I’ve been both looking forward to and dreading this race. As I’ve mentioned previously, 5k messes with my head. There’s just something about it that gets me. The ‘wall’ that most people hit near the end of a marathon I hit around the first mile of a 5k. There is no logical or physical reason for this. None. As my running buddy points out–I can solidly do 8+ miles without stopping, and at a decent clip, he’s seen me do it. I should be able to do 5k without walking. But I can’t.
Still, I tried to stay positive. Knowing I was going to be running (at least theoretically) with him and his buddy was going to push me. We were gunning for sub-30. I was all in. And for the first half mile or so I kept up with him, solidly, I was pushing myself, it was good. Then all of a sudden BAM! Wall. I kept running, but I could just see him getting farther and farther away from me until I lost him completely. So I kept going. Walking a couple of times for no good reason other than my brain told me to stop running. And I swear on these runs that happens independently of conscious thought because as soon as I realize I’m walking and I realize I’m FINE and don’t need to walk I start running again.
Despite the fact I struggled I did manage to pull out a PR. My previous 5k PR was last year at the Great Race 5k, when I pulled out a 38:14. The timing for today’s race is a little wonky–everyone starts at gun time, so I’m sure I was probably a little faster, but my official time was 35:30. *Almost* 3 minutes faster on a less forgiving course (Great Race is as flat and downhill as you can get in the ‘burgh, this course is not so much).
I’m happy with the PR, though still frustrated. High point of the race was seeing my friend from work out with signs for me and my buddy. That was cool. All I can do at this point is focus on the big picture–training for my marathon. I have a few more 5k’s coming up, and I’m going to try hard to remember that distance is my thing. 5k’s in my world are meant to be fun runs with my friends. They aren’t something I particularly enjoy. So I’ll keep doing them in moderation, and striving for my sub-30, but I need to relax and not beat myself up over them.