just slightly frazzled from work. 

3. Drink an entire pot of coffee. 
(My officers typically save me from inhaling the entire pot by myself, but tonight it was just me in the office and I went to town.)

4. Drag your sister out of bed 32 minutes before the race begins and trick her into running with you by promising her a hazelnut latte post-finish. 
5. Take random pictures of your pre-race faces while hiding from the wind chill in your car.

6. Wear pink. Grey is optional, but pink is absolutely necessary. End of Story. 

7. Stand in some pretty hard-core wind for 5-10 minutes before the race begins. When all 10 of your toes are frozen, it's time to begin running. 

8. Don't take any pictures during the race, post race or happy face. Actually, I wouldn't recommend #8. I am majorly kicking myself that I didn't take pictures to document my success. Bahh......

Anyway-- the race was great! It was super small- no bibs, time recorded or places awarded. No pressure, just a great cause and fantastic way to support your community. I was super sleepy during registration and had a really hard time getting my head in the game. I worked hard to get psyched up and by start time I was ready to rock. 
The runner/walker ratio was pretty lopsided, and there was just a handful of runners. I started out in the head of the pack and expected to get passed like crazy, but I held my own. I felt fantastic the entire race. I didn't check my pace once during the race, just focused on staying strong and feeling awesome despite feeling like the only thing I was capable of was falling asleep mid-stride. 
As I came in towards the finish, I really had no idea what time to expect. I knew I was running really good splits, but I didn't have any idea what my pace was.
My finish time was 28:27!!! My previous 5k PR was 30:31-- I got a two minute PR!!  
A sub-30 5k finish has been my goal all year and at each of my 5ks it eluded me- a cramped-up-nausea-laden-fist-ever-5k in May, too much heat in July and running with a friend in August

I ended up finishing #6 overall (I told you it was a small race!!), 4th woman AND I beat my sister.
 (First and only time that will ever happen!! She dinged up her knee in a bike wreck last week, so she's taking it easy to ensure proper healing.) (I put this sentence in parentheses simply so it wouldn't feel left out in this paragraph. I'm thoughtful to words like that.) 

What's your recipe for a PR?

5 comments:

  1. 28:27 is insane!! Especially after being awake all night! Maybe I need to try that. You rock, girl!!

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  2. I think that you rocked the town...did I tell you that while I was eating your dust, on the stretch across main street this dog tried to take off my right arm?!?!?!? I think he was hating on me because i was going so slow...or maybe it was that I smelled like blood. IDK. Also...thank you for being thoughtful of the words' feelings...you are a rare person indeed.:) Tabs

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  3. Omg this made me laugh so hard! Basically because I may or may not have run 1 (or 5) races with this exact pre-race routine! Just ask my sister:) and yesss! Pink is absolutely necessary to wear during a race!

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  5. Your recipe for a PR sounds deadly! Amazing what our bodies can do eh! Great job on the 28:27. I can't wait to run a race once my knee is fixed, think I'll start with a 5k!

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