Race Report: By George 5K, 2/14/2026

I ran the By George 5K on Saturday, finishing in a time of 23:24.

I went back and forth on whether to race this. I had assumed that the race wasn't happening after the Snowcrete storm of late January left the DC area encased in....snowcrete.  This race was to be held on Hains Point, which was a very low priority for being plowed (for completely understandable reasons, since there are no residences or businesses on Hains Point).  

As of the beginning of this week, Hains Point was still under about 8 inches of snowcrete, and thus completely unrunnable.  But, on Tuesday, Hains Point was plowed, and the race was on. Now I just had to decide whether I was going to run it.

I haven't been able to do any long runs in the past month due to the weather.  Since I'm now about 9 weeks out from Boston, I asked my coach whether it would be better to race the 5K or do a long run.  He was firmly in favor of the race, so that was an easy decision.

***

The race started at 8 am, with bib pick-up at 7 am. I got there around 6:50 in hopes of getting a 5 mile warm-up in.  Things like putting my shoes on and getting my bib took a bit longer than I expected, so I only got 4 miles in, including my normal 3:00 minutes/4x30 second/4x10 second fartlek.  That would have to do.

It was a chilly morning - between 28 and 30 degrees, depending on which source you consult.  I've learned that getting cold will wreck my race - it's pretty common for people with Parkinsons to discover that their symptoms get much worse when they are cold, and that has definitely been my experience.  In particular, my muscles get very tight, which then makes it challenging for me to run fast enough to warm up.

So...I need to stay warm.  Since this was a short race, I decided to err heavily on the side of warmth, with thick tights for my legs and a tank top plus two thin/breathable jackets and a buff.  I warmed up in this outfit, thinking that I'd remove one jacket for the race.  But I never felt too warm during my warm-up and this was a 5K, so I stuck with both jackets. Definitely overkill for most people, and the bulk probably slowed me slightly.  But I am confident it was the right choice for me - I was comfortable for the first half of the race and only slightly warm for the second half.

***

The race started right at 8 am.  I was able to jog around until about 3 minutes before, which I hoped would keep me loose at the start. As it turned out, I was a bit looser, but still tight.  I think some of this was from having to navigate around other runners, and some was because the urge to chase down others tends to make me tense.  I dealt with the latter by telling myself that the first mile was for relaxation, not chasing.

That mental technique worked decently, and I was able to find my groove earlier than usual for a race (win!)  From there it was just a matter of building pace while taking a bit of care on the course. There was a bit of ice on the inside of the course against the curb, and wet pavement meant that the painted lines and bicycle markings on the asphalt were a bit slick. I stayed a bit wide, rationalizing that any time lost from running with was much less than the time I'd lose from being overly cautious on slick pavement.

When I hit the halfway turnaround, I was already working pretty hard, which felt like a win.  From there it was just a matter of staying loose while continuing to build all the way to the finish, passing a few people along the way. And for the second time in two months, I had the great feeling of finishing a race knowing that I had given it my best effort.

Splits ended up being:

Mile 1: 7:41
Mile 2: 7:33
Mile 3: 7:14
last bit: .13 in 56 seconds (6:40 pace)

This course had no mile markers, so all splits were from Garmin autolap. The course was definitely accurate - that little bit of extra was a mix of Garmin satellite error and me running wide (mostly the latter since my current Garmin seems to be extremely accurate on Hains Point).

All in all, I was pretty happy with this one.  Technically speaking, it's not as good a performance as the 10 miler I ran last month.  But...because it always takes me about 2 miles to get up to speed, I know that my 5Ks are generally not going to be as competitive as longer races.  

When assessing my fitness from a shorter race, I'm more looking at relative stuff - just how bad was my first mile (in this case, much better than previous races).  And how fast were my final miles?  In this case, 7:14 is the fastest mile I've run in any workout or race (including some 3000s that I've raced) since last April, when I closed Cherry Blossom with a 7:08 mile.  So, to be able to run that fast and then pick up the pace from there for the kick makes me pretty happy - my training is on the right track.

Other notes:

• I wore the Hoka Rocket X3 for this race and was pretty happy with it. For a supershoe it's pretty stable and doesn't throw me forward the way many other supershoes do. It is definitely going to be my racing shoe for the One City Half Marathon and the Boston Marathon.
• I think the fact that I was so bundled up helped my race more than it hurt it.  I was starting to overheat slightly in the last mile of the race.  But...that was my fastest mile, so overheating didn't hurt me.  In a longer race, I think I probably would have gotten rid of one of the jackets.  But for a 5K, this was the right choice.
• My last 5K race (in October of last year, in perfect weather on a fast course) was 24:40, so over a minute slower. So, again, progress.

Race Report: Race for Every Child 5K, October 18, 2025

 I ran the Race for Every Child 5K on Saturday, finishing in 24:40.

My original plan had been to run Army 10 Miler the week before, but when it was uncertain whether Army would happen this year I switched to this 5K. I would have preferred to do the ten miler because a) it's more relevant to marathon training and b) I'm generally more competitive the longer the distance. But either race offered what I really needed - a chance to practice running fast in a large chaotic crowd. 

To explain: I tend to struggle in my running when there's a lot of movement around me. There's a few different reasons for this.  One is that my vestibular sense is not great, and so motion around me, especially unexpected motion, can throw my balance off. (To experience a bit of this yourself, try balancing on one foot while staring at a fixed point in a quiet room.  Now try balancing on one foot while people are walking around you, stepping in front of you, doing jumping jacks behind you, etc.  A bit harder now, right?)

Another reason is simply that running for me is like a big plate spinning contest, where I have to get all the plates spinning (i.e., get all the muscles firing the right way) and then keep them going.  Any time I have to change speed, direction etc, it figuratively stops a few of the plates and I have to re-establish my gait. Thus, weaving around people can be challenging.

So, running in crowds can be hard, especially when its people going at different speeds (common at the beginning of a race).  All of my races since June have been on the track, with no more than 7 other competitors, so I haven't had to deal with a mass start in a while.  And I badly needed the practice.

***

I warmed up with a bit under 4 miles of running, including my normal 3:00 at marathon to half marathon effort, 4x30 seconds faster, and then some 10 second strides. I could tell that my meds were a little bit off because I was having some trouble running over the crosswalks on Pennsylvania Avenue, which are a slightly different surface from the pavement. It's a big tell for me - when my meds are working just right, I can handle changes in surfaces without losing my balance.  But when the meds are a bit off, those changes throw my balance off.

I debated taking a small dose of extra sinemet (medication), but I wasn't sure whether I had too little or too much already in my system (it can be very hard to tell the difference).  Since things weren't too bad, I decided to stick with my current status.

After warming up, I lined up in the corral by the 8-10 minute pace sign - I hoped to run faster than that during the race, but I also start slowly.  There were a lot of people ahead of me who looked like they were new to racing and probably didn't have a good sense of where they should line up, including kids.  This was going to be messy.  Which was fine - that was exactly what I came for.

***

The gun went off, and it took me about 4 seconds to cross the start line.  Just as I had expected, the first mile was people weaving all over the place.  Between that and the crosswalks, it was a rough mile. And a good chance to practice staying relaxed and trying to be as efficient and lose as little time as possible.

After that, things started to open up some and I was able to pick up some speed, though I was still a bit stiff.  Unfortunately, the course had two 180 degree turns that I struggled with a bit, losing some time there. 

Then we turned back onto Pennsylvania Avenue to head back to the finish.  By then, I was feeling pretty good and able to pick up the pace to what felt like a hard tempo effort.  I would have liked to have gone faster, but my gait kept getting tripped up a bit by the crosswalks (mile 3 was mostly mile 1 in reverse).  The end result was that I crossed the finish line feeling like I had run the first three mile of a longer race, rather than a 5K.  Which I guess isn't the worst thing in the world, since longer races are my target and I generally run them faster anyway.

Splits were:

Mile 1: 8:16
Mile 2: 8:05
Mile 3 plus last bit: 8:18 (7:30 pace)

As a 5K, slower than I would like. As the first three miles of a longer race (which is what this felt like, since I couldn't get going until well into the second mile) not too bad.

