My journey from couch to 26.2

Posts tagged “gps”

My races

Up to this point in my life, I have run 5 races. I have run two 5ks, one 7k, one 10k, and one 15k. These were my times:

  • 10k (4/7/12) – 1:00:20
  • 5k (5/5/12) – 27:26
  • 5k (7/21/12) – 26:31
  • 15k (7/29/12) – 2:02:32
  • 7k (8/12/12) – 40:48

Here is a little tidbit – races are hard (when you are a slow runner!). I finally realized after my last race that I am never going to win (though I have placed in my age group before) and that I really, really, really need to learn to pace myself.

Surprisingly, I have actually placed in my age group in three of the five races I have done. The bobblehead is when I came in third in my age group in my very first race – the 10k. The piece of shale is from when I placed first in my age group in my 15k (they didn’t actually do age group awards, but I was first!), and the railroad spike is from placing second in my age group in the 7k.

I keep them on my desk at work to remind me of how far I have come since getting back into running in January. And when I don’t really feel like running at lunch time, I just tap the bobblehead and she nods as if telling me “Yes, Stephanie, you must go runninggggg.” So I go and feel better that I did.

But back to racing. I am never going to be a speed demon. I really have no delusions about that, though I always want to beat my personal record (PR) every time, which leads to me racing too fast at the beginning and dying a slow death all the way through. For example – the last race I did, the 7k, my first mile was something insane like 8:02 – whatttttt?!?!?! Subsequently, my hamstring tightened up and I almost died. I still almost reached my goal time (40 minutes, I came in at 40:48) but it was really a pathetic race on my part.

My best races were my first one – the 10k. I had no PR to beat; I was just going out there to prove something to myself. The other one was the 15k. It was a trail 15k and while I had a time goal in mind, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into! Turns out trail running is a lot slower, but a lot more fun, than road running. I enjoyed running the trails, and it was mainly because I wasn’t stuck in a big group like road races and I was just focused on finishing. It was also different because you are always jumping over creeks/roots/rocks/etc.

So if I have any advice from the few races that I have done, it is this.

  1. Buy a GPS watch. It tells you your pace. Run at the pace that you have in mind and that will get you to your goal time and the finish line in one piece. Just my training runs have become so much easier since buying the watch. I bet it will help immensely with races.
  2. Don’t follow the pack. In that pack, there are people running 5 minute miles! Don’t try to keep up with them if you run 10 minute miles!
  3. Drink! Stop at the water stops and get a drink. I run until I grab the cup of water or Gatorade, then I walk for five or ten seconds while I drink it, and then I start running again. If you try to run while drinking, you will inevitably spill most of it on yourself and gulp a lot of air. And it is not fun to run with lots of air in your belly!
  4. Just have fun! Even if you don’t place in your age group, you still finished a race, and that is a lot more than a lot of other people can ever say! Plus you always get a cool t-shirt for your efforts and there is always food after the race! Free shirts and food! It doesn’t get much better than that!

September 4, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment