Monday, October 23, 2006

Close but no cigar: ABQ 5k

I was hoping to have PR'd at the 5k this weekend in ALBQ but alas, it was not to be. *sniff* It's quite alright as I haven't exactly been training for speed. I could list a bazillion excuses as to why things didn't go as planned but I'll leave what I think really mattered in my 5k demise. (Ok, I'll stop being dramatic.)

  • totally forgot about lining up late and thus, I was slowed down by the slower runners at the start
  • this frustrated me and I ended up speeding up too early
  • speed running during the first mile caught up with me a half mile later and I didn't do so well on the second mile
  • dumb kids zipping in and out in front of me. Oh well, kids will be kids and I'm just glad they're out there running too.
  • forgot the coveted mp3 player and had no My Chemical Romance to rev me up for the final stretch
  • didn't get much time to stretch in the beginning
I also have a new appreciation for hills. This particular course was all flat and I now realize that even though going up hills slow me down, I end up runing faster downhill and makes for faster time.

Also, this was my first time going all out at 5,000+ ft elevation and boy was I winded at the end. I sprinted to the finish line with horrible gasping and my stomach was hating me all the way because I SO wanted to throw up!

I came in at 29:36 which is a 9:32 pace. At least it's another sub-30 minute 5k. I would have been very disappointed if I went over.

What can I say, "Defeat and Disappointment only makes one work harder."

To answer Ann's question, my next race will be in November for the New Times 10k on Mill Ave in Tempe. I definitely need to beat last year's time which I think is "in the bag".

As for today, I will be doing 2 miles at lunch and 7 miles after work. I didn't get to do my long run again yesterday as I was feeling extremely beat.

However, yay for new long-sleeved wicking shirt from the 5k!

6 Comments:

At 1:13 PM, Blogger Deene said...

you did just fine! it sounds like you're becoming acclimated to the altitude.

 
At 4:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh no - I totally feel for you!! I had a 5K this weekend & last time I got there sooooo early, so I decided that was stupid and got there later. I had to run to the start, try to figure out where to be - the whole mess. Turned out that I got to the start in time to relax and stretch a bit more, but had I not... would have been a disaster. - That can really mess with your mind.

You did good on the race. Just think - now you know to not forget that & won't do it again. If you are anything like me.. that lesson will stick for a while (not forever.. so I can do it again and be more frustrated - hahahaha!)

Good job this weekend - I'm totally jealous of the shirt! I got a boring cotton short sleeve.

 
At 4:48 PM, Blogger MNFirefly said...

Hang in there. There will always be some bumps in the road. Don't focus on those bumps and move onto the next race. You are doing great and keep it up!

 
At 7:31 PM, Blogger Phil said...

Carmen ... According to your stats on the right side of your Blog, you ran this race in 29:36 last year, so you have improved. Plus, running at altitude is exhausting, as you're finding out. I'm impressed that you are getting your training into full swing. Good to see that you are running the New Times 10K again this year. This race is a kick, once you get over the Mill Ave Bridge and the groud thins out a little.

Have a great set of runs this week.

 
At 7:50 AM, Blogger carmen said...

I was disappointed with not running the time I had wanted but what really counts is running another 5k at Phoenix elevation because that is where I set my PR. :)

Thanks for all the encouraging words. I don't realize how hard I am on myself until I get responses.

 
At 11:07 AM, Blogger Uncle Rico said...

Way to go on the 5K!

 

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