Other notes:

• As I warmed up, I noted that my legs felt a bit heavy. At the time, I assumed it was because I had done a bit too much trail-running the day before.  But in retrospect I think it was also that I've been doing breathing training daily, which fatigues my intercostal muscles and diaphragm. Mental note that I need to taper the breathing training before my goal races.
• I wore the Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo for this race to test it out. It feels like a very good shoe for me for the half-marathon and beyond, but not as good for me for shorter distances like 5K.  I think this is because my footstrike changes based on the distance, and the Edge feels best when I am landing further back on my foot and rolling through.  The funny thing is that most reviewers seem to prefer the Edge for shorter stuff. In contrast, I've read reviews saying that the 361 Flame 4 is a shoe for all distances, but it feels much more comfortable at faster paces for me, and very awkward at tempo or marathon pace.  I guess we're all different.
• Absolutely perfect weather for this race - 56 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity and little wind.
• Even though it was in the 50s, I wore thin tights with a singlet.  I've discovered that my legs just work so much better when they are warm, and too warm is much better than too cold.
• This was a big race for my tunning team - Capital Area Runners - since the race benefited Children's Hospital and the son of one of my teammates was one of the mascots.  We ended up as the top-scoring team, which was fun.  And it was really cute to see Elliot wear the medal the team won.

Race Report: Lawyers Have Heart 5K, May 18, 2024

I ran the Lawyers Have Heart 5K today, finishing in a time of 23:18, which was a new lifetime worst for the 5K distance. 

(It had to happen sometime.)

I was initially entered in the 10K for this race, but I dropped down to the 5K because I have a para-athletic track meet in New Jersey next weekend.  The 5K would work better as a rust-buster for the shorter distances.  And though I've only done a few track workouts since Boston and my post-marathon break, they've all gone well.  Plus, I knew (or thought I knew - foreshadowing) this course and thought it would be a good one for me.

The website said the race started in West Potomac Park, so I had assumed that they were using the old 5K course that was a simple out-and-back towards Hains Point - very fast, flat, and smooth except for the brief humpback bridge each way.  

However, a few days before the race, I received an email detailing all the race day information, including the course - instead of heading to Hains Point we'd loop around the Tidal Basin and then take Independence over to the Memorial Bridge for an out and back before heading back on Independence to finish near the MLK Jr Memorial.  Still a fast course, but a few more inclines and declines than I had anticipated, and some rough pavement.   

But....one thing I know about managing neurological stuff - you have to keep pushing the edge and testing your capabilities, or they'll continue to shrink.  Viewed from that standpoint, the inclines and rough pavement were a plus.   

***

I debated what pair of shoes to wear for this race, before going with the Vaporfly 3 once again - they have good traction on wet pavement (rain was in the forecast), and I'm considering wearing them for the BAA 10K next month.  So I'd give them a test drive here.

With that decision made, I headed over to DC, arriving around 6:45 for a 7:45 start.  There was no parking near the race, so I parked near the White House and jogged the mile+ to the start in a comfortably cool drizzle.  My legs were worryingly stiff as I jogged over, but I had several miles of warm-up routine to do - hopefully that would take the edge off.

Things did smooth out some, but I never felt great.  I decided to write it off as a bad warm-up that had nothing to do with my potential race performance (I've run some great races after existentially poor warm-ups) and lined up.  Wished my teammates good luck, and we were off.

***

And...the race pretty much went the way the warm-up did.  My gait was off and awkward.  On a good day I feel smooth and can accelerate; on a bad day I'm locked in.  On a good day I can handle uneven pavement and cracks OK; on a bad day it feels like I'm running on a technical trail - liable to trip and fall if I don't place my feet carefully.  And this was a bad day.

Each mile was rough in its own way - I struggled with a slight decline off the bridge in the first mile, and then got stuck behind traffic on a narrow section of the course.  The second mile was Independence Avenue, which has needed repaving for the past three years.  And then there was the out-and-back on the bridge with all those seams - here's what my power meter looked like for that section.

I didn't even bother to look at the clock as I approached the finish - I knew this was not going to be a good performance by any standard other than pass/fail.  I crossed the finish, stopped my watch, and yup...23:17 - way slower than I had anticipated.

There were no mile markers on this course (ridiculous, given that this race had a $50 entry fee).  Not realizing this until too late, I didn't have my Garmin set to autolap, so we'll have to go with the Strava laps:

Mile 1: 7:33

Mile 2: 7:23

Mile 3: 7:17

Last bit: 6:55 pace

Overall - I ran this 5K at 7:30 pace.  As compared to the 4 mile tempo I ran last week on the track in 28:22 (7:08 pace).  But of course the track was flat and smooth, and my legs were working better then.  This race honestly felt like a much harder effort, for all that it was significantly slower.

The good news is that all of my teammates had great races - it was a fast day on a fast course.  Just not for me.  But...this race is in keeping with my recent trend of having an awful first race back after a break, so this is not necessarily an indication that I'm going to have a bad summer.  Indeed, it may indicate the opposite - I got the bad race out of the way early.  Let's hope.

***

Other notes:

• It was drizzly and low 60s for this race; had it not been raining this would have been a warm and humid race.  But the rain made all the difference.
  
  
• I wore Vaporflies for this race.  More specifically I wore my newer and bouncier pair of Vaporflies for this race.  I really do think that I need to be saving the newer pairs for workouts and racing in the older pairs, as odd and counter-intuitive as that sounds.  If I'm having any gait issues, the bounce amplifies them.
  
  An online friend has also been encouraging me to start racing shorter distances in non-super shoes - the hypothesis is that the super shoes cost me more than I gain at the shorter distances.  I do think he has a point - I just wanted to give things one more shot since my track workouts had been going so well in Vaporflies.  But...my best 5K performance in the past few years has been in the Adios 7, so I think I need to shift back to that type of shoe for the summer.  I guess it's a positive that the para-athlete track meets I'm going to do this summer will require me to wear a non-super shoe.
  
  
• I also think I need to tweak my medication some more.  This is hard to do - basically the neuro meds have both an immediate effect and a longer tail - any time you change doses it takes several weeks to see the final effects of the change.  The fact that I felt so good the first two weeks after we changed stuff, and then have felt a bit worse since, indicates to me that perhaps we undercut stuff slightly, and I'm a bit too low now. So I need to figure out how to bump it up slightly.
  
  
• I deliberately ran on trails the day before the race to try to prep a little for the rough pavement.  Didn't help (or maybe it did, and I would have run worse without having done so).  I think that for this summer I'm going to move some of my tempos away from the track and onto a running trail with some uneven pavement and undulations.

Race Report: By George 5K, February 10, 2024

I ran the By George 5K yesterday, finishing in 21:59 by my watch (22:01 was the official time, which was based on hand timing after the electronic timing system failed).

(Note: this was a $15 race, so the fact that they even tried electronic timing was a plus - I was expecting hand-timing anyway.)

I did this as a rustbuster, knowing that it was going to be ugly and awkward and awful as most rustbusters are, but that it would also be good for me.  

This race offers a 5K (once out and back) and a 10K (twice out and back) and I momentarily debated swapping to the 10K on grounds that I wasn't going to be able to run any faster for 5K then for 10K.  Then I remembered that I probably didn't have the fitness to hold any sort of fast pace for 10K and decided to stick with the 5K.

Parking and bib pick-up were quick and easy (as always for this race), so I headed out to jog the course for my warm-up, including my normal warm-up fartlek of about 15 minutes easy, 3 minutes at half-marathon effort, 4x30 seconds at 5K effort, and 4x10 second strides.  Running fast felt awkward, just as it did during this Tuesday's track workout (which was rough).  But that was what I expected, so *shrug*.

I finished warming up about 10 minutes before the race, which was enough time to run to the bathroom (very small race, so no line) and then back to the start to do strides.  I had hoped to jog to the start line right before the race start, but I wasn't so lucky as the race was delayed three minutes - just enough time for my legs to stiffen up a bit.  Oh well.

Then we started.  My gait was rough for the first mile, and got worse when I started thinking about catching up to people in front of me.  The best response to this is a mental shell game where I try to stay relaxed without slowing down and also without trying to run fast.  It's pretty tricky.  But about 3/4 of a mile into the race, I managed to find a compromise and began to reel people in.  

This race is an out-and-back, and so as I approached the turnaround I was able to count the runners ahead of me.  The first three were teammates of mine and I was fairly sure that they would continue to pull away from me.  But I was only about 20 seconds behind the fourth place (I counted 10 seconds from when she and I ran past each other to the turnaround) and the fifth place was right ahead of me. 

