Red, White, Blue 5k, Clark, NJ. 7/1/23

I recently joined Central Jersey Road Runners Club (CJRRC). They are my most local club. They train at "my" parks. I can't make any of their posted group runs because I am working at those times, but I still like that they are my local club so I joined as a social member. Plus I like Fran. 

I have decided to race "unattached" this year because I don’t want any pressure to show up for a team race when I am still healing from Haglund’s Syndrome. But I love the idea of being part of a team, even if just as a social member. 

The RWB 5k race was a new race organized by the CJRRC. I can't rave enough about this small low-key low-fee event. It was really well done, especially for a new race. The two loop course on a repurposed golf course made it traffic-free and easy to follow. Parking was plentiful. Bathrooms were indoors. It is so nice to be able to wash your hands. ​ And despite the  small number of runners in a race less that cost less us all less than $20, 2 x $1000 checks were provided to two organizations in our local community that help those without financial resources for adequate food and shelter.  ​

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5 days after Presidents Cup, this was my second 5k attempt. This was a much smaller race. Dave and I arrived at 6:45 am for the 8:00 am start. We had a tentative plan to run 24 miles that morning with the 5k included. That didn't happen. It was very hot and humid. The sticky weather felt more oppressive than the conditions at President’s Cup.  I have been running in the heat and adapting well, so it wasn’t a huge concern but it was still uncomfortable.

​Unlike the last 5k, I no longer feared the pace of the race. President's Cup helped build my confidence. This race was much less hilly than Presidents Cup. There were mild inclined  and declined sections of the course. I felt like I should be able to run faster here. 

I wanted to correct my pre-race errors from last time. I protected my warm up. We were able to run the course and a little extra getting about 3.6 miles before the race started.  It felt much more relaxed. I felt much better prepared to run fast. I expected to run better. 

Even though it’s hot, a warm up is still important to me. I want to get my heart rate up. I want to get my blood pumping. I want to expand my capillaries before I suddenly start running as fast as I can. I want to get adrenaline and endorphins flowing. I want to get my mind ready. 

My plan was to start at 6:45 pace and try to negative split down to under 6:40. The start was fast and I had trouble dialing in my pace. I think because I was very well warmed up it was actually much easier to start off too fast. I need to be mindful of this next time.  At one point I glanced down and saw 6:12 and really worked to slow myself. But the decline made running fast feel too easy so I settled on 6:35 for mile 1.  Although I knew this was too fast, part of me was happy I could actually move that fast still.  

This first mile felt remarkable comfortable and mislead to believe that the rest of the race would feel this good. 

But Nope. Not at all. ​

​It was hot and humid and my too fast pace caused me to overheat as we started to the inclined side of the course. I found my ability to slow down…. except it no longer felt like a choice.  I felt sloppy and not in control.  Running just a little bit too fast can really make it all fall apart. M2-  6:59.

I knew I could get my wheels back under me by holding the slower pace for a bit. We would be heading back down that decline again soon and I know it would feel better there.
After the decline we would loop back around for one last incline to the finish. M3-6:54

Knowing that I was first woman without any competition nearby and completed over heating, I finished just a little faster but I gave myself a pass on trying to muster up a kick,  Last .1- 0:38 (6:26 pace)

Running that sub-6:40 wasn't that important to me. I learned enough about my fitness as soon as my wheels fell off.   

Although this race felt like a pacing mess, I managed to do some things that made me happy.

•  I was pleased to see a 6:35 mile on my watch even if at the wrong time.
• I was happy to have finished faster than my last 5k by a few seconds.
• I was also happy to have completed another 5k without causing a set back in my healing progress. ​

Messing up pacing is part of the learning process. I want to do this at small check in races not when it counts.

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I have dreams still. I don’t believe that I am completely done yet. If my best races are behind me. I will be perfectly happy with my body of work as a runner. But if I have a chance to achieve more, I am going after those goals. 

This is what it looks like to fumble along, restarting but from a place of knowledge and experience. I know the way to PRs. I just don't know, yet, if I can complete the journey. 

I know the path to success and the path to disappointment tend to start off at the exact same place. Sometime we give up too soon not realizing we were almost there. Sometimes we just cant compete the trip for whatever reason and success wasn’t meant to be. And sometimes we stay motivated, work smart, stay healthy, have support, frequent feedback, learn from mistakes, and we actually achieve what we knew in our hearts we were truly capable of. 

Right now I am a moving along the road… I have my checkpoints planned. I know what actions I want to test out over the next few months. I am hoping that my next check in race will show me that I am moving in the right direction, even if I am not actually there yet. ​