It's the beginning of May and we're well into 5K season. I've also completed my first half marathon of the year. After running my full marathon in November, and spending a fortune in the months leading up to it to heal micro tears in my calf muscles, I have now been spending the rest of our money to fix an IT band issue that haunted me from mile 15-26.2 of the race and has yet to heal after 6 months. I've decided that, as great as my chiropractor is, it's just not helping like I had hoped. I'm sure it has nothing to do with continuing to run around 20-25 miles a week which includes a long run on the weekends of around 8-10 miles. Nah, can't be that. With all that said, I've decided this will be the year of the 5K and half marathon. As much as I would love to run another full, I just don't see my knee cooperating.
I started training with the SIC group in January for a half marathon in Florida in April. My first 5K of the year was in February and was the Hearts on Fire held at USI. It was bitterly cold and windy (though sunny) and I just wanted to get it over with as I could hardly feel my fingers and my nose was frozen. I finished with a PR of 26:33. I had never broke 27 before and was unaware my short legs could move so fast.
My next race was The Run of Luck 7K in March. Terrible day. Trent, me and another running buddy met up before the race to get in some extra miles as we needed to do 10. It was at about mile 4 of the first 6 that I started to bonk. I finished the first 6 miles, got some water and some shot blocs and felt better. I thought that would fix me and I could run the 7K at a slow but decent pace...wrong! I felt terrible after 1 mile and ended up walking a majority of the race. If there was anything good to come of this race, it was that Trent's brother has bragging rights that he has beat me in a race.
Now we're on to April and the half marathon. Trent and I went to Navarre, Florida to stay with a high school friend of his (and his wife and little girl). We left on a Friday after work and drove to Birmingham, Alabama where we slept. Saturday morning we got up and drove the rest of the way getting there around noon. We picked up our packets and hung out that night not doing anything to special. Sunday morning was the race so we were up at 4:30am for a 7am start. The race was the Gulf Coast Half Marathon in Pensacola Beach. It was an out and back course running alongside the white sandy beach. It was flat though it was also hot, humid and sunny! My goal was to run the whole thing only walking through the water stops. That worked until about mile 5 when my knee started to hurt. I pushed through it a few more miles and then started walking more frequently. I finished in 2:25:28 and was satisfied given the circumstances.
My most recent race was the Newburgh Rivertown Trail 5K. It's a nice little course in downtown Newburgh that runs mostly along the riverfront. It's was only the 2nd year for this race and unfortunately, both years, it rain the night before though it didn't rain during the race. I didn't have my watch so I had no idea of my pace but it felt good and I was running with a friend and talking so I stayed with it. Around mile 2 I started to get winded so I walked a little and played slingshot with Meagan for a while. When we got to the last half mile, I lost Meagan and was unable to keep up. I still finished with my 2nd best race time of 26:57!
Some of us have come to the conclusion that being "good" before a race by eating well and drinking lots of water is a bunch of bull. Our best races have been after eating Buffalo Wild Wings and drinking beer the night before. I'm going to continue on with this theory...its way more fun than the alternative!
As for the rest of this year, there are a handful of 5K's I'd like to do as well as the Owensboro Half Marathon on Memorial Day, the Heartland Half Marathon in Jasper in September and of course the Evansville Half Marathon in October. Team 13 starts in early July!
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