Frigid 5-Miler: Race Recap

Date: 2.13.10
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Mitch Park, Edmond, OK
Temp: 36 degrees
Route: Hilly, 5-mile trail

[Warning: Race recaps may contain language that is not suitable for normal readers. I will be graphic when I want and may describe situations which will gross some of you out. But it's a runner's life...and a runner with a spastic colon no less. You've been warned.]

This race kicks off the 2010 race season. Unfortunately for me, last week was a bad one...I was in a funk and feeling blah. I didn't train at all except for one short 2.25 mile run on Wednesday. I was also not eating well nor was I drinking my usual amount of water. Hey, we all have those weeks, right? So I really wasn't prepared for the first race of the year: Edmond's Frigid Five. The most I've run in the last month has been 4 miles. The most I've EVER run in a race was a 5k. Needless to say this was a new challenge for me.

I created a new playlist on Friday night and filled it with songs that were upbeat and happy (mostly 80's and 90's stuff). I had maybe half of a banana Saturday morning and headed out to the race. I wore the long-sleeved event t-shirt and some capri dri-wick pants. I also wore gloves that I knew I would toss on the trail eventually (be prepared and wear things you won't miss if you need to toss them during the race--although technically you could backtrack after the race to pick them up). Anyway, it was chilly at first but the morning was beautiful. The sun was actually shining for the first time since we had such bad weather. I positioned myself in the middle of the pack as there were no official pace signs. This is a friendly, small-town neighborhood race. The beginning of any race is annoying crazy because a huge pack of runners/walkers is trying to get ahead and get moving. I couldn't really tell where the starting line was and just started my Garmin. It is very hard not to run very fast with all of these other runners taking off...for me, it's impossible to stay within my usual pace. Perhaps this is a good thing...it kept me moving faster than I normally would have been running. But I was worried about going so much faster...how would I last at this pace??!! Finally, around the 1/2 mile mark, I found my stride, although it was still a good minute faster than normal. I didn't mind people passing me...I knew this wasn't a real 'race' for me and was more about finishing. At the 1 mile mark I chucked my gloves because my hands were plenty warm. I would eventually see many a pair of gloves randomly tossed on the trail. Mitch Park is very hilly, and I wonder how much that affected my overall performance. I don't usually take hills lightly...I want to dig in and get to the top. Unfortunately, that makes for a higher heart rate and more exhaustion in the long run, but I did it anyway. So the music in my ear is great, I'm warmed up and feeling good, smiling at the people stationed at each mile marker calling out the times (which were always 1 minute slower than what my Garmin said, oh well). The only thing that kind of sucked was the weaving of the course...there were several spots where the slowpokes (me) had to pass the sprinters (read: normals). This only brought home just how much further I had to go. But I pretty much kept a smile on my face and tried to stay positive (despite the plethora of spit piles on the ground everywhere I looked--gross). At 25 minutes in I heard the cheers of those who ACTUALLY CROSSED THE FINISH LINE ALREADY. I couldn't believe it! Those psychos people kept a 5-min-mile pace the whole time. Oh, well, I had to remind myself again that this was fun and all about finishing. At mile 3 I grabbed a cup of water and had about 2 sips. I am not skilled at drinking and running and almost choked. Plus, it made me nauseous. But I was happy to know that I was past the half-way point. I was entering into newer territory though, as I usually average about 3-3.5 miles a run during the week. At this point I am remembering the last time I ran Mitch Park trails (maybe last summer) and just how many more hills there were towards the end. But there was a nice flat part for awhile so I just concentrated on moving. I did stop twice during this race...for about a total of 10 seconds. I realized that for me, stopping to walk actually makes it harder to get going again and sometimes even causes pain. Anyhoo, when I hit mile 4 I started to really feel it. Despite the lone half-banana earlier, things were starting to 'brew' if you know what I mean. Come to think of it, there weren't many Port-o-Potties on this trail. So despite the gurgling I knew I wasn't in any real potty danger. I had come to the last hilly part of the trail...this is where the longer, gradual hill was on the course (I HATE gradual hills...they take forever). I was pretty happy with my time at this point and was trying to keep pace with a gal ahead of me who had the same build. She was hilarious and actually stopped to pose for one of the race cameras! At around 4.5 or so we crossed the exit to the park--and people who had already finished the race AND picked up their goodies were leaving! But I smiled and kept going, knowing I was almost there. I was hurting at this point. But I kept on keeping on and could hear the cheers of onlookers as well as runners who were finished and headed back to their cars. I didn't pick up the pace a whole lot during that last stretch to the finish. I'm not sure if I was just tired or what. When I crossed the finish line and saw my time, I was pretty stoked. I had finished the race!! I grabbed a water bottle someone was handing me and walked around to cool off. I noticed just how many people were still behind me and I'll admit I was pretty happy I wasn't last! :) Then I just cooled down as I walked to my car. My nose was running like crazy and I was JUST starting to feel a little chafing going on under my arms (that's never happened to me before--but I have read about it). I was pretty proud of myself for getting up on a Saturday morning and running 5 miles.

Stats/Things I Learned

According to my Garmin:
Mile 1: 12:45
Mile 2: 12:49
Mile 3: 13:57
Mile 4: 13:43
Mile 5: 13:37

Official Chip Time: 1:03:27

1) If I'm going to run more than 4 miles, I'll definitely need some water and fuel. I recently bought some Gu gels but have yet to try them out. But at mile 4 I was definitely feeling weak. The problem is I tend to get nauseous and break out into a cold sweat so I am curious whether or not I'll be able to stomach the energy gels/chews.

2) I need to start using the Body Glide I bought. Chafing is not fun and if I had run any further than 5 miles I would have been hurting.

3) I am a slow runner. But that's okay! Even in middle school and high school when I was in great shape (and young) I never did more than a 9-10 minute mile. I am a distance runner at heart and, even though my pace will improve as I lose the last of my weight, I'll never be a fast runner.

4) After finishing a 5-mile race, I couldn't FATHOM running another 8 miles (aka, the Half). BUT, as a good running friend told me (Jason, aka Jbob), I can't think about the half right now. The next distance is 6 miles...then 7 miles...and so on. And as another running friend reminded me (Chris), a year ago I couldn't imagine running FIVE miles.

5) I could not believe how sore my legs were on Sunday. I did not stretch or ice like I should have (must have been the high of feeling so good). I learned my lesson!


My next race is 3/6/10 and will be a 10k (6.2 miles). I am back in training, guzzling my water, eating right, and feeling good. I WILL DO THIS!!