Knowing that I would only get faster in the second half as things loosened up, I was pretty sure I could pass both before the finish.  So I went to work.  First I passed fifth place - by now I had enough control of my gait to pull slightly ahead in a controlled manner, then pause to let her surge ahead (and use up some energy).  Then I accelerated again and pulled ahead, my focus now on fourth place.

Over the next mile I was able to chase fourth place down - an odd combination of trying to stay relaxed while still working hard.  I could tell she was slowing in the third mile, and sure enough I passed her with a half mile or so to go.  

From there I just had to focus on enduring race suck and wondering where the finish was.  Experiencing race suck (and the corresponding tiny voice asking me to take a break for a moment) was exactly why I was here, so I reminded myself over and over that this was a good thing.

Then my watch buzzed for the third mile (I used autolap because there were no mile markers) and I could see the finish line ahead, so I tried to kick.  Kicking involved trying to run hard, which meant leg stiffening and so I had to navigate that, but somehow I did manage to accelerate.  It didn't feel pretty, but that was OK.

I finished and stopped my watch and checked it - 21:59.  NOT a personal worst (which was what I was expecting) and far better than I had expected, based on recent workouts.  And I also felt pretty good about having managed to truly compete in the race while managing the leg stiffness and balance issues, instead of being distracted by them to the exclusion of all else.

Splits (Garmin autolap) were:

Mile 1: 7:12
Mile 2: 7:02
Mile 3: 6:51
last .13:  52 seconds (6:40 pace)

So...not a badly executed race, albeit with the traditional slow first mile.  And I felt much better and more confident about my running (and specifically my ability to race) as a result of this 5K, so I got what I came for.

Other notes:

• It was a ridiculously good day for racing - high 40s temps with no wind and overcast skies, on flat and fast Hains Point.  We got really lucky.
  
  
• I wore the Nike Vaporfly 3 for this race, rather than my Takumi Sens or Deviate Nitros.  I was really excited about this, actually.  Last year I picked up a pair of Vaporfly 3s and did a workout in them, but I was really uncomfortable in them (specifically ankle pain), so I decided that they didn't work for me.  I meant to sell them on eBay, but never did. 
  Then on a whim on Friday, I decided to do some strides in them and see if I liked them any better (comparing to the Adios Pro and the Deviate Nitro).  Surprisingly, they felt fine for the strides - much better than I remembered.  So I decided to give them a spin for the 5K.  And they were fine.  Sure, I was awkward and stiff, but it didn't feel any worse from any other pair of shoes.  It was me, not the shoes.
  So that's exciting - I'm now thinking that a year's worth of ankle strengthening and balance rehab has paid off, and I can wear these shoes again (I used to like racing in the Vaporfly before my neuro issues hit and I couldn't handle them any more).  Perhaps these will end up being my spring marathon shoe.
  
  
• I arrived at 7 am for the 7:50 start.  This was just barely enough time - had there been an issue with traffic or bib pick-up or bathroom lines I wouldn't have had enough time to warm-up.  Next year I need to arrive about 15 minutes earlier.
  
  
• The really good news was that my running stride felt much better the next morning after this race - which is par for the course for me.  But also pretty cool.  This race may have rebooted my gait issues some (as really uncomfortable fast running seems to).  So yay.

Race Report: Birthday Bash 5K, July 23, 2023

 I ran the Birthday Bash 5K today, finishing in 22:35.  

Honestly, not my best race.  But I guess that is what rustbusters are for.

After my last race - the Garry Bjorklund Half - I took some time off and then started training again.  I've also been doing PT religiously, and it really seems like my gait has been improving.  

So I signed up for this race as a check-in.  I knew it would be a rolling course, but that would be a good chance to see how I handled downhills.

***

I jogged the first mile of the course and noted that the downhills were a bit steeper than I remembered (I haven't run this course in 7-8 years).  But I did some downhill strides and seemed to be able to run fast downhill (a big improvement on where I was previously) so that was positive.

After doing my normal warm-up (3:00 at tempo, 4x0:30 at 5K, 4x0:10 strides) I wandered over to the start and jogged with some strides until it was time to warm up.

I wasn't sure where to go, so I lined up next to two guys who were discussing goal times.  The guy on the left said he was targeting 18; the guy on the right was targeting 22.  I hoped to be somewhere in between those two times, so I thought I was in the right place.  And if I was too far back, well...it wasn't that big a race, so it wouldn't be too hard to work my way up.

***

The race started, and yup, I had started too far back.  I assumed that things would open up pretty quickly but the course was narrower than I expected and it took about half a mile for me to get enough room to run.

Once I had room I went to work - pushing the uphills and trying to run the downhills well.  I struggled with the downhills more than I had expected - essentially running downhill fast requires a lot of concentration, and it's harder to concentrate when I have other people around me.  The end result is that while my downhill running was much improved, it still wasn't good.  I still have work ahead of me.

My splits ended up being:

Mile 1: 7:35 (stuck in traffic)
Mile 2: 7:01
Mile 3: 7:03
last bit: 54 seconds.

So....not great at all.  I guess the positives are that I did run downhill a bit better, and I got my rustbuster out of the way.  

On to the next one.

Other notes:

• It was actually pretty good weather - Temperature of 68 with a dew point of 66.  In northern Virginia, that's pretty good for July.  
• I left my home around 6:30 am for the 8:00 am start, which was just about perfect.
• I wore the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 1s for this race.  I think I really like that shoe for a 5K.

Race Report: By George 5K, February 11, 2023

 I ran the By George 5K today, finishing in a time of 21:56 by my watch.

This race was a rust-buster - my first race back after the Houston Marathon, and also a chance to see how I raced on Rytary.  It's a small old-school-type race - an accurate 5K distance, but no mile markers and timing done by a combination of a "clicker" held by a race official and a tag on the race bib that is torn off in the finishing chute.  

It was chilly (38 degrees) and pretty windy this morning, which resulted in a low turnout (about 50 runners total for the 5K). I debated what to wear, and went with a long sleeve t-shirt and tights, which felt like the right choice.

I did my standard warm-up of 15-20 minutes easy running, then 3:00 at marathon-to-half-marathon effort, 4x30 seconds at 5K effort, and 4x30 seconds at mile effort.  Then I did relaxed strides to keep my legs limber until we lined up.  I noted the wind was from the north.  The race itself was an out-and-back on a "U" shaped route, meaning a tailwind for the first mile, a mix of head and tailwind for the second mile, and a headwind for the third mile.

***

The gun went off, and I stayed off to the side while trying to establish my stride.  Once I'd had that settled, I looked ahead, and saw a number of runners that I could reel in.  There was a strong tailwind, which made me feel a bit less stable, and I also found that I couldn't push too hard without losing the stability of my gait.  So I did what I could, and tried to conserve energy to spend once I had a head wind.

After the first mile, we hit the turn at the southern tip of Hains Point, and the headwind hit.    Normally I would have dreaded it, but I felt a lot more stable with it, and used it as an opportunity to reel a few runners in.

It wasn't too long until we hit the turnaround cone to return.  The tailwind was equally strong, and I had to back off on the effort a bit to stabilize my stride.  I held that rhythm until we once again ran around the tip of Hains Point and back into the headwind.    At that point, feeling secure in my stride once again, I hit the gas.  

I could see the third and second place women ahead of me.  Third place was close, second fairly far ahead.  I passed third fairly easily, and steadily pulled towards second place, but ran out of real estate before I could pass her, finishing about 8 seconds behind her.

Splits were:

Mile 1: 7:12
Mile 2: 7:03
Mile 3: 6:49
Last bit: 0:52

So yes, the mile into the strong headwind was 23 seconds faster than the mile with the strong tailwind....

I'm both frustrated and happy with this race.  I got my rust buster out of the way, so that was good.  And I'm definitely handling running with others so much better than I used to.  At the same time, I'm not "fixed" yet.

My gait issues have improved substantially with the Rytary.  My hips are much better, and the issue is primarily in my toes - whenever my balance feels challenged (gusts of wind) or I try to surge to pass someone my toes curl and clench, which in turn makes it hard to run.   As soon as I start really trying, my toes and feet clench and I run slower.  So....in order to run my fastest, I have to try to run fast but not try TOO hard to run fast.

I'm already working on this with PT - I just need to keep working on it and practicing keeping my toes relaxed while running hard workouts.

Other notes:

• Left my house at around 6:40 am, which was perfect for the 7:50 am start.
• I tapered for this 5K like I normally do, but my legs felt a bit stiff.  I wonder if, just like the marathon, I'm now better off doing a little bit more before the race.

