Belmar 5, Belmar, NJ 9/2/23

I miss the Beach. It’s a 45 minute drive. Without a reason to go down there early in the mornings, I just don’t go there to run anymore. I need to change that.

After my last marathon, I felt ready to add more speed work, hill work, and strength work to my training. I have been very carefully building my endurance to not aggravate my achilles. But I feel ready now to add more intently..  

I raced two 5ks this year both about 6:49 pace. I was ready to race a short race again to  see where my speed is now after racing two marathons (in July and August). 

---

Race Details:
This race is a larger local race.. About 2300 runners showed up to run the flat and fast five mile course. There are clocks at every mile. Plenty of aid stations. Lots of people cheering on the streets or from their homes. It feels like a party at the beach with music, food, and really good energy.

Personal Details: 
I felt physically well. I was ready to test myself.  I didn't taper for this. I did a lot of training on Friday (the day prior). I met Dave and Pablo for a 10M run in the morning.. I did a 40 minute spin, 1o min row, and some strength training mid-day (in between my coaching zooms and desk work).  

Belmar 5 wasn't a goal race. I only wanted to see how it felt to push myself. I wanted to see people I haven't seen in years. I wanted to feel like part of my road racing community again.  

I used to race roads always weekly.  At one point, as I was completing cancer treatment, I raced every single week for 2 years. I was averaging 55 races per year. They were mostly 5k. As my race distances grew I stared to race every other weekend. Then it all came to a halt once my achilles blew up.  I used to be a prolific participant and I loved every minute of it.  Initially when cancer made me question my resilience, racing assured me I could persevere. And once I recovered from my cancer treatment, racing became part of my soul.  I am so grateful to get to do this again. 

---

Nutrition: I ate a lot less for this race than I have for my past marathons. Coffee with a teaspoon of sugar. 200 cals of Skratch Super-High Carb Drink with a scoop of BCAAs added.  No waffles for breakfast, No Gu on the course. I grabbed water at the aid stations but poured most of that over me, I drank a little. I didn't feel like I needed it. 

It was very cool morning. The coolest it has been in months. It was in the mid-50s at 5:45 am. I put the heat on in my car on the way down. I had on warm up pants and a long sleeve shirt for the ride. This made me feel hopeful. 

I wore my 3 year old Hot Pink Nike racing flats (the first version of the Vapor Flys). I spent a lot of money on them before Covid and wanted to get my money's worth.  I want to save my new White Nike Vapor Flys for more important races).   

I wore some new Rabbit shorts (Fuel and Flys) to see if I like them for racing. They worked out well, I carried nothing except my inhaler in the back pocket. No issues. 

---

I am most comfortable showing up to races on my own. I prefer to take care of myself on my own pace without trying to coordinate pre-race routines with others.  But when the race isn't important I also enjoy meeting others at the start.

This wasn't a goal race for me, I met Sandy and Kelly (two runners I am coaching) about 90 minutes before gun time. We were hoping to run a 3-5 miles warm up before we raced. Race day mornings can be hectic. Everything takes extra time.  After a 3 mile warm up, we were heading over to the start, 

---

Pace Goals: My last two miles of the marathon I ran 9 days prior were sub-7,   I would like to run sub=7 for this entire 5M. I told Dave the day before that I was aiming or 6:52 average pace. ​ I like that number,  It's sub-3 marathon pace. It would be fun to see how fast that feels. 

I line up towards the front because I read that awards are by gun time not chip. I don't know if that applied to only top 3 overall or everyone but if I had a chance at an age group award I did not want to lose it because I started 1000 deep into a crowd. I find some ladies planning to run about my pace or a little faster and get behind them. 

Gun goes off.  
My start is a little fast. It feels good to accidentally run too fast but I know to settle in.  I get in a rhythm and assess if I feel like I can hold it. 
M1 6:53.   

If I can hold this pace for 4 miles, possibly move a little bit faster each mile, and then kick, I will have achieved my goal of sub=7.  I am comfortable with that plan.

The entire rest of the race I spend in contemplation of how I feel in the mile I am in.  I make adjustments. The mental game I decided to play along the way is to not slow down.  Ideally if I paced well, each mile will be equal to or faster than the mile before it.

I know I would fade if I got too far in over my head (over my lactate threshold).  I has been a long time since I raced fast.  But I have learned over the years to NOT wait to adjust.  I would rather move slightly too much under threshold and have a powerful kick than run just slightly over threshold and have the wheels fall off.  

When using races as training runs it is the last mile that I remember most.  The mile that will set the tone for how I felt about the race experience is the Last Mile.. not the first, and not even the fastest mile if after that fast mile I fell apart.  Of course, terrain matters but most road races are going to be flat and fast unless bill as hard and hilly.   

Mile-by-Mile I do what I planned to do. I stayed in control. The execution of the race is more important to me right now than trying to run any specific actual time but I have goal times in mind. Doing something with intention is alway more emotionally risky than winging it and hoping it works out.  I stopped winging races a log time ago. It is still hard to be brave enough to test myself.  But I do it anyway. 

M2 6:52
M3 6:46
M4 6:45

I am happy to have enough left for a kick, most of the pick up happened during the second half of the mile. And as I approached the finish line, I hear the announcer call out... "You can all come run under 34!"  I want that. I found one more gear.  

​M5 6:31

---

I am happy at the finish... and then even more so when I learn I am 3rd Female Masters in a big race.