Race Recap: Jog Days

Distance - 3.1
Pace - 8:28

Time - 26:17

So excited.  This race was awesome, in part, for its lack of awesome.  I had *no* mental game invested.  My legs were TIRED.  I'd run all my scheduled mileage for the week thus far ... no taper except having done 4 intervals instead of 5 during speed work.  There were almost NO faces in the corrals. (most of the tribe was at In-training). The morning heat was relentless.  The advertised hills; worse than I imagined.

Mile one, in my mind, there was no bad-assery what so ever.  In fact, I had unhappy thoughts of Women's 5K most of it.  (In actuality, I *think* I had a '7' split!  My auto laps were in 400m mode. Oops.  But if I do the adding, I *think* I ran a 7:16 pace? That doesn't make sense .. that'd be the fast I've ever run a mile, including races where I've just run a mile.  And flat.  Pretty sure I didn't do that.  But it um .. kinda says so on my watch .. weird).

In mile two, there was complete and utter misery.  This mile hit like a MAC truck.  Up an down, but mostly up.  I began seeing "10s" in my lap paces, and I figured this is when things went "down hill."  (what a stupid saying .,.  clearly whoever came up with that one never ran!).  (9:02 avg pace in real life .. paying for the out-too-fast start I didn't think I had had, plus hill fest.. but nowhere near as bad as I thought my watch was reporting at the time.  At least I am on the new watch, but I need to get better at understanding what its trying to tell me).

Mile 3, I felt some better moments.  After the "big hill" there is still quite a bit of work to do, but the comment one volunteer made: "the worst part is behind you" made it 'go time.'  I didn't have any issues with hydration, but the heat for sure kept me from hitting the final mile as hard as I wanted. (Split - 8:24)

.1 (8:20) - this was a heart breaking moment.  I did not remember that the final stretch was UP HILL too.  I took a look at my watch, thought that I had totally lost an possibility of a PR (Again .. really BAD at on-the-race math .. I had the sub-8:20 pace in my mind for under 26, and seeing myself over it, I figured I was going to finish in 27 something).  It took EVERYTHING I had not to just give it up and walk because .. ah, why not.  But as I made the turn, I remembered age group.  Its the last hurrah .. the prize that keeps on giving .. time goals are static, but other people in my age group have good and bad days too.  It made me have the same thought that saved the day out in Cumming on Memorial Day .. the other people in your age group are running the same course .. the same hills .. in the same heat.  If its hurting you, its hurting them.  And they're not stopping to walk.  Most days, it doesn't matter.  But it did in Cumming, where the race was small enough for the enticing possibility of hardware.  And now it matters during Grand Prix races.  In fact, in this race, I knew names of at least two of the Grand Prix folks on the age group results list, and I thought to myself "so and so is out here, and she's finishing strong, I'm sure" LOL. Does it matter that I don't even know so and so?  Nope. Haha. I'll have to introduce myself to these two "racing twins" of mine, and thank them for the push they didn't know they gave me. :)

In summary, though, to have set a PR under such mediocre conditions is SERIOUSLY exciting.  I didn't once .. not even at the straight away .. feel like I pushed to my racing all out pace.  That makes me very excited for Finest in two weeks.  Under 26 or bust!