Race report: Anacostia Parkrun, July 16, 2022

I ran the Anacostia Park Run today, finishing in a time of 22:19, which was 2nd overall and top female in a very small (maybe 40 people?) event.

I haven't raced since Broad Street in early May, and so I needed to jump in something, anything.  I considered running the Harrisburg mile next Wednesday night, but it's a long drive up there and back, and fitting it into my schedule was looking harder and harder.  So I decided to find something to run this weekend, and settled on one of the local parkruns.   We have 5 parkruns locally; I opted for Anacostia because it was the closest one that was on a paved surface.

Park runs don't start until 9 am, so I slept in, stretched, and then arrived just after 8 am to start my warm-up (as always, 15-20 minutes easy jogging, 3 minutes at half-marathon effort, 4x30 seconds at 5K effort, and 4x10 seconds at mile effort).  I finished up around 8:40 and noted three things of interest.  1) I was the only person there besides the parkrun volunteers; 2) there was no water around; and 3) there was a helicopter hovering about 150 meters away over the lawn of a government building.

The good news for point 1 is that people started showing up about 5 minutes later.  As for point 2 - whelp that one was on me.  I was pretty thirsty, but there was no water, and not enough time to jog back to my car.  Next time I'll bring a bottle with me.

Point 3 was the interesting one.  Apparently the National Parks Service was doing some sort of rescue drill, where the helicopter would hover over the lawn, drop a hoist, raise the hoist, and then fly over us to briefly hover over the Anacostia River before flying back to the lawn to repeat.

All of which was really interesting to watch.  The strong breeze generated by the helicopter was also appreciated.  But...it was also ear-splitting loud - too loud to start the run (you couldn't hear the starter say "go").

Fortunately, they ended the drill shortly after 9 am, meaning that the park run was able to start.

***

It felt pretty hot and humid and the sun was bright, so I decided to go out conservatively and then hopefully build in the second half (the course was a simple out and back on a paved bike path).  We started, and I was immediately passed by 7 people.  That was refreshingly normal - I am NEVER fast off of the line.  What was also refreshingly normal was that my gait was actually holding up pretty well despite being near others.

I started building and soon pulled in a few people.  By about half a mile in, I was running comfortably and in second place, with a young girl (14, I think) in front.  She probably had about 20 seconds on me - I decided to work to reel her in gradually.

And I did reel her in, but at the same time started feeling worse and worse.  And the run just went downhill from there, with at least one walking break.  The funny thing was - I wasn't the only one this happened to - everyone was struggling.  The end result was that I ran/jogged my way to second place overall, about 20 seconds behind the male winner.

My plan had been to go out conservative and negative split.  Instead I ran the following splits:

Mile 1: 6:57
Mile 2: 7:11
Mile 3: 7:22
last .11: 47 seconds

Ooops.

The good news is that my bad race was due to poor execution and lack of fitness, not gait issues.  In fact, my gait felt pretty good except for a few steps at the end when I had to run on grass.  So I've got my work cut out for me now.

Other notes:

• According to WeatherUnderground, it was 83 degrees with a dew point of 74 at the start.  So a bit hotter than I expected it to be (and bright sunshine with no shade).  So not entirely surprising that I blew up.  I should have gone out MUCH more conservatively.
• I really need to bring a water bottle to the start next time - I don't think I did myself any favors starting the race feeling thirsty, even though it was so short a race.  But this is why it's important to race periodically - to remember this sort of stuff.
• I'd much rather be limited by lack of fitness and bad pacing than my gait, so I'm OK with this.   I also really want to jump into another race so I can execute better.

Race Report: Cherry Blossom 5K, April 3, 2022

I ran the Cherry Blossom 5K this morning (otherwise known as the low key 5K run-walk associated with the internationally renowned Cherry Blossom 10 Miler) in 21:08, which was good enough for the female win, so that was nice.  

[This race was also the latest episode in my spring season, where I methodically focus on learning how to mechanically run again on a variety of surfaces and in a range of scenarios without losing track of where my feet are relative to my body or faceplanting.  It's been a fun past few months, y'all.]

The weekend started off with a misfire when I arrived at the race expo and realized I had brought neither my driver's license nor a print-out of my race confirmation.  All I had was my credit card, my metro farecard, and a mask.  

(The reason is that I ran from my house to a red line metro station, before taking the red line to the expo.  Post-expo, my plan was to take the red line to the orange line back home.  So I had been focused on having everything I would need to take the metro each way, and totally forgot about what I would need while at the expo.)

Fortunately, a helpful volunteer looked up my number for me once there, and then another friendly volunteer handed me my bib number without checking my ID, so that was an issue resolved.

***

Race morning went more smoothly.  Since the 5K didn't start until 9 am, I didn't leave my house until 7:30.  I drove to Georgetown, about 1.5 miles from the 5K start line, parked there, and jogged over.  It was a bit disconcerting to see the 10 miler in progress (it had started before 8 am) as I jogged, and I had to remind myself that I was running a different race.

Once at the start, I finished my warm-up with my normal fartlek - 3:00 at marathon effort dropping down to half-marathon effort, then four sets of 30 seconds at 5K effort, finishing with four sets of 10 seconds at mile effort.  I did this on the first mile of the race course, with some difficulty.  I hadn't realized how broken up that stretch of Independence Avenue was.  Lovely.  

But the whole point of running this race, as with every other race I've done this year, was to force myself to deal with things that made me uncomfortable and wobbly, and to work through them. So we'd just add this to the bucket.

I finished up about 15 minutes before race start, and then did strides randomly until it was time to line up.  Once in the corral, a running friend I hadn't seen in a while came over to impart some breaking news. 

"Did you hear that Susanna won the 10 miler?"

"She was top American?  Oh my God, that's great!"

"No.  She won the women's race.  Ran 52-something."

"HOLY SHIT!"

I said that last part a bit too loud, and got a few odd looks.  But wow.  It was a perfect weather morning to run, and a good friend had apparently just made the best of it.  Outstanding.  But now it was time to focus on my own race.

***

They gave us a 10 second countdown, and then yelled the g-word and we were off.  As I have done in other races, I started off to the side - that way if I struggled with my balance or started to fall, I could lean that way and not screw up the race of others.

The first half mile was a bit rough.  It was downhill, crowded, and the pavement was broken up.  No less than 7 other women pulled ahead of me, along with a lot of men.  But I had to let them go and just concentrate on navigating the road and staying relaxed and steady.  (The good news is that through this start was scary, it was notably less scary than either of my previous 5Ks - things are definitely improving).  

After those first few moments, the downhill flattened out and I was able to find a rhythm and start reeling in the early sprinters.  I noted with some satisfaction that I was having much less trouble running near people than I had in the past.  By the time I approached the first mile marker, I had pulled up with and then eased in front of a pack of about 3 men and 4 women.  As I pulled ahead, another woman went with me - she and I would trade the women's lead for much of the rest of the race.

The course had us cross the Memorial Bridge into Virginia, do a small loop, and then return into DC to retrace our route to the start/finish line.  I struggled a bit with the turns that took us onto the bridge, and then a bit more with some joints on the bridge surface that I'm sure were no issue to anyone but myself.  I was running side by side with the other woman, and I could tell my breathing was a bit more relaxed than hers.  But every time we hit a joint, it would disrupt my stride and she'd pull a bit ahead, and then I'd catch back up on the smooth pavement.

Then we got off the bridge and were in Virginia, and I assumed that we'd just loop Memorial Circle and then head back.  Nope.   We had a bit further to go, including a stretch of cobblestones.

Oops.  I had forgotten about the cobblestones.

They weren't very big or difficult cobblestones, but still.  I told myself again that I was doing these races to make myself work through the things that really screw with my gait and balance, and adding cobblestones to the mix was a bonus.  I forced myself to look ahead instead of at the ground, and focused on staying relaxed and feeling my feet rolling on the ground, and managed to navigate the cobblestone section out, and the cobblestone section back after hitting the 180 degree turn on the far side.

After cobblestones part deux, it was back over the bridge (with its damn joints) and then a tight turn before descending a gentle hill down to Independence Avenue, from which it was a straight shot to the finish.

The other woman pulled a bit ahead of me when I struggled with the turn, and then more when I had to carefully navigate the downhill.  As we turned onto Independence (and a patch of broken up asphalt), she threw in a surge, pulling about 30 meters ahead.

