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Commitment Day 5k - Houston - Run


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Houston, Texas
United States
48F / 9C
Overcast
Total Time = 24m 45s
Overall Rank = 54/998
Age Group = F30-34
Age Group Rank = 3/66
Pre-race routine:

I spent the week leading up to this in Socal, hanging out with friends and family. I drank more than normal and ate different than normal (not particularly bad, but saltier than normal). I'm up a couple pounds, but nothing a few days of hydrating and eating normally won't fix. I also did this cardio / strength / boxing class with my mom on Monday night and I can't remember the last time I was this sore! Chest, triceps, abs, quads, glutes, and calves are crazy sore....thankfully, my hamstrings are fine, so I figured I should be able to run okay.

Plans fell through last night, so I stayed in and went to bed early. I didn't sleep particularly well for some reason, but at least I got some sleep and didn't have a hang over or anything this morning! Got up, had a piece of toast with peanut butter, then picked Eric up from TFC. It was about an hour drive to the Sam Houston Race Park and we were there at 7:30 for a 9am start!

Picked up our packets and stayed indoors (or in the car) to stay warm until about 8:30.
Event warmup:

With about 30 minutes before the start of the race, I hit the restroom, and then did about 1.4 miles of easy running to warm up and get the HR up. Left ankle was a little sore for some reason, but it loosened up by the start of the race. I got to the start line just as they were starting the national anthem and then we started shortly after. Pretty good timing.
Run
  • 24m 45s
  • 3.15 miles
  • 07m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

I told myself to start off easy and build into it, like I did for the Turkey Trot. The first mile clicked off at 7:54, about 8 seconds faster than the first mile in my last 5k. I pushed the effort up just a little bit for the second mile, but my legs were burning and heavy because of residual soreness. My HR and breathing felt okay, but I just couldn't seem to get my legs to move any quicker. Second mile came in at 8:04....uh-oh!

I committed to pushing it a bit more for the last mile. I was playing leap frog with one other guy and I think we kept each other motivated. Third mile came in at 7:47 -- given the effort, I thought it would be a little faster, but I just couldn't get my legs to turn over any faster.

For the last 0.15 miles, I found another gear (which probably means that I did not pace the race quite right) and came in at a 6:51/mile pace and felt totally spent after crossing the finish line.

Last 5k, my Garmin showed a 7:50/mile pace (race was short at 3.02 miles); this race, my Garmin showed a 7:52/mile pace, so I'm pretty happy with it given all the junk I did over the past week!
What would you do differently?:

Just came off my highest volume running week (in a hilly area, no less), ate and drank through the holidays, and did that ridiculous boxing class that made me as sore as I've been in the longest time. If any of those had been different, I probably could have raced a little faster, but I don't regret it. This race was all about starting the year off right, and I'm pleased with that :)
Post race
Warm down:

Grabbed a bottle of water, walked around to allow my HR to come back down, then did a bunch of stretching (mostly hamstrings and quads). Then I ate a banana, drank some chocolate coconut water (surprisingly good), and waited around for them to post results.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Residual fatigue in my legs (whole body), eating and drinking throughout the holidays, my running "talent"

Event comments:

Great way to kick off the new year. Race was organized, but post-race food and activities were nothing special




Last updated: 2014-01-01 12:00 AM
Running
00:24:45 | 03.15 miles | 07m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/66
Overall: 54/998
Performance: Average
Course: Flat, out-and-back course
Keeping cool Average Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2014-01-02 7:56 AM

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