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Laguna Hills Memorial Day 5K - Run5k


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Laguna Hills, California
United States
Renegade Racing
Overcast
Total Time = 25m 54s
Overall Rank = 84/666
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 7/57
Pre-race routine:

ZBar and 1/2 bottle of Gatorade when I woke up.
Event warmup:

Couple trips to the port-a-potty and I was good to go. Ran for about a minute or two, a few quick stretches, and then got into the chute. Kissed the hubby good luck and then left him in the dust as I crossed the mat. :)
Run
  • 25m 54s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 08m 20s  min/mile
Comments:

This race went surprisingly well for me from the start. I was just out there to get a good workout in and to do some speedwork, and I certainly accomplished that within the first mile. I clocked 8 minutes for my first mile, which is pretty darn fast for someone like me. I was afraid I'd blow myself up before I hit mile 3, but my legs felt strong and my heart rate wasn't feeling extraordinarily high. I backed off the pace a little bit as we headed uphill, but really made an effort to pound the downhills. I have some mental issues I have to deal with on my runs, though. I used the run/walk strategy to turn my ex couch-potato self into a sprint and then Olympic distance triathlete. So even though my legs and heart don't need to walk, sometimes my head thinks walking is exactly what I need to do. Somehow today I managed to suppress the walk demons (there is no shame in walking in my book, but only if you need it!), and I was able to push through a few spots where I really had no fight left in me.

The race ended with a 1/2 mile downhill. Ordinarily this would make me cringe, because I have wrotten knees, but I was feeling strong and just plowed down that hill. I sprinted into the finish, and was SO happy that I didn't have to run the 1/2 Marathon today! I love the quick stuff. I just dread the pained race photos.

Overall, I ended up PRing by over 2 minutes. I am beyond elated, and hope that perhaps I've convinced my brain that I can do the same in the 5K of a triathlon, too.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I'm psyched that I pushed myself today, and I felt phenomenal out there.
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed some water and headed back up the hill to cheer on my husband, who was doing his first 5K. I was shocked that he was still running, so I had to sprint to even see him at the finish line! We stretched together and then hung out and cheered on the Half Marathoners.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Genetics!

Event comments:

This was an awesome race. They did a great job organizing it, and I never once felt lost. The volunteers were plentiful, and the Expo at the end was pretty cool. I'm usually not a big fan of having to shuttle back to the start after the race, but I didn't mind taking the school bus back. Overall, fantastic race and really well run, from packet pickup to delivering me back to my car at the mall.




Last updated: 2008-05-26 12:00 AM
Running
00:25:54 | 03.11 miles | 08m 20s  min/mile
Age Group: 7/57
Overall: 84/666
Performance: Good
Course: Course did a loop through the Laguna Woods retirement community, then uphill to Paseo de Valencia, where there was a long climb followed by a 1/2 mile downhill to the finish. Course was overall a net downhill by about 100 feet.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2008-05-26 11:11 PM

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Subject: Laguna Hills Memorial Day 5K
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