The Quality of Life 5 Mile Race and a PR SMASHER!

I wasn't sure I was going to do the race this weekend, but in the end I decided to go for it.  Last weekend my legs just felt so heavy, I felt like I couldn't get my breathing under control, and my hamstrings were super tight after the 10k race Saturday and a 13 mile long run on Sunday.  I took it easy this week and did a light interval workout on Wednesday.  I did a mostly upper body and core Bodyrock.tv workout and 30 minutes on the elliptical yesterday.  I had given up hope of having a PR on this race and distance since I felt so tired last weekend.  My 10k mile splits averaged into 7:12 minute miles.  To PR in the 5 mile I would have to be under 7 minute miles.  Didn't seem like a possibility so I accepted it and decided that if I felt tired I would give myself permission to take it easy (which it not easy for me to do, so not sure I could have done it).

I DIDN"T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT!

The race started and I knew adrenaline would carry me through the first part.  Last week I felt tired half a mile into it.  Today I felt like a rock star on top of the world at half a mile and right then I told myself to go for a PR.
Mile 1     6:33 minutes When I saw that I thought "Crap I went out too fast and am going to crash and burn" but I was feeling pretty good, I tried to slow it down a little, but the pace was feeling fantastic.  We were running along the side of the highway here and the road slanted a little so I started to feel the slant a little.  I was running by another girl here so finally I surged a little got ahead of her and back on the shoulder of the road where it was a little flatter.

Mile 2     6:51 minutes.  I felt a little better about this but was still worried that I was going to fast.  Overall felt really good, breathing was under control, the course was lightly downhill.  I tried to keep it around a 7 min per mile pace.

Mile 3     6:16 minutes...This might have been helped a little by the big hill we ran down.  It dropped over 300 feet spread over the whole mile.  I attacked it, decided if I died in the end then I died.  I also knew there was a hill in the last mile that would be a bit of a killer.  I also lost my ActiveBand somewhere along the hill.  I scratched at an itch and pushed it back to far and it was gone.  Bummer it was one of my favorite ones.

Mile 4     6:51 minutes.  When I hit  3.1 miles (5k) I realized that at 20:09 I had a 5k PR, but I was not running a 5k race so on I pushed.  I was starting to feel a little fatigued in my legs here, but breathing still felt great.  The course here was mostly flat with a little bit of downhill.

Mile 5     7:06 minutes I knew this would be the hardest mile.  About a quarter of a mile in to it you start going up hill.  You run uphill for a quarter of a mile.  This really hurts at this point in the race both mentally and physically.  The song that came on my iPod for that part was perfect though.  It really helped get me to the top.   It was This is War, by 30 Seconds to Mars.  I knew that if I could just get to the top I had this in the bag.    There was a slight downhill after I FINALLY crested the hill then it was straight to the finish line.

Time 33:51.  My secret goal for a PR had been to make it under 35 minutes.  I did it in under 34. That wasn't even  a super secret goal.  It didn't even cross my mind that I could do a five mile race with average mile splits of 6:43.  I amaze me.  Last week I felt like I had to fight for every step (still had a great time) and this week I feel amazing.  This is why I run.  When I feel this amazing and pull out a time I didn't think I was capable of I feel re-energized and in awe of what I can do.

I got across the finish line,  saw my Garmin time and nearly started crying.  I could hardly believe what I saw.  Granted that a majority of the race is either flat or downhill, ...AWESOME.

Speaking of awesome, check out what I got in the mail yesterday.

Right now I am kickin back in my Tommy Copper calf sleeves.  There will be a review and a giveaway coming this week.  They are awesome BTW! I even wore them in Target after the race.  I got a few strange looks and one little girl told her mom to "look at those funny socks" ha!

I thought they went with my outfit pretty well.

So I won my age group and I think I was 5th woman in overall.  My prize was a glass bottle that you can use for either hot or cold liquids and it has a strainer for making loose leaf tea.  I love it!  My Aunt is always giving my loose leaf tea and I have never had a proper strainer.  I think it is a fun and totally different prize

 All in all a great day so far.  Tonight we are taking the kids to see the rodeo and to ride some rides at the fair.  A viking on a stick btw for all who asked is a meatball that is dipped in corn batter and deep fat fried.  That booth at our fair always has the longest line. A norskie is like a flat donut covered in cinnamon and sugar found at the same booth as the viking on a stick.

How do you amaze yourself?