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Hot Chocolate Classic - Run5k


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Brandon, Mississippi
United States
Mississippi Track Club
30F / -1C
Precipitation
Total Time = 25m 59s
Overall Rank = 47/294
Age Group = 40-49
Age Group Rank = 3/27
Pre-race routine:

Gotta' love running races close to home. So little prep needed, especially for a short race. Got up around 6a, brewed coffee, got dressed, and headed over to the race site to register. It was very cloudy, cold (in the 30s) with a 14mph wind coming across the reservoir, which made it feel like it was in the 20s. Mist blowing around everywhere.
Event warmup:

Tried to be inconspicuous when doing the set of Dynamic Warm Ups (DWU) my coach has prescribed. I feel all goofy. Then, set off on my warmup run with 3x3' tempo (1' easy). Figured I ought to run into the wind coming over the reservoir so I would know what to expect for the race. Not as bad as I anticipated. And the wind at my back was fab. Changed shoes and hopped into the masses for the start.
Run
  • 25m 59s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 08m 21s  min/mile
Comments:

While I was the 3rd person in my age group, I ended up with 2nd because 1st moved up to masters. And I was the 9th female overall. Yay me.

I actually felt as if I was "racing" for a change. Normally, I am one of the crowd out for a run, watching the other people race. I got an okay start. It was crowded and our path was a bit narrow, so I did quite a bit of dodging through traffic the first quarter mile or so. Then, it was just a matter of passing the people in front of me. In fact, I passed a ton of people and very few passed me.

Right before the turnaround, I caught up with a lady who appeared to be in my age group. I had counted about 10 ladies in front of us at that point. I had absolutely no idea how fast we were running, but it felt like a pretty good clip to me, even into the wind. Usually, I would sort of freak and think I could never make it. This time, I told myself to relax and stick with her. I tried to drop her a couple of times, with mini surges, but she stuck with me. Whatever. It actually made it easier to pace off of someone. One lady passed us at about the 2 mile mark, but we caught back up, passed her and then passed another woman who had been in front of us. Now, we were running 9 and 10...the question was which of us would be 9th.

My partner seemed to know a lot of folks and was cheering them on. I waved to my friend, Billy, but was really focused. It seemed to me that her breathing was a little more labored than mine. About 1/2 mile from the finish, my adductor started to hurt a bit, but I wasn't going to let it slow me down.

When we got about 50 yds from the turn to the finish, I tried to shift into another gear and speed up a bit more than I had on my previous attempts to drop my pacer. I had to get in front of her because I am no sprinter and inevitably get passed at the finish line. It worked and I could tell she was dropping quickly.

I could hardly believe it when I saw the clock hadn't even turned over to 26 minutes yet. I had hoped to beat my previous 5k times by breaking 27 minutes. This was a bonus. One second under 26, but I'll take it.
What would you do differently?:

I actually think I could have run a wee bit faster.
Post race
Warm down:

1-mile very easy jog. My adductor was hurting.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Just belief that I can actually run faster and hold that pace.

Event comments:

The conditions were horrible, and the people organizing the race did a great job managing them. They made sure everyone was safe on the course. The volunteers were plentiful as was the post-race food. My only complaint (and this is always my compliant about MTC races) is that it takes forever to get the results done. (I used to do race results, so I know it doesn't have to take that long.)




Last updated: 2010-01-31 12:00 AM
Running
00:25:59 | 03.11 miles | 08m 21s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/27
Overall: 47/294
Performance: Good
Course: Straight out and back on the spillway. Flat and fast, even with the wind.
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
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] 4

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2010-01-31 8:37 AM

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