Race Recap: Race with Grace 5K

I searched and searched for someone who would run with me; I never found anyone. I am the sad and lonely runner who feels compelled to try her best, even in the middle of a long run, even during taper.

Here is my secret, Peeps: I hate, hate, HATE 5Ks. Why? Because 3.1 miles are just short enough that if you choose to run that race, you should race the crap out of it. I mean balls to the wall.  Gasping. Trying not to throw up at the finish line.  If you aren't trying to block out some major pain during a 5K, are you really running it?

Sick, right?  This is how I think, Peeps.  So, I am tapering until the Akron Marathon, and I needed at least ten miles on the day of the race. Last year I got Marta to run it with me; we ran the course pre-race as a warmup, ran it again for the race, and then we ran four more miles while sucking down snow cones.

Here we are in 2018, coming in to the chute. This does NOT look like tapering behavior.

 This year Marta wizened up and said she wanted no part of that, so I thought, well, I'll just find someone who hasn't run a 5K before. . .or someone who doesn't want to race. . . or someone who is sick or hungover.  No such luck.

I knew I had no motivation to PR this race; on the contrary, I have fifteen extra pounds and practically ZERO speed work that say there will be no spectacular running for me any time soon.  GAAAAAAA.

Still, it's a good cause.

MHS Team Brenda. I am clearly not a team player because I didn't wear the long-sleeved race shirt in 75 degree weather. 

So, I decided to do what I could. I showed up early and ran four miles, looked for someone to run with me, failed miserably, and resigned myself to a painful run where I would continually tell myself that I didn't have to run hard, but I would do so anyway.

I think I did ok.

This is SO DIFFICULT TO SEE!  I ran it in 27:27.

This is about a minute off my 5K PR. . .but I don't care. I don't. I feel like I did the respectable thing by running a middle distance between my comfort zone and my racing zone. This is my half marathon tempo pace, but I am no longer in that kind of shape, so. . .I'll take it.

I immediately switched my Garmin to walking mode after the finish, and I walked a mile to take off the nausea. Then I drank some water and ate some pizza, and I took pictures of some of the finishers. After that, I couldn't stall any longer, so I ran two more miles for a total of ten miles that day.  

I am currently in my last week of taper before the Akron Marathon, and I feel ok. I'm trying to keep an open mind about the race, and I'm trying to visualize a marathon PR and a good time. This is kind of against my nature, but I'm giving it a shot. Wish me luck!

Next week will be the recap of the Akron Marathon and all the fun things that go with it. Stay tuned!

What are you training for? Whatever is keeping you running, I hope you run happy, Peeps!

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