Well, this was not the race I was expecting. I was hoping for a PR in this sixth race of the Second Empire Grand Prix Series, but it wasn't meant to be, though I felt like I did a lot of things right in preparation for this race. I followed Brennan's workout and rest plan for the week, got plenty of sleep, drank lots of water throughout the week. Yep, I thought I was ready. And the race description online called it a flat and fast course! Hehehehe. *sigh* It turned out to be the hilliest course of the series!
My plan was to run .75 mile intervals at around 14:30, with walk intervals of .1. I pretty much did the distance, but the hills sent my pace all over the map. The heat got to me as well after the 9:30 start. I was surprised to find that by the time I got to the water stop, they'd run out of cups! I was slow, but not THAT slow! Since I was struggling anyway, that really threw me for a loop. Thank goodness, by the time I got back around to the water stop on the opposite side of the street from the first water stop, the volunteers had located some cups, and the water was especially cool!
I felt pretty discouraged by the end of the race, which ended uphill. My chip time was 49:43, gun time was 50:12. It was a finish, but it was more a hill workout than a race for me. I felt pretty deflated when I was done. When I went inside to the bathroom, my face was really red, much more so than usual after a race. I stopped and got some fluids in me for the drive home.
I did see some Galloway people before and during the race, as well as some other runners I know. It was a nice surprise, too, to see the daughter of one of my former Wake Forest University coworkers walking the race. I introduced Steph and Ruby before the race, and met George afterward at Panera for lunch.
I must admit that I'm not eager to do this race again, not without some more hill training, anyway. This was a new course for this race, which went through the North Hills neighborhood in Raleigh. It's a beautiful neighborhood, but a tough course for a race. Also, they had a one-mile race before the 5K start, which pushed the 5K to 9:30, kinda late for this area. Parking was plentiful, and it was nice to get a closer look at St. Timothy's School, which looks pretty and probably has a good reputation. The proceeds went to the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, a great cause.
All in all, the best thing I can say about my own performance was that it was a finish, for which I'll earn Series points toward the series-end luncheon. My mile splits are below:
1) 15:15
2) 16:39
3) 15:43
.14) 14:55 pace
Today I've gotta work on getting this one behind me so I can look ahead. The next 5K in the series is in two weeks, and will be a 2 PM (Sunday afternoon) start. Weird start time for an early May race, when things have warmed up even more. Yes, everyone will be out in the same heat, but I'm still dreading it, in a way! Must. Stay. Positive.
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