Depression slapped me pretty hard at this point.  I had just come through the 2 mile mark of a 5K in 13:55, as announced by a volunteer (I really wish they hadn't done that - I ignore my watch for a reason).  And now, even running at that pace, I was getting dropped.   And it wasn't like I wasn't breathing hard.

For a split second I really wanted to step off the course.  Then I pulled myself back together - my whole goal in running this race was to finish it on my feet and learn how to manage myself.  So I was going to finish this one and do the best damn job I could, regardless of what pace I was running or where I was going to place.

So I forged on.  And then, as the pavement smoothed out, a slight headwind picked up.  And wonderfully my stride locked in, and I started feeling like my old self.  I pulled up with the other woman and then passed her and took the lead.

The last mile of the race was fantastic.  My legs were swinging freely and my feet falling right where I expected them to.  My breathing was hard and I could tell my heart rate was exploding and it was glorious because my legs and mechanics were letting me hurt instead of holding me back.  5K suck never felt so awesome.

The final stretch to the finish line was a gentle uphill (a match to the decline that started the race).  All the better - I feel much more comfortable on uphills than flats.  I hammered to the finish because I could, and noted as I approached that they were raising a tape.  For me?  I got to break a tape again in this lifetime?  Yay!

Of course, the downside of the issues I'm dealing with are that things like finish mats and finish tapes are also balance challenges.  But I managed to navigate both without tripping and falling, so we'll add that to the list of today's achievements.

***

Since I didn't think there would be mile markers, I took autolap splits with my Garmin.  Those were

Mile 1: 6:59 (navigating the start and rough pavement)
Mile 2: 6:51 (turns and cobblestones, oh my)
Mile 3: 6:30 (feeling good)
Last .14: 51 seconds (6:08 pace according to Garmin - again, it's so much easier to run uphill than flat).

My final official time was 21:08, rather than the 21:11 of my Garmin - I suspect this is because I started my watch a bit early, and didn't stop it until after I had broken the tape and steadied my balance.

That 6:30 for the third mile is obviously still way off my old 5K PR pace.  But progress is progress, and so much about this race felt like a success that it's hard to be anything but happy.  Hey - I ran a race on cobblestones (partially) and didn't fall down!  I ran well with people close to me!  

These are all little victories, but they keep me believing that the way out is forward.

***

Other notes:

• It was just a perfect day for a run - high 40s, overcast, little wind.
• My heart rate hit 187 in this race - higher than even what I saw last week.  It's good to see that my mechanics have improved enough that I am able to hit that level of effort.
• I wore my Takumi Sens again for this race - I think of all the shoes available to me right now, these are working the best in terms of having some speed to them, but still being low enough and flexible enough that I can feel where I am on the ground in them.
• I got a nice trophy for my efforts and got to participate in the Cherry Blossom awards ceremony (I got my trophy at the end, after the 10 miler winners got theirs).  I noted with some amusement that my 5K trophy and Susanna's 10 miler trophy were essentially identical (the only difference was the distance of the race, in a small dark font).  But of course, she also walked away with a very nice payday, since she was both the overall winner and the top American.  Such is the difference between a 52 minute 10 miler and a 21 minute 5K.  [I will say that it is very nice of the Cherry Blossom organizers to make sure the 5K winners got nice trophies - much appreciated].
• I made the Cherry Blossom Instagram account, so I'm showing it off here.  Absolutely narcissistic, but so is having a running blog.
  
  
  
  

Race Report: Scope It Out 5K, March 27, 2022

I ran the Scope It Out 5K this morning, finishing in a time of 22:11, which was good enough for second place female.

This 5K was the next installation in my recurring series of "put yourself in situations that trigger your wobbliness/whatever issues and force yourself to deal with it."  Two things that really aggravate my issues are running in groups and strong side or tailwinds.  This race promised to have both, so yay.  And I was supporting a cause - colorectal cancer research - that is very important to my good friend Jillian, so that was an extra bonus.

The race started at Freedom Plaza at 9:00 am.  I've done enough races at Freedom Plaza to know that you need to get there fairly early to get a decent parking space, so I left my home at 7:30 and found parking a bit before 8 am (after circling around a few times).  Then I put on my shoes and started warming up.

For this race, I decided to go with the New Balance RC Elite V.2.   This shoe has felt great at marathon effort, but arguably a bit soft and slow to turnover at anything harder than that.  However, I'm currently running 5Ks at my previous marathon pace, so I thought they were worth a shot.  Also in their favor - they are the only carbon plated shoes I seem to be able to handle right now.  Everything else is too unstable and bouncy.

***

I warmed up with my standard 15-20 minutes of jogging, followed by 3:00 at half-marathon effort, 4x30 seconds at 5K effort, and then 4x10 seconds at mile effort.  I noted a strong wind from the west that would be a tailwind to start and a headwind to end.  About the time I finished, I saw some old running friends (Jake, Brent, and David) and got to catch up with them, so that was nice.

Then we lined up, and after a moment of silence, the race started.  Mindful of my balance issues, I lined up on the far left side of the race start, so that I could angle off to the side and avoid most of the early race chaos.  Of course, what I hadn't planned on was a bunch of high school kids that were doing the whole "sprint, slowdown, swerve, sprint, slowdown, swerve" thing.  My first quarter mile of the race was spent navigating around them, which was both scary and exactly why I signed up for this race.  So I dealt with it.  

After that first quarter mile, things settled down, and I could relax into the action.  I had a very strong tailwind behind me (20 mph) and the course was also slightly downhill.  Both of these were balance challenges, but I was really happy with how well I handled them - I felt so much more stable than before.  Stable enough that I was able to look around for other women runners.  There was one woman about my age who I reeled in pretty easily, and another younger woman ahead.  For a while I was holding steady behind the younger woman, and I had some hope that perhaps she was going out too fast and I would be able to run her down later in the race.

Then we went around a turn and the tailwind became a crosswind, and I had to work a bit to stay on my feet.  Another turn, and we were back into the headwind for a quarter mile before a 180 around a turn.  At some point here, the younger woman started pulling away, and then I only had other men to run with and chase.

***

I'm familiar with this course - at least I thought I was.  My 5K pr was set in a race starting and ending at Freedom Plaza, just like this race.  However, somewhere in the second mile, the course took a right hand turn to route us near the Capitol - a bit of a surprise, but I went with it (I think Jillian told me this would happen, I just didn't process it).  

Eventually we made our way back to the course I knew, with a mile-long push up Pennsylvania Avenue into the headwind.  I had been running with 2 other men for most of the race, but once we hit the headwind, they fell back and I was solo for the last mile.   It took some digging into my mental tool box, but I was able to stay tough in that final mile and push to the finish.

I crossed the finish line as second female, stopped my watch, and checked it.  22:11 was the time - a bit of a shock (and not in a good way).  This race had honestly felt like a better and stronger performance than my last one.  I felt much more stable on my feet this time, and also felt like I was able to push harder as a result.  According to my Garmin, my heart rate was 180 or above for the last half-mile, and peaked at 183 - significantly higher than I saw in my last race.  At the same time I ran this 5K about a minute slower than my previous one - I wasn't expecting to see that number.    

In one sense, the time doesn't matter at all - I'm nowhere near PR shape, and my goal was truly to stay on my feet.  On the other hand, I had been fairly sure that I was going to run a bit faster than my previous 5K, so there was a moment's disappointment and doubt upon seeing that I had not come close to even that time.

But it is where I am.   I do feel really good about the fact that I felt so much more secure on my feet than I did before, and also that I was able to push myself a bit harder.  

***

I never saw mile markers 1 or 2 for the race, so I could only take a manual split for mile 3.  My Strava of course broke down my splits by mile - from that I see that my splits were:

Mile 1: 6:51
Mile 2: 7:01
Mile 3: 6:54
last .20: 1:25

(Strava/my Garmin say the course was 3.20 in length.  I don't think this version of the Freedom Plaza 5K course is certified, so maybe it was this long).

Other notes:

• The temps were great for this race - 45 degrees.  The wind did make things colder.  I wore thin tights and a tank top plus arm-warmers, and that felt like the right clothing choice.
• I talked some friends into watching me as I finished, and got some valuable feedback.  Apparently I'm not rotating my hips when I run - so that's something else to consider and work on.
• On reflection, I don't think I like the RC Elite V2s for this distance (which matches what pretty much all the reviewers have said).  I think it's back to my Takumi Sens for this distance until I get my stability in a better place and can start using Vaporflies again.
• I got to cooldown with a group of friends (Rachel, Brent, and Jake) after.  It was really fun to catch up with them.

