May 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

Delighted to discover I could beat Michael Phelps in a 5k! I sometimes wonder about the small events you have in the states - the smaller events I go to (as few as 50 people) still have a high number of speedsters. I'm not fast, but I can run at a respectable speed given my years (!) and the best I've ever gotten was seventh (58 minute 12k, women's only event). I'm wondering if it is geographical or national mindset, that is, are there so many more 'big' or well-organised events in the USA that the elites don't bother with local events, or do we Kiwis just run more or do all the events cause we can?

One more thing, at the Backyard Relaps I got possibly the best running photo I've ever had of me - I think I look strong and focussed... and I'm wearing a silly little hat. Typical!

May Running
5/01: 4.01 mile easy run
5/02: 3.65 mile easy run
5/03: 1.43 mile run commute
5/03: 5.80 miles - 2x600 + 3x400 + 4x200
5/04: 4.06 mile easy run
5/05: 12.02 mile long run
Total: 30.96 miles

Just stopping in to update my mileage for the month. Will hopefully catch up with this thread tomorrow!

@eleanorhawkins I have told my husband I won't follow him hiking anymore. His paths are not well traveled, much less marked. Sometimes they're animal trails but not always. His hikes almost always include mud or prickly bushes.

Race Report!
As I mentioned earlier, my race yesterday didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I had a number of different time goals, including one that I thought would have been no problem. I didn't meet any of them and I think it's because I ate too close to the start of the race, and because of the temperatures. None of my prior aches and pains were an issue though, which was good. I did meet my ultimate goal which was to finish without injury. I'll have a chance to try for a better time next year!

There were over 38,000 people signed up for the race, split into waves for the start. The official start time was 9am; we crossed at about 9:25. We got a gun start too which was great. Because there were so many people we had to dodge and weave throughout the race. Garmin shows that I ran 7.55 miles, compared to the 7.46 mile official course.

Temperatures were just over 60F/15C at start time, climbing to 70F/21C before I was done. The forecast had shown cooler expected temps and since most of my runs have been in the early morning hours, I really wasn't prepared for that at all. Something to practice for my next race - running in the heat of the day.

The city support is great! So many people are there to cheer on the runners, especially over the first mile, up Doomsday Hill and the last couple miles. Some have various food or drink available for sale... ice cream and otter pops are usually a big hit, especially for the kids. I always forget to bring cash to take advantage of any of those. There's usually one or two spots where people offer free otter pops but I missed out on them as well. I did run through a few hoses and sprinklers that people set up to spray the runners, and grabbed an ice cube at one point. Anything to cool down.

I was running strong for the first half of the race, recording my fastest kilometer, mile and 5k so I had started a little faster than I planned but not much. I walked the hills and the aid stations, keeping a decent pace even then, and picked right back up when I resumed running. By the 5k mark I was not quite fast enough for my "A" goal but still pleased with my progress.

At the second aid station around mile 4, I took a couple drinks of water and then dumped the rest of it over my head. I did the same at the rest of the water stations. There is a significant hill at about 4.5 miles. While crossing the bridge before that, I got a sharp pain in my right foot which forced me to walk. I walked the entire hill, pretty slowly, because the heat was starting to get to me. By the time I reached the top of the hill, I was nauseous. I was worried that I was overheating or dehydrated, and very concerned I would throw up. I stopped to walk and each time I ran, I ran slower. I walked quite a bit of the last couple miles, until I rounded the corner and saw the end. With about 1/4 of a mile to go, all downhill, I sped up and ran across the finish. The finishing photo I found shows me looking at the finish line on the ground in front of me; either that or my eyes are closed.

My official time was 1:32:51, an average pace of 12:26 per mile. I was 364/1559 in my age group.

I told my husband before we started that I thought he could run this faster than I ran the 10k last month. He wasn't sure, but he did it, finishing 59 seconds faster with a time of 1:14:16 - an average pace just under 10 min per mile.

Current May Total: 7.55 miles

I got out of work later than I wanted to. And yoga starts at 5:30, and per pt advice and knowing what shenanigans I did this weekend (7 miles Saturday, deadlifts Sunday) I knew I should go back to working on my weaknesses and go to yoga. So, got 1.9 miles tonight. But in an effort to get the most of my limited time, I was pushing my pace on the dreadmill. So, I even hit 5mph for some of my intervals, which I haven’t really managed in a while, which made me happy.

1.9 today = 16.3/50