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Mixed feelings about my 5K today
In some ways it went really well. I finished in 34:25, which isn't too shabby considering it was my first race in 15 years. The weather was perfect, the race was well organized. I ran into some friends unexpectedly, and that was fun. I ran all of it, except for about 15 seconds where I walked.
I'm not feeling that great about it. Last weekend I ran 3.1 in my neighborhood in 32:24, and I was expecting to improve on that. The course was deceptively hilly. I started too fast (I did my first mile in exactly 10:00). Mostly, I was a little disappointed because I felt the whole time like I was at the back of the pack, and I feel like that messed with my head. I literally could not see anyone behind me. I finished 230/328, so I wasn't the last person or anything. Since it's just a smaller, local race, I think I expected a lot more walkers, and I was disappointed when I was in the back of the pack.
Anyway, the 2nd half of the race went pretty well. I fell in behind a woman who was running at the perfect pace for me, and pretty much let her set my pace for the remainder of the race.
On to the next challenge....I am still tossing around the idea of a 5K trail race in May. I am definitely going to do a 5K closer to my neighborhood at the beginning of June, and a 10K in July.
Re: Mixed feelings about my 5K today
It's ok some races don't go as planned. THink about how your training went and what happened on race day and make changes from there! Good luck!
that is a great time!!! I would be proud of that time, lol. If it makes you feel any better i did my first 5 k today and did 39 mins. I am also a little bit disapointed in my time, but on the other hand it is a big accomplishment to just even do it and finish. I was running in the mid 30s the past two weeks so i was hoping to do that, but i also started in the back and i think started out too slow and had a hard time running in the sand and grass (winery run). I was so worried about tripping/twisting my ankle with all the pits. It was so fun though and is such a great feeling. I am also figuring that now that my time is kind of high the next one I should be able to beat that.
Congrats & good luck on your next one!!
Edit: Just realized you were the poster concerned about doing a trail run, so just wanted to tell you a bit about mine. It was a bit tough I thought. About half of mine was running in sand, dirt and grass. It was hard to breath, I couldn't catch my breath from the sand and dirt in the air for a few seconds probably at one point. And I also almost tripped on a branch or vine at one point, but kind of jumped out of it. So that part did slow me down. I was worried about twisting my ankle that whole part of it, and my entire focus was on my feet/the ground. But I kept going, I didn't stop and once I got on the pavement I felt much better. It was so fun. I would definitely do it again. It really feels fantastic once you finish and realize what you just did.
Good luck if you decide to do it!! I think you will be fine. It will probably be a bit more of a challenge, but after you do it, you'll be so glad you did. Which is the best part.
Thanks for the tips! I have been going back and forth all day about whether I should do that trail race. This is very helpful, and makes me lean toward doing it. I have four weeks, so I can get stronger in that time.
Congrats on your race! Your time is fantastic! I'm worried about finishing the trail run in an hour (the time limit).
I've done about 8 or so races now and I'm definitely a back of the pack runner, and it really can mess with your head. While most races have at least some casual, slower runners I did a 15k in October that was put on by a running club, and even though there were nearly 1000 entrants, most of them were really fast! I finished in the bottom 10%. It is frustrating, and I know my frustration played into my performance.
One thing I've started to use as a sort of mantra when I run is "everyone is running their own race." I'm not there because I have any aspirations for taking an age group award - I'm there to challenge myself, and that's it. The fact that a couple hundred other people are running the route with me that day is nice, but it is my race. That has helped tremendously.
And great job on your 5K! My first 5K was a trail race - time was 38:48.
I think the hardest thing when racing is to separate your results from the results of others. (Because, well you are racing) The only thing you can control is your performance, you can't control who shows up that day. At your next race there could be a bunch of walkers and you could place higher even with the same time.
I think you should be proud of your time, hills suck, end of story. They can add a couple minutes to your time. If you factor in the hills I would say your time was pretty close to your training pace.