Race Report: By George 5K, February 12, 2022

I ran the "By George 5K" today, finishing in a time of 21:14 (gun time), which was good enough for the female win.  So that was nice.

This race was basically a rustbuster to the nth power.  It's been about 5 months since I last raced (5th Avenue Mile in September 2021), and the last few months have been a struggle with weakness, wobbliness, dizziness, and a lack of coordination in my legs that at one point had me running at 12:00 pace.  No, it's not MS.    And yes, I've heard all about runner's dystonia the last few days, and while what I am experiencing has a lot of similarities, it has two key distinctions - a) I get better the longer I run, and b) I am improving.  Slowly, but the trend is the right way.

It's hard to describe exactly what's wrong - at various times it feels like I'm wearing pants that are too tight, or that the ground is moving and bouncing beneath my feet, or that muscles are contracting when they shouldn't, or that one leg is about to collapse on me.  The most consistent thing is that my legs simply don't respond very fast to the instructions my brain sends.

The last part tends to make me very nervous about running on uneven pavement or near others or in poor visibility - basically I can't react if I need to catch myself or adjust pace when someone else veers, slows, or clips my heels.  And the muscle tension that results from that nervousness just makes my issues worse.

A diagnostic corticosteroid shot near my L5 vertebra just over two weeks ago yielded amazing but short lived results.  For a bit over a week, my legs were listening to me again, and I was fine running on sidewalks etc.  So that was great and indicated that the issue was likely inflammation in the nerves stemming out of L5 and below.

But the shot's effects were only temporary - yesterday doing a shake out run on sidewalks was a real challenge.  Great, just in time for my race.

But I sucked it up and showed up for the race anyway.  This race wasn't even about getting a fitness check.  I just needed to get out there, and experience a race again, including a mass start and running with others. Racing with others was scary for reasons that had nothing to do with fears of a slow time.  So I needed to do it.  Immersion therapy.  If I fell, I fell.

***

I showed up at Hains Point to be greeted with fantastic weather - low 50s, no wind.  Seriously awesome.  Threw on my Next%s and went for my warm-up.  Only to realize that the Next%s were NOT going to work for me today.  Just too unstable, too bouncy - I couldn't trust my own legs in them.

Fortunately, I had brought another pair of shoes with me - my Takumi Sen 8s - lower stack, less bouncy, and with a bit of flexibility that meant I could feel the ground better.  So I finished my warm-up sequence in the Next%s as best I could, and then swapped to the Takumi Sens. I did a few strides which felt much better and then lined up to listen to the National Anthem.

This was a small race (50 runners I think). I seeded myself about 3 rows back, when I normally would have been at the front.  I honestly wasn't sure how the start was going to go, and 3 rows back wouldn't harm my competitiveness in the race, but it would reduce the chances of me getting in someone's way if I had a bad wobble.  Then we started, and I was running a race again for the first time in what seemed like forever.

***

The first 400m or so was an exercise in staying relaxed and calm while running near others, and not letting my gait get too choppy or awkward.  It was a lot of mental work to stay relaxed and calm, but I pulled it off.  Then things opened up a bit, and I was able to start eyeballing the field ahead.  I saw two women ahead of me - one closer, and one further.   I could tell that an effort that felt quite controlled and tempo-ish was reeling in the closer woman and staying steady with the further one, so I held that. 

 After a few minutes, I passed that woman, and then turned my focus to the female leader.  I could tell that my effort was still quite easy - definitely not 5K effort, and yet I was slowly gaining ground on her.  So I started to work to build my pace. This was hard, not aerobically, but from a coordination perspective.  I had an upper limit - if I extended my stride past that point, I'd start wobbling.

I pretty much spent the rest of the race playing with that limit - how fast could I run without losing my coordination (around the half-way mark I passed the woman who was leading the race).  I'd work to open up and push a little more, and then I'd start wobbling and I'd have to back off and reset, before going back to work.  I found a mini-pack to work with of two guys, and that was helpful too - it forced me to keep my stride coordinated WHILE running with others - exactly the kind of situation I wanted to confront myself with.  

There were no mile markers here, so I had set my Garmin to autolap.  When it hit mile 3 I tried to kick while staying coordinated.  It was honestly really hard, and I mostly couldn't kick.  But I made it to the finish having managed to a) speed up a bit while b) not faceplanting and so that was win.  In addition to the actual win.

Splits were:

Mile 1: 6:50
Mile 2: 6:53 (180 turn around a cone that I struggled to navigate)
Mile 3: 6:37
last .14: 51 seconds (6:22 pace)

I had half-joked before that my goal for the race was to finish on my feet.  And that was only partially a joke.  Finishing this race felt like a real achievement.  I also wanted to race well, regardless of the time on the clock, and I feel I did that in that I raced calmly, methodically, and with a negative split.  

Of course, anytime you race a 5K at what was at one point your marathon pace, it's a bit...I don't even have words for it.  But, you have to accept where you are, and also note that where you are doesn't define where you will be.  Races are beginnings, not ends.  And this was a good step forward.

I'm glad I did this race.

Race Report: Dash Around the Point 5K, February 28, 2021

I ran the "Dash Around the Point 5K" this morning finishing in a time of 20:06 by my watch, which was good enough for the female win.

I signed up for this race as a rust-buster of sorts - my first race back after taking a (not a) season break and then doing some hills/tempo work.  It was on Hains Point, which is a nice flat route with a well marked, certified out and back course for the 5K distance.  Interestingly, the course posted on the website was NOT the certified course.  But it was pretty similar, and I'm not currently fit enough to care whether a course is certified.

I got to the parking lot around 6:50 for the 8 am race, which was the perfect amount of time to grab my bib and warm-up.  I noted them laying a mat in the parking lot very close to my car as I grabbed my bib - I couldn't figure out why they needed a mat there since it wasn't anywhere near the start/finish.  

But after I finished, as I saw the racers lining up for the 10K (which preceded the 5K), I realized that they were not going with the course on the website.  Rather, we'd start right next to my car (which fortunately was not in the way) run about 10m one direction, then around a median and double back on ourselves.  From there, we'd exit the parking lot, make a right turn to go through a gap about 10 feet wide between a police car and a curb, and then we'd be on Hains Point.  From there, we'd do an out and back before doing the reverse curly-Q to get back to the finish.

The pre-race email had included the statement: 

"Masks are also required on NPS-managed lands when physical distancing cannot be maintained, including narrow or busy trails, overlooks and historic homes."  There are a few sections of the trail in the race that could be fairly busy and very difficult to stay 6+ feet away from others. We understand no one wants to wear a mask when running, but please abide by this new ruling when you near other runners, bicyclists, and other members of the public.

which had made no sense to me at the time - Hains Point has plenty of room for spacing/social distancing.  I assumed the statement was boilerplate for all their races.  But....in light of the new course, this made much more sense. 

Per their Covid protocols, we were sent off in waves of about 15 each.  We did not start at the start line, but rather some distance back, so we could be spaced out, with masks on.  Then, when the race was started, everyone ran to the start line and we were off.

As is normal for me, I got dropped by everyone at the start.  Which meant that I was at the back of the group for the tight turns and the police car gap.  (I guess this is where the fact that I never raced cross country shows - I'm one of those people that would totally get trapped behind a pack the whole race).  After we made it past the police car, space opened up and I was able to start working my way past others.  I was fifth woman when I passed the police car and turned onto Hains Point, but was able to pass women 4, 3, and 2 fairly easily as soon as I had room to do so.

There was a woman from Georgetown Running Club (one of my running team's friendly rivals) ahead of me, so I kept my eye on her, gently working my way towards her and a man  Once I bridged up to them, I sat there for a bit.  But the pace didn't feel right for a 5K, so I picked it up.  

There wasn't much except open road ahead of me at that point.  I could see a figure in the far distance, so I focused on him, trying to reel him in (surprisingly, I almost did catch him by the end).   

That was pretty much the rest of the race - the most exciting thing was the turnaround cone, which I executed poorly.  (note to self - remember that you run turnarounds much faster when you swing wide so you don't slow down too much).

The return to the start/finish area was much easier than the departure since I didn't have anyone blocking me.  I kicked as best I could though the turns and then I was done.  With my car nicely right there to grab my rain coat (it was gently raining during the race).

Splits by Garmin autolap (no mile markers) were:

Mile 1: 6:42

Mile 2: 6:30

Mile 3: 6:17

last bit: 37 seconds.

