1) Not every race can be a PR (course or overall).
2) 2016 is looking to be the year of "Progress, not perfection."
This has become a race that I look forward to every year. I mean, with an awesome atmosphere, a pretty flat course, and a reasonable cost, it can't be beat! So, you bet I was excited for my fifth straight Spring Into Summer!
Therefore, I won't be going into too many specs on this race itself. I've done it enough, so you get the idea of it by now. ;-)
I went with yellow as my main race color for the NJM 5K, and was feeling the same vibe for this one. I also wanted to rep the We Run Social crew, so you know what shirt I was going with!
In addition to the shirt, I got a We Run Social Momentum wrap, thanks to a collaboration with Pavey! I ordered it on Sunday, and hoped it would get to me by Friday. Sure enough, it was waiting for me on Friday afternoon when I got home from work!
You know I wore this on Saturday too! ;-)
First off, I can't say how awesome it was to go back to a morning race. I was able to get up, eat, check my socials, and go!
I got to the race site and kind of just mingled until it was time to line up. I got there too early, so time seemed to drag more than in the past. Oh well.
Once we lined up, I got a selfie that was not the best and too late for me to post to Insta, but I actually used it to link up to this post. Here you go.
I'm sure the guy behind me knew I was crazy. Guess some people don't run social. Haha.
Next thing I knew, the horn sounded, and we were off!
I had a plan like usual: Run when I felt comfortable, walk as needed, but it was really "PR or bust." My current 5K PR is 34:33, which was at the Rook Run, and I didn't even know it at the time. I knew that it would be possible on this course, and wanted it so bad.
Well, I went out too fast (AGAIN!) and hit the one mile at 11:05. Realistically, I should have known better, and once again, didn't learn my lesson. Can we say, "Pea brain?"
Anyway, I knew my second mile would be slower, and it was, at 11:33. At that point, I could either really push it and have a mile below 11:00, and still PR or accept that this would not be a PR day, and try to enjoy the last mile, and at least negative split the second and third miles.
Well, I knew it wasn't my day, but I still didn't negative split the last two miles. I came in at 12:04. I knew the PR was gone, but I could still at least finish faster than I did three weeks ago.
I gave it all I had, and ended the last 0.10 or so at exactly 1:00. I flew across the finish, and I finished another race!
Shortly after I crossed, I stopped my Garmin, and had a time of 35:43 for 3.13 miles. I had just gotten a course personal worst. I was super disappointed with that for sure. I had said all week that the goal was "PR or bust" Well, I busted alright.
I hung out for a bit to see the later finishers come in, and to see official times. It turns out that my official time was 35:34 (11:28 pace). I was just over a minute slower than my PR, but 36 seconds faster than my race three weeks earlier. Still not in the brightest of spirits, but I felt a little better.
Since I didn't get a full body shot before the race, I got one before I left. Not the most flattering pic, but here you go. Also included are the Garmin shot and my Momentum bracelets of the day.
Overall, I learned that not every race is a PR, and you don't know what version of you or the course will show up on race day. It was not a perfect day weather wise, as has been the norm for the last few weeks. Aside from feeling like I busted, I had an awesome experience again, my outfit was a hit (must have been all the yellow...lol), and I know that this is not my last time on this course. I know that faster races are coming too, this year and in years to come. You can bet I will be back on this course in 2017!
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