Goals:
-Don't go out too fast - DONE
-Sub-19 5 km - MISSED by 1.8 seconds
-Get to la cocotte's swimming lesson on time - DONE
-Not be away from home for more than 2 hours - MISSED by 2 minutes
May I kindly request that anyone who reads this race report does so with the finale to Rossini's William Tell Overture playing in the background. You can find it here. Seriously, click on the link now... this race report was written to be read to this classic tune.
8.15 am: leave home.
8:27 am: arrive race site (yes, although it is making me lazy, I do love having a car! would have taken 45 + minutes on public transit)
8:38 am: begin warming up after finding bathroom and picking up number & chip
9:20 am: final stretches, find a good place on the start line, strip in anticipation of 9.30 am start (need I mention this outing had been timed to the minute)
9.21 am: find out the race will start 10-15 minutes late. Get dressed again. Seriously contemplate leaving, am so stressed out about not being away from home for more than 2 hours and making it to La cocotte's swim lesson on time.
9.22 am: bump into friend have not seen in a long time and who is 4 months pregnant. Commence long chat.
9.28 am: realize everyone seems to have taken their place on the start line. Panic.
9.29 am: realize cannot get sweats off over running shoes and must take off shoes. Shaking fingers cannot untie triple knots I made. Rip shoes off without untie-ing laces. Strip. Cannot get shoes back on.
9.30 am: hand shoes to nearby friends to untie laces for me.
9.31 am: get shoes on. Take place on start line.
9.31:30 am: race starts (lesson: never believe random information heard on start line)
9:31:30 - 9:50:31 am: run race: 3:47, 3:47, 3:58 (huge headwind), 3:51, 3:37, total time = 19:01.8.
9:51 am: get photo taken with first and second place (was third). Actually think, if only I had been fourth, wouldn't have to take this extra time. I am way, way, way too stressed about time.
9:58 am: get in car.
10:17 am: arrive home.
10:17 - 10:30 am: strip. nurse. pump. struggle into swim suit. gather offspring.
10:31 am: back in car.
10:36 am: pull up to YMCA.
10:55 am: swimming lesson! Plenty of time.
How did I feel about my race? So, I know I am supposed to say, well, I just gave birth 6 weeks ago so I have to be happy with 19:01.8 but yeah, I'm not. I'm thrilled I got to race. I'm thrilled I have been able to train as much as I have over the past 6 weeks. It was wonderful to be out racing again even on a decidedly blustery, cold day. I am overjoyed we made it to swimming on time, I would have felt terrible to have compromised la cocotte's lesson. But 19:01.8... not thrilled. I know it's greedy and unrealistic but darn it... I WANTED an 18 in front of my time. On the other hand I am happy with the execution. I went out conservatively (well I guess I didn't actually given my final time but I didn't go out too fast). I found someone to hide behind during the crazy windy kilometer (yeah, that would be the 3:58). I deliberately decided to run slower in that km to have some shelter rather than going it alone and it was a good decision even though I was barely breathing during that whole km. I rallied in the final two km and made up a ton of ground on second place. I have to be happy with a 3:37 final km... but, as superficial as it is, I wish I had found those 1.8 seconds.
Yes, I get the not being happy! You are a 17:XX 5K runners, so of course a 19:01 (darn 1 second!) is not going to make you happy. I say go for it again and no doubt you will break 19, or 18. Still, I think it is amazing that you ran such a race 6 weeks postpartum. Most women can barely handle the sleep deprivation at this stage, but I know you are not most women:)
ReplyDeleteSo I say CONGRATS! A PR post baby nr. 2, albeit a short lived PR, I am sure!
6 weeks is tough because we are starting to feel like our old selves so we expect our times to reflect that but we were pregnant for a long time! Great first race back and even more impressive making it to swimming on time! Logistics are often the hardest part right now.
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly. Angela (and David?) said what I wanted to say, only she said it better. The muscles and ligaments that surround the pelvis have a lot of ground to cover before they get back to that very efficient normal place they were in before. It must happen around 3-4 months post-partum. Do not expect to set PR's or be close to old PR's before that. The only reason I set a PR 2 months PP was because my old marathon PR was so weak in comparisson to what I could do. But seriously in a couple of months, if you continue to train (and cross train with core strength!!) you will be right where you hope to be. By the way- I can't help but laughing imagining you losing your watch.
ReplyDeleteYou guys totally ROCK for NOT singing the chorus of "but you're only 6 weeks post partum, you SHOULD be happy". thanks for that! You all make good and helpful points. SLG I sure hope you are right about the pelvis, ligaments, etc. I definitely need to start working the core. I held the plank position for 15 seconds yesterday before falling. ouch!
ReplyDeleteAnd AM - congratulations AGAIN! I am totally psyched for your huge PR (though being me... wondering exactly to the second what your time was and annoyed on your behalf that the course was short - I wouldn't be me if I wasn't so anal!!)
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