A couple of weekends ago, I ran a 5k at a local park. It was a night race, running under Christmas light displays that have been set up in the park for the holidays.
I didn't taper for the race since my goal race is getting closer and I don't want to take any more time off, but I was still hoping to get that elusive sub 20 time. The race was at 6pm, and since I usually run better in the afternoons than in the mornings, I figured that one day of rest, plus a whole morning of rest, would equal a fast time. :-)
Well, I didn't count on the weather...at the race start, it was just under 80 degrees, with 80% humidity. I was dripping with sweat after jogging next to Buttercup in the kids' race, so I changed my goal and aimed to just run as fast as I could. I didn't wear my Garmin because I felt like I was going to run around 21:30 or slower, and I didn't want to see my pace while I was running!
The race started, and I was behind one woman right in front of me (we were literally rubbing elbows at one point since she was drafting off of me -- annoying!!), but since it was dark I couldn't tell if there were any other women in front.
We ran through the lights and, aside from the drafting that was going on, the first half was fine. I felt good, my legs were nice and loose, I wasn't breathing too hard, etc. The only thing was, there were no mile markers and no crowd support (except at the one water stop at the halfway point) -- 2 things that you don't realize you'll miss until they're not there! And then, at one point I finally got so annoyed with the woman drafting that I ran behind her and on the other side of the road, just to get away from her! It's hard enough running through blindingly bright lights, in the dark, with speed bumps, without having someone breathing down your neck the whole time. :-P
The course was very quiet, except for the sound of the runners' breathing and feet hitting the pavement. Then up ahead I could hear the announcer at the turn-around point, then I could actually see the turn-around. As the front runners passed me on their way back to the finish line, I saw a woman running with the lead pack of guys, so that meant that I was currently in 3rd place (Drafting Woman was a couple of seconds ahead).
I passed the halfway point at 10:30 something, which made me feel better, since I felt a little off without my Garmin. I had no clue what my pace was, or if I had gone out too fast, but I was trusting myself to listen to my body and I felt like I was running a consistent pace.
The second half of the race was also uneventful. I did the math in my head and assumed that I would run a low 21 race, which I was okay with! It was much warmer and more humid than I prefer for running, and I'd had a big week of running, so at that point I was happy with whatever I got. :-)
I had about 1/2 mile left to run, when I ran under the last big light display. It was a tunnel of flashing lights, and right when I got to the end of the tunnel, the lights went out at my end! As if that wasn't bad enough, the race photographer took my picture right at that moment, so I was blinded from the flash for about 5 seconds. :-P
Finally, I had just a tiny hill and then about 1/4 mile left to go. I knew there were 2 women in front of me (one whom I could possibly catch, one whom I couldn't), and I didn't even try to catch the woman in front of me since there was no chance of coming in first anyway. Then I got passed by a high school girl, who then passed the woman right in front of me!
I finished in 20:53, which means I ran a negative split in a hot race! That's 6:43 pace, which isn't too bad. :-) And, according to the race results, I came in 3rd overall (not 4th, like I'd thought)...not sure what happened to the first woman I'd seen at the turn-around!
According to race calculators, a 20:53 5k predicts a 1:36 1/2 marathon...which would be an improvement over this year's time (1:46, ugh!) but would not be a PR, nor is the time that I've been training for. However, the 5k would have been faster with cooler weather, so Lord willing, the weather will be nice and chilly the morning of my goal race! If not, hopefully I won't run another personal worst. ;-)
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