I was much more confident heading into this Baja 5k than I was heading into last weekend. I had only one goal and that was to finish in under 30 mins.
Mission Accomplished!!!
This race I ran solo. Amanda was battling the plague and Hilary couldn't make it so my partners from last week were out. I'm pretty sure I would have shaved an extra minute off that time by running with others, but it was good to push myself through on my own.
Many factors made this weeks run more productive then last week...
The Weather - It was a comfortable 60 degrees today compared to the 115 degrees it was last weekend. This made a huge difference for me the last mile. I wasn't nearly as exhausted at the end and actually feel as though I could have run another mile or two. That was a first for me.
The Course - This course was much flatter. I ran the first mile in 7:58 and was shocked. Some of the veterans said it was a 'short' mile and I may or may not believe that. While I did stop twice to walk for a few steps, it was only to drink water at the 1.5 mi point and to stretch out the calves at the 2.5 mi mark. The first mile pace cost a little in the last mile but gave me confidence I could break the 30 min mark.
The Mindset - I knew I was gonna finish this race. Last week, I wasn't sure until I had finally crossed the finish line. Knowing how I'd feel when it was over was the overwhelming motivation. It didn't help that I loaded up on scotch instead of carbs last night, but lesson learned.
I would say there was close to 300 people in the race. The winner finished in 15 minutes flat, which is insane to me. All and all, it was a successful day and progress is still being made. New goal for the next 5k is to see if I can break 28 min. This one may take me a few races to reach, but I think it can happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment