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Comments: Did a great job off the start. I placed myself near the back. Started off nice and easy, was perfectly warmed up, and stuck to keeping it easy. I was aiming for a 12:00 pace on this and felt like I was just about on target, maybe cruising a bit faster, but very comfortably so. I never pushed myself to go any faster, just to maintain and keep thing easy-going. Got to the hill and my Mt. Washington dreams took over. I put my head down and, though I tried hard not to accelerate, I didn't back off. I climbed beautifully with good form and good pace...for about .25 mi. The WHAM, I blew up. I didn't feel it coming at all, just all of a sudden I couldn't breathe, couldn't feel anything outside my heart thudding and my lungs screaming. I never stopped walking, but I was mighty uncomfortable. I didn't recover again until the very top of the hill. I definitely would have been able to run more sections, even short ones, if I had my breathing and HR under control. So, I shucked my ego, walked until I was solidly under control again, then picked it back up to a slooooooow jog. At this point I knew my overall 12:00 pace was shot, but I wanted to push through what I could, get back to that easy swinging movement, and finish well without dying. I did get that back, relaxed again, and focused again on my form. I even started doing a few short strides, which really helped me pick it up and move my feet. Finished up into the parking lot feeling good (and hopefully not looking TOO bad!), and hit the timer at 38:06. What would you do differently?: Perhaps not take nearly two weeks off before a 5K. Realize that though my head says I've been hill training, my legs and lungs do not agree with that statement. In summary: eat hills. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a few snacks. Flats are for wussies! Particular to this given day at this given physical point in my training: realized I wasn't going to run the entire hill and committed to walking it from the start. I think I could have walked it faster than I ran/exploded it.  Post race
Warm down: Um, wait, we're supposed to warm down? I had every intention of warming down properly, but I knew I was right near the end of the pack and I wanted to cheer the last runners in. I did make sure to get a good walk in and then stretch properly. Went and grabbed some food and water, chatted with a few people, then headed to get changed and on my way to my hike. What limited your ability to perform faster: That whole training thing. It really gets in the way. Event comments: Great race, well run, will definitely do it again. No wonder I saw a LOT of hats/t-shirts/etc from years past! A great kickoff to this six-race series. Last updated: 2010-02-09 12:00 AM
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United States
Capital Area Race Series (C.A.R.S.)
28F / -2C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 262/281
Age Group = F3039
Age Group Rank = 0/
Woke up around 2:30 a.m. like I often do Saturday mornings. Got my gear packed for my big overnight hiking trip, checked all my running gear, and tried to catch another hour or so of sleep. Of COURSE my BFF called me ten minutes before my alarm went off to wish me luck. :)
Got to the race in good time, found a SWEET parking spot where I could access my car easily during warmup, etc. Got checked in and went for an easy stroll. Tried to stay chilled out and not get swept up into the warmup routines of others. nice and relaxed, but definitely ready to go.
Breakfast was a muffin and coffee on the drive down, plus a gel at the 15 min call. Got down about 12-16 oz of water over the course of the morning, so good hydration for the run.
Try as I might, I just couldn't stand around and wait while everyone else was jogging. I know, I know, race your own race. I walked for a bit, nice and loose, getting the lay of the land, thanking volunteers, etc. I jogged in a nice easy area, focusing on my form, taking in nice steady breaths, getting a rhythm established, etc. I picked up a bit of speed to get up to what I was aiming for as race pace to make sure that felt good. Jogged up a hill, back down, and then another lap around the flat. Did a couple of short strides to open everything up and jack my energy. That felt really good.
After that 10-15 min jog, I walked all around the grounds, checking out everyone greeting each other for the first race of the season, the XC kids going through their routines, etc. Just basically kept moving. After the ten min call, did a few more short strides, then joged and walked over to the start area. Did a little stretching, kept my legs moving, chatted, then we all heard the gun go and were like, "oh, right, this is a race, guess we gotta go now!"