Frostbite 5 Miler Race Report

I have to admit, I was really nervous going into this race. This was my fourth time running it so I knew the course wasn't easy. I don't mind hills for a normal run but all out racing 5 miles of hills is a different story. Secondly, I was using this race to see if my hard work for Shamrock training was paying off. While I wanted to see a 36:33, which would be a PR and what McMillian predicted for a 3:35 marathon, I was scared that I would see a finish time that would suggest I wasn't where I needed to be. So when I got sick last week, I'd be lying if I didn't say I thought that maybe that was my way out of racing. But as I sat in a meeting on Friday afternoon thinking about the race, my heart started pounding. I was excited and nervous and knew I had to go for it.

When I headed to bed Friday night the wind was howling. We had a severe wind advisory through the night and all day Saturday. The winds were so loud they kept me up for most of the night and made me even more nervous about racing. When I woke up on Saturday, we had 40mph winds with wind gusts up to 60mph. I thought for sure a PR was out of the question.

I arrived to the race about 45 minutes early and ran an easy 3 mile warm up. It was sunny and the temperature was nice but the winds were a bitch. I was feeling pretty good and just figured I'd do my best to hold a 7:18 pace, making up for any lost time on the hills on the downhills. This race has really grown over the years and there were 1500 runners this year. I lined myself up at the front of the pack but told myself not to get too caught up with everyone and to do my own thing. When the gun went off we all took off like bats out of hell. I didn't look too much at my watch and just tried to find a pace that was comfortable. A short ways into the race we hit our first hill and I plowed up it like it was nothing. I checked in with my pace and saw I was averaging under a 7 minute mile. That had me a little concerned but my legs felt good so I stuck with it. I figured I'd lose a lot of time on the hills still to come so I mine as well make up some time early on. I cruised through the first 2 miles...

Mile 1 - 6:49
Mile 2 - 6:48

When we hit mile 3 there was a nice climb and the wind was killing me. I started having waaaay too many doubts at this point; definitely something I need to work on. I actually thought about walking and just stopping altogether. What the heck is up with that??? Yea my legs were hurting a bit but there was nothing wrong with me. Thankfully, I shut myself up and knew I just needed to make it to mile 4 because then the end was near.

Mile 3 - 7:31 (ugh)

Mile 4 came and my legs were tired and I was so done with the wind. My lungs were hurting from my cold and I wanted this to be over. I gave it everything I had and just tried to hold a pace under 7:18. At this point I was still just hoping to break 37 minutes and come in around that 36:33. Due to a downed power line, we were forced off the road for a bit and onto a trail, which is normally part of the course. With the weather we've been having, the trail wasn't in the best condition so we were supposed to stay on the roads. Thankfully we had an option when the road got blocked and thankfully no one was hurt.  It was really muddy on the trail and there were a few spots that really slowed you down because of the thick, soft mud. The only good part of the trail was that it provided a little shelter from the wind. When I got off the trail and could see the turn ahead of me that would take me to the finish, I gave it my all. On the final stretch I was trying to run straight and the wind was blowing straight from the side. It seriously took everything I had to stay going straight. I made the final turn heading right into the wind and saw the clock at the finish. I couldn't believe it said 35:XX. I sprinted as hard as I could and crossed the finish line shocked and beyond happy.

Mile 4 - 7:10
Mile 5 - 7:03

My official time: 35:26!!

Average pace 7:06

133/1341 overall

9/113 F30-34

29/652 Females

A huge PR and better yet, a HUGE confidence booster. I swear, I never in a million years thought I had that in me, especially on this course. I've been training harder than ever and taking every single workout very seriously so I guess all my hard work is paying off. It's a great feeling to be able to say that.

I texted my friend Coach Jack who has helped me with my schedule for Shamrock and part of his response, "...your time today predicts a 3:26 marathon (with certain assumptions)..." While I'm not so sure about a 3:26 marathon in my future, I'm feeling great about my goal of sub 3:35 at Shamrock.

I got my long run in today (in more wind) and spent the rest of the day being lazy. Between the race and this cold I needed a day to lay around and rest up for week 4 of 4, which is going to be a tough one. Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 5 mi, lift
Tues - 10 mi, 3 ladders at 6:58
Wed - lift, easy bike
Thurs - 10 mi with 7mi at tempo (7:40)
Fri - 5 mi
Sat - 20 mi (but I'm thinking I may do 22)
Sun - swim