***

I have to admit, I ran a lot slower today than I was expecting to.  So that was disappointing.  On the other hand, my splits are lopsided, indicating that I likely left time on the table.  I think some of that is getting stuck behind others at the start, and some is that I was too conservative in the first half of the race.  I didn't feel like I was working hard until the last mile - not ideal in a 5K.    

I'm not too worried about all of this.  Since my break I haven't been doing the types of workouts that would lead to a good 5K, save the one set of half-mile repeats I did this past Tuesday.  I'm just not calloused to that type of effort.  My team is restarting track workouts this week, and I think I'm in a good place right now to respond quickly to those.  In the meantime, I got a race in, and all races are good practice.

Other notes:

• Weather was 46 degrees and light rain, with not much wind.  Which is some of my favorite weather to run in.  My breathing was great.
• When chatting with one of the race managers, I asked afterwards why they hadn't gone with the posted course.  He didn't offer an answer, just chatted about something else . I honestly can't figure out why - Hains Point was completely closed to traffic anyways, so it would have just been a matter of putting the timing mat and the turnaround cone in a different place.  Huh.
• In retrospect, I wonder how the race would have gone if I had deliberately sat at the back of my group of 15, let them go for 5-10 seconds at the start to give some space and then crossed the starting line.  Maybe something to try if I do this course in this set of circumstances again.
• Any time you get to race in the time of Covid is a good race.

Race report: New Years Day 5K, January 1, 2021.

 I ran the New Years Day 5K today in 20:11.

One hopes this day was not an augur for the rest of the year, as it didn't start well.  On my way down to Fredericksburg (where the race was) a squirrel ran in front of my car as I exited 95.  I swerved to miss it but saw it huddled in the road in my rear view mirror after.  I wanted to stop and check on it, but there was nowhere safe to pull off.  So I drove on to the race, almost in tears.  In retrospect, I didn't hear or feel a thump, and there was no blood on my tires, so I'm really hoping that I didn't actually hit it.  But it was still really upsetting.

Once I got to the race, I collected myself, then collected my bib, and then warmed up.  It was overcast, but not yet raining - I hoped that the rain would hold off until after the race (it was supposed to start mid-morning).  The course itself was in Pratt Park - a local park with a paved path.  As I jogged the course I noted that much of it was fast, but it did have two bridge sections with wooden boardwalks, with a dip down and up to each of them.

Just as I finished my warm-up, it started to rain (of course).  Fortunately I had packed a hat, so it was easy to run back to my car and put that on.  Then we lined up and were off (at least my wave of 10 runners was).

The first minute or two was working into position, and then I hit a rhythm (one slightly disrupted by the realization that my right shoe was loose, which would bother me the rest of the race, though I don't think it had any practical effect).  Pretty soon I was almost by myself - just the footfalls of one person behind me.  I'd have to slow down when I hit a bridge and she'd pull near me, and then I'd pull away again.

One of the wooden bridges had a pretty steep drop down to it.    As I rolled down the hill, I lost my balance and started wind-milling my arms.  This has happened to me once before with the Next% (what I was wearing today).  For whatever reason, steep declines plus my running gait plus the Next% don't work well - I lose my balance.

Somehow, I managed to stay on my feet (I really thought I was going down) and re-establish my rhythm.  Amazingly, I didn't hit the woman behind me with my windmilling arms either, which was a relief.

We continued on, her on my heels.  I tried to gently build, in anticipation of a big kick when I got to the right place before the finish line.  But she kicked first and better.  Actually, I had no kick at all when I went for it.  I felt stuck in this hard tempo-ish gear.  So I trailed in behind her to second.  In retrospect, I should have slowed up during the middle of the race and let her take the lead so that I could let her do the work, not me.  My mistake, but good job by her.  And who knows if the result would have been any different.

Splits ended up being:

Mile 1: 6:34

Mile 2: 6:41 (this is where I almost went down)

Mile 3: 6:26

last 0.8: 31 seconds (course measured 3.08 on my Garmin GPS - not surprising since the course was not certified).

So....way slower than I expected.  I'm annoyed but not too worried about it - I think it was at least partially due to being really tentative because of the rain and the near-fall.  

I'm more concerned about the fact I had no kick at the end.  I did some 200s on Tuesday, and I'm thinking that the gap from Tuesday-Friday might not have been enough.

I also think I may have raced a bit too much recently and it's hurt me, both in terms of losing fitness and in terms of being flat.  Time to just focus on training for a few weeks.

Race Report: Wobble After Gobble 5K, November 28, 2020

 I ran the Wobble After Gobble 5K (ish) yesterday afternoon, finishing in an official time of 19:48 on this uncertified course.

It felt really good to race again.  Really really good.  

The fact that I haven't been racing hasn't been for lack of races or lack of trying.    Races have been happening, even in the time of Covid, and I've been entered in them.  But I keep having to sit them out due to my hamstring, or my folate deficiency, or my bad ankle, or recovery from PRP for the bad ankle.

The irony of my personal 2020 is that I've missed many more races due to injury/health than due to cancellations.  So when I saw the "Vienna Caboose" 5K/10K was being held on the W&OD trail on a Sunday morning I signed up with great excitement.

Only to have the race swapped to virtual.   As happens. 

The race management offered registered runners the opportunity to switch into several other races, including the Wobble After Gobble races to be held at Lake Accotink park on a Saturday afternoon.  I read the race description, and signed up as soon as I saw the word "paved" in the course description.  At this point, I'm not picky.

***

I got to the race venue around 2:30 pm and began my warm-up by jogging the course.  The trail was paved with either asphalt or concrete, and had a fair amount of users on it - I noted that since the trail would not be closed for the race, I'd likely have to dodge bikers, dogs, and pedestrians at some point.  It was mostly in good shape, albeit with some broken up sections, some leaves, and a very short muddy section.  No mile markers, so I made sure my watch was set to autolap for the race.  The turn-around was marked by a collection of cones.

After warming up with my standard 3 minutes at half-marathon effort; 4x30 seconds at 5K effort, 4x10 seconds at mile effort, I went over to the start area to await my wave.  The race was run in waves, 3 minutes apart, of 25 runners each.  With 3 minutes until our start time, my group was called to near the start line, where we stood spaced apart with masks on.  In a departure from "normal" racing, we wouldn't actually start grouped up on the line (presumably since there wasn't enough room to keep adequate space between us there).  Instead we would stand, spaced apart, until "go" at which point we'd run to the start line and start the race.

The timer gave us notice of 30 seconds to go, then 15 and then 10.  At 10 seconds to go everyone removed their masks (I tucked mine in my sportsbra) and then we were off.

***

I had noted a few high school girls in my wave, and so I wasn't surprised when one of them jumped into the lead and pulled ahead of me.  It didn't take long for her to come back, and then I had the female lead.  A few men passed me, and then I was alone, though I could focus on them pulling ahead of me to tow me.

And so I ran down to the orange cones (monitored by a nice masked woman), turned around, and ran back.  I was pleasantly surprised that the dodging of dogs, walkers, and others was nowhere near as bad as I had anticipated.

I had set my watch to autolap each mile, and so it was a bit deflating when my watch beeped for the 3rd mile and the finish was nowhere in sight.  But this was also good, in a way.

To explain, I believe that part of racing well is being presented with a question, and answering it correctly.  That question usually arises around 2/3rds into the race - it's the moment of truth/gut check moment.  It's important to race regularly so that you get practice answering the question correctly.   

I was already working on my answer to that question when I realized that the course would be long, and that I had no idea where the finish was (except ahead of me).  And that made the question a bit tougher.

But I had come here to race and to practice answering important questions correctly, and so I did that, successfully.  And then the finish line finally, blissfully, came into view.  And I was done.

***

As I finished, the timer handed me a medal and a nice plaque for the first place woman.  I was surprised to get the award - weren't there several more waves behind me still to run?  He explained that they had seeded the waves so that all possible winners were in the first wave.

I was also surprised by my reaction to getting a medal for finishing a 5K.  Normally, like many of us, I'm a bit dismissive of stuff like that.  But in the time of Covid, running a race felt magical, and the medal compounded that.  

The medal makes me happy when I look at it.  I wasn't expecting that.

So...with medal and plaque in hand, I quickly removed myself from the start/finish area so I could catch my breath in a socially distanced manner before putting my mask back on.    It felt weird to not be engaging in the standard post-race banter with competitors that become friends on the other side of the finish line.  But such is life right now.

