Week 8 of NYCM training is complete! I am plugging away. Here’s how it went:
Monday: Rest/yoga
Tuesday: 9 miles (7x1000m)
Wednesday: Lower body strength/core
Thursday: 5 miles + upper body strength/core
Friday: rest
Saturday: 5k hilly
Sunday: 11 miles, hilly
On Saturday I ran my hometown 5k for the 4th time. Gotta love it when a race starting line is 5 minutes away. The course is rolling hills and it’s the home of my 5k PR. This was the first time I ran that the weather wasn’t sizzling hot.
Thing 2 has had a cold that won’t quit for a week now and the Caveman (who is never sick) caught it. The night before I felt the beginning of it as well. Ugh. I woke Saturday morning feeling pretty good, like maybe the cold didn’t take hold. Since Thing 1 had a skating competition, we all went to the race, planning to leave as soon as I finished to get her to the ice on time.
This race is getting bigger and bigger. I especially love it because there are a whole bunch of charities you can choose to run for and the color of your race shirt varies based on the one you picked. There’s also a pretty excellent pancake breakfast afterward. And trophies. Who doesn’t like those?
I went off easy(ish) trying to pick a pace that wouldn’t make me crash and burn after a mile or so. There was a college cheerleading squad lined up almost at the very front. Could they really be that fast??
We were off and the answer to the cheerleader question was a resounding no. Not fast. At all. I went on my way picking out a blonde lady in a pink tee as my rabbit. This training cycle has been all about building endurance with almost nothing about speed. Especially the kind one needs for a 5k. I wanted to be done at about the 3/4 mile mark. Pink tee was well ahead now. I fought up the hills and flew down the other side. Well, flew is a relative term.
Since it’s an out and back you can watch the speedies heading back in to the finish. I assessed my position by counting ladies, but stopped after about five. Ugh lots of ladies of a “certain age” ahead. Sigh. I skipped the water station manned by Boy Scouts and made the turnaround, cheering the oncomers. About mile 2 I caught up to pink tee. She was struggling on an uphill. Heck who wasn’t? Last year I walked up these, since I was coming back from the whole heart fiasco and missed AG2 by one freaking second. There would be no walking today. No matter how much I was hurting. I pulled ahead of pink tee but she was having none of that. She immediately fought back. Whatever. I was too tired. But when we turned the corner for the final third of a mile straightaway, I pulled up next to, then ahead of pink and she had nothing in response. Was she fading? Caveman and the kids were upstream of the finish cheering so I tried to wipe the agony from my face and ran it in, grabbed water and literally walked straight to the car, pouring sweat. Super bummed to miss the pancakes.
Thing 1 confirmed my suspicion that there were a boatload of older girls in ahead of me so I put any hope of an AG award out of my mind.
It wasn’t until the next day that I learned I in fact snagged AG2. Go me. I have yet to unite with my trophy.
Overall, a good race, nowhere near my PR but I gave it my best effort and, as I tell my skating kids, giving your best is a win in itself. I’m taking my own advice on that.
What was fun for you this weekend? Did you enter my giveaways here and here?
Good for you, Louise. You are sweeping up those AG medals faster than the Duggars have kids. 🙂
I haven’t done speedwork in well over a year – I am sure I would be crawling in a 5k.
Congrats on the age group place! Bummer on missing out on the pancakes.
I love the idea that you pick your charity and wear the shirt to show what you picked. Awesome! Great job. I hope you get that trophy. It sounds like you still can. I had pancakes at my tri last weekend. They were great but not real maple syrup. My husband wouldn’t have bothered.
Have a good week with your training.
Sounds like a good race! Congrats on getting 2nd for your AG.
Colton and I ran a 5k in STL on Saturday. How do you know who to pick to beat so quickly? Just experience? I did some reading last night trying to figure out where I’m at with my HR training. I’m going to start running my 3 milers at a faster pace and see if I can’t start building a little bit of speed for those races.
Carla it’s more of picking someone to pace behind. It’s anyone’s guess if that person will leave me in the dust or vice versa. When she was still with me in the last half mile, that’s when she became the person to “beat”. Haha!
What a great week of training!.. and that’s the best advice you can give yourself and your kids! So important!
Great job as always, Marcia! I hadn’t checked in with you for a while–I enjoy your race reports.
As always, I love your race reports! Great job on the age group award! There is nothing better than racing in your home town. I did the same with my daughter this weekend–the race was 2 miles from home. Win/win!
Good for you on the AG award! I love those smaller races. But I have to say–not a huge fan of 5ks. It really takes me a mile to get those legs loose. Guess I’d have to run before the race!
Can’t beat a starting line right near your house! Congrats on the AG award!!!
Oh I do love a local race! Congrats on your AG and overtaking the pink tee!
Aww, that is great you still placed! Guess those ladies didn’t look their age?
And how cool your shirt is based on which charity you pick! 🙂
You did great anyway and such a positive attitude and great role model! I love that you wore a shirt for the charity you chose.
Congrats on your 2nd place AG win! Yes, races you can walk or run to are great!
Good for you on your 2nd place!! I just started training again…I was quite lazy this summer, but with good reason. I am running the Princess Half Marathon at Disney so I’ve got to get myself in decent shape again. I’m getting there. My favorite race is an 8 miler near my house where I can run down to the start!
WooHoo – way to go on that age group 2nd – awesome job!!!
Hope Thing 2 has kicked her cold by now – it is really going around here!!!
Awesomeness!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As I said on IG – you look amazing!
Love the different shirt color idea. You must be running out of room to store all the trophies.
Woo Hoo!! Congrats on the AG award, lady! That’s awesome, especially since you weren’t expecting it. Your cheerleader speed concern made me chuckle, too. Hilarious that they lined up at the front.
You probably didn’t really want pancakes after such a great effort anyway. Congrats on your placing.
Rocking it! Congrats on the AG! I’m not sure I could’ve skipped the pancakes… 🙂
Nice! How cool that even though you are training for such a long race you still could run a short race quickly enough for an AG trophy. Versatile!
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