So since there’s not really anything going on on the Internet today, I thought I’d regale you all with my tale of my own little 5k Frenzy, a name I blatantly, shamelessly, and unapologetically stole from my friend Dash.
Last year, in an attempt not to injure myself, I cut way back on races. It was hard, because I love races, but I had a goal, and I threw everything I had at it. Only to then fail miserably in meeting that goal and possibly tearing some cartilage in my hip in the process. (I have torn cartilage in my hip, I just don’t know when it happened. 20 years ago for all I know.)
Anyway, this year I decided that my blind devotion to training had to go. I wanted to go back to loving running. After the doc told me that I was doing no short-term damage to my hip by running on it back in January, I began running three days a week–and only three days a week–in hopes of finishing the National Half Marathon. It’s my favorite race, despite the fact that the last two years have seen me get injured there, and as a National Marathon Ambassador, I felt a strong symbolic desire to go back and run the race and have a positive experience. And I did. Then the next week I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, and even though I had trained less than I did last year, I still came out with a faster time.
At the same time, I was gearing up for a local 5k to test my fitness before launching into more formal training for the summer/fall. I picked the Kelley Cares 5k because I could run there from my house as a warm up and because it’s tiny and I set a PR there years ago (of 23:55). But then someone asked me if I wanted to run some Crystal City 5ks, and I was like, well, I can only make the ones on April 8th and April 29th. And then I realized that I had a race every weekend in April except for the 1 I was on vacation, so I found one there.
The results?
Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in 1:24:05
Crystal City 5k 2 in 24:37.
Despite a terrible pic, I run a PR 22:37 at my target race.
I came dangerously close to another PR, but the course was long, so I had to settle for a 23:20 and 2nd in my AG.
And finally, despite feeling totally raced out and dropping an 8lb. dumbbell on my head earlier that day, I finish with a 23:53 tempo effort. (I'm fine.)
After all that and with the changing weather, I’m feeling a little tired. I’m taking this week fairly easy, but I already have my sights set on my next race. The PRR Twilight Four Miler. My 4 mile PR is something hilarious like 32 minutes, so I’m gunning for that. Please don’t be 100 degrees again this year, ok, Twilight Four Miler?
Posted by Beth on May 4, 2011 at 12:48 pm
haha, how did I not notice that you were running every single weekend? I like your no training only racing plan, though. Its totally working
Posted by Dash on May 4, 2011 at 12:58 pm
I love it, I hope my 5k frenzy is as successful as yours has been!!
Yes, please don’t be 100* again. (My step mom said it was 102* per her cars thermometer)
Posted by amy on May 4, 2011 at 1:14 pm
I love this! I’m really excited for shorter races this summer – when’s that twilighter?
Posted by katie on May 5, 2011 at 9:15 am
hmmm, when is that 4 miler? I might be able to run 4 miles in under 40 minutes by then.
also, ditto beth, how did I not notice you were in this frenzy?
Posted by Dash on May 5, 2011 at 3:07 pm
June 11th, is the Twilighter! Ashburn, just up the road from Sweetwater Tavern in Sterling.
Posted by Today, We Are All Peasants « Lizard Runs on May 11, 2011 at 3:56 pm
[...] But otherwise it was a beautiful day. The sky was a bit overcast, but it was that magical temperature that allows you to bike comfortably all wet in a sleeveless tri suit and still be cool on the run. It was also the first time I have ever enjoyed a triathlon. I think the secret was the fact that I was running really fast at the end. I passed several dudes and finished with with a 24:06 for the (estimated) 5k run, and I felt like I had a lot more left. (I also realized as I was running that I was doing yet another 5k.) [...]
Posted by What’s Next? « Lizard Runs on May 16, 2011 at 11:09 am
[...] May 16, 2011 by lizard151 in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment So after seven weeks of racing, it was really nice to sleep in on Sunday morning and do an easy 6 miles by myself. I’m still [...]
Posted by Virginia Wine Half Marathon Race Report « Lizard Runs on June 7, 2011 at 8:18 pm
[...] course I forgot that I wanted to run a PR the very next weekend. And that my longest run during my 5k frenzy was 5 miles. Heh heh. And then the heatwave hit. I did 6 miles one weekend, sweating my balls off, [...]