***

My autolap splits were:

Mile 1: 6:17

Mile 2: 6:16

Mile 3: 6:10

last .17 miles (1:03) (6:11) pace.

As noted, my Garmin + footpod showed the course to be longer than 5K.  I'm not surprised at all that the course was not exactly 5K - they were clear on the website that the distance was approximate.   As for whether my Garmin+footpod was accurate?  I know that since I've fixed the calibration it's been accurate to slightly short on the track or measured road distances, so I have no reason to doubt it here. 

But of course, no technology is perfect.  Only certified courses, accurately set, are.

What I can conclude is that I ran somewhere between 19:18 (my Garmin's reported split for 5K) and 19:48 for the 5K distance.  And, since I was pretty sure my current fitness was in the mid-19s for 5K, either number makes sense.

But what's more important to me is that I got out there and raced again, and successfully managed the questioning and discomfort that is part of any race.  I got what I came for.

Other notes:

• The weather was pretty nice - temperature of 58, dew point of 35.  There was wind of 13 miles per hour that should have been a headwind for the second half of the course.  However, I barely noticed it, most likely because the trail was surrounded by trees that blocked most of it.
• I wore my Vaporfly Nexts for this race.  It felt good to put those on also.
• The morning of this race, I did a 3 mile shakeout, trying to jog very slowly.  And proved to myself once again that the slower I do my morning shakeout, the faster I run in the aftenoon/evening.

Race Report: Athletes Against Alzheimers 5K, August 4, 2019

I ran the Athletes Against Alzheimers 5K this morning in Bethany Beach, Delaware, finishing in 19:05 - good enough for 2nd female and first female master.

Why did I go all the way out to Bethany Beach to run a 5K in August? 

Well (and the following is all relevant)....my retired horse "Basil" lives several hours away from me, near Ocean City, Maryland (official residence: Berlin, Maryland).  I needed to visit Basil, as I hadn't seen him since last summer.  I completely trust the woman with whom I board him - she does a great job of caring for him and giving him love.  But still, it's the responsible thing to visit him at least once a year.

[NB for those who may think it's awful I don't visit him more - this is NOT like not visiting a family member or neglecting a cat or dog.  Basil really has no emotional attachment to me.  I'm sure he'd love it if I showed up every day and gave him carrots - but that would be more about the carrots than me]. 

Berlin is about a 3.5 hour drive one way from my home in Arlington, Virginia if there's no traffic.  And in the summer, there's ALWAYS traffic.  And since the Chesapeake Bay lies between the DC area and Ocean City/Berlin, and since there's only one bridge over the Chesapeake Bay, getting out to the coastal area on a weekend is usually a miserable stop-and-go-for-miles experience.

The trick, of course, is to drive at off peak hours.  Going to the beach, those off peak hours are before 6 am or after 5pm on Saturday (or after 10 pm on Friday); coming back you want to try to leave the beach before 10 am on Sunday.

So...the easiest way to visit Basil is either a) wait for a rainy weekend when nobody wants to go to the beach and traffic is better and do it as a day trip; or b) drive out there on Saturday evening after 5pm, stay overnight, visit Basil on Sunday, and then try to beat the beach traffic home.

With regard to option b), there were several weekends that had 5K races in the Delaware/Maryland beach area.  So...if I was going to stay overnight, why not combine the trip with a race.  After checking out the options, I selected the weekend of August 3/4 and the "Athletes Against Alzheimers" 5K as the best option.  The 5K had a 7:15 am start, so I could hopefully run it, visit Basil and still leave early enough to beat the Sunday traffic home.

And that's how I ended up leaving my house in Virginia early Saturday evening to drive out to a hotel about an hour from the beach - close enough that the drive wouldn't be too bad in the morning; far enough away that the room was reasonably priced.  I checked in a bit before 8 pm on Saturday night and went straight to bed in prep for a 4 am wake-up.

***

I pulled into Bethany Beach around 6:10 am on Sunday - this was perfect, as it gave me just enough time to find a good parking space, pick up my bib, hit the ladies room, and warm-up (doing the same warm-up I've been using recently - 3:00, then 4x30 seconds, then 4x10 seconds).   

While warming up, I also checked the course out.  It was mostly a very fast course.  The first 2.5 miles were basically one big loop (no sharp turns).  Then, with 800 m to go, the course would double back on itself.  Then a right turn onto a narrow wooden walkway and a left turn onto the boardwalk for the final 200m to the finish.

[this being the beach, the whole race was flat as a pancake.]

I noted that both the wooden walkway and the boardwalk were smooth, damp, and sandy, and thus a bit slick.  So that might slow things down a bit at the end. But other than that, this would be fast.

Well...except for the weather - which was about what one would expect for a August morning at Bethany Beach - hot and humid.  When you register for an August 5K, that's what you get.

***

We lined up, and then at 7:14:40 we were off (slightly early, as the race was a 7:15 am start).

Quite a few men and two women surged ahead.  I let them go while easing into pace.  As humid as it was, going out aggressively today would be a very bad choice.  Within the first quarter mile several faded away, including both women, and I started building my rhythm and reeling in men.  A few other runners settled in behind me.

As I ran down the road, I was a bit disappointed to hear "go ladies" as I ran past spectators.  I listened to the breathing behind me and yup, one of them was likely female.  A few moments later she pulled up on my shoulder.

I debated whether to ease up and get her to take the lead.  However, her breathing seemed a bit harder than mine, so I decided to keep my pace and try to gradually build it, hoping to wear her down.

She sat on me though, and I couldn't quite seem to drop her, even as I pressed the edge of my own comfort zone.  We ran that way through the turnaround and towards the final turns onto the wooden walkway and then the boardwalk.  I had planned to start kicking as we turned to the walkway - the walkway was very narrow, and so my thought was that whomever had the lead on the walkway was essentially the winner of the race. 

She had the same plan, though, and executed much better than I did. She dropped a surge at the same time I did, but about twice as fast, and almost instantly was five steps ahead as we hit the walkway.  I kicked as hard as I could, but I wasn't any match, and she crossed the finish two seconds ahead of me.  She had both outrun me and outsmarted me.  D'oh!

As we came to the finish, I could see the timer counting down 18:4x, which gave me another reason to kick hard - perhaps I could squeeze a small PR out of this race.  But, as soon as I crossed the line and stopped my watch, I read the time of 19:05 (which frankly was much more believable, given the weather).  I think the finish line clock was based on a 7:15 am start, while we started 20 seconds earlier - hence the differential.

Splits ended up being:

Mile 1: 6:11
Mile 2: 6:07

Basil headshot

last 1.11 (6:47 - so 6:07 pace)

I'm surprised the last 1.11 wasn't faster, since I was kicking so hard, but I'm guessing my kick was balanced out by the turning and navigating of the wooden walkway.

The consolation was that I was first master female (second female overall), and the prizes were essentially the same for both the winner and the masters winner - a medal and some beach souvenirs.  

After the awards, I drove to Berlin, where I visited our retired horses Basil and Breezy (Basil is mine, Breezy belongs to my sister).  Then I left the beach around 9:50 am, which enabled me to miss just about all of the Sunday return traffic over the bridge.  Win.

Looking pretty good for pushing 30.

Other notes:

•  Weather ended up being temperature of 75 and dew point of 73 - so yeah, pretty thick air.  Like I said, it's August.
•  I wore the Nike Vaporfly Next% for this race; my first race in that shoe.    I think I like the shoe - it feels a bit more conventional and less Vaporfly-ish than the original VF 4%, which means a bit more stable and nimble.  It also lets you get up on your forefoot in a way that the original VF doesn't. 
• I also wore my arm-coolers - again, these are like arm-warmers, but a different fabric that is cooling.  I know I look a bit odd in them, but they really do seem to help. 
• I looked up the woman who outkicked me later (don't judge - you would too.)  She just finished her first year of collegiate running, and her 5K and mile PRs are both faster than mine, and she's also run a 65 second 400m.  I was feeling pretty sheepish for not starting my kick earlier, but I think now she had me beat regardless.
• Regardless of the fact I was outkicked, I'm really happy with how I paced this - I think I hit the right balance between going out slightly conservative but not giving up unnecessary time.  If I can pace a 5K like that in better weather on a fast course, I should be able to snag that 5K PR I keep thinking is right there.  Of course, the way my schedule is looking, I doubt I'll be able to fit in another 5K this year.