This past Saturday I ran the Wisconsin Marathon 5k in Kenosha. Despite being less than 2 weeks after my last 5k, the race falling on a really windy day, and my not having done anything specific to work on speed, I surprised myself with a 40 second post-retirement PR (PRPR). Sweet!
It was great to get back to Kenosha to run some part of the Wisconsin Marathon again. My last time there was in 2014, where I scored a pretty sizeable half-marathon PR, but still bonked big-time 10 miles in, melted because of the sun and heat, and had some other crap get in the way that soured my memory of the race. But enough about the past, amiright? Suffice it to say, I was extremely happy to come back to Kenosha and to run a damn fine race with no distractions.
On Friday, I headed up to Kenosha to work at packet pick-up with Erin. Although it was not a bad experience (it was fun to meet so many other runners from the area!), I'm not sure spending 10+ hours on my feet the day before a race is something I'll repeat again. A perk of that job was a hotel room in downtown Kenosha's only hotel, which happens to be about a 10 minute walk from the start line. So unlike other races, where I wake up 2+ hours before the start and panic about the logistics of getting there on time, I slept in until 5:30, enjoyed my free hotel breakfast (which included traditional Danish kringle from the awesome little kringle place in Racine), and sipped my coffee while enjoying a beautiful harbor view and watching people scurry to the race start line.
The 5k started at 7;15, 15 minutes after the half and full marathons. Hoping to see Kim and Rachel (who both ran the HM) before the race started, I meandered over to the start line at around 6:45 and caught them just as the National Anthem was starting. The same thing happened in 2014, when I happened to bump into Kim and Bobbi right before the race started. I love that this race is not so huge that I can't find the only people I know there pretty easily.
Right as the half and full were about to start, the skies got dark and there was even lightning. Gulp, well this is a bad omen. I had a loose time goal of 37:12 in my mind (which would be a solid 12:00 pace for the entire race, and a PRPR of 19 seconds), but I wasn't dead-set on a PRPR attempt so soon after the last one, so I decided to just take it easy and, you know, not get struck by lightning or hailed on, or whatever other weather disaster was coming (and in spring in the Midwest, it's seriously impossible to predict). I started to get really cold as I waited for the 5k start, since the wind was really starting to pick up at this point. I momentarily regretted wearing only a tank top, but reminded myself how much I'd appreciate it once the race started and I got moving.
The race started right on time at 7:15 and we took off west down 54th street, along the harbor and right past the site of packet pick-up the day before. As the race went through one of the cute downtown business areas, I remembered my last time running through there, and how excited I was to be crushing my goals two years ago. Getting nostalgic about past race awesomeness made me kick things into gear. Before I knew it, we were getting into the residential area and approach the mile 1 marker. 11:34. Holy crap, I knocked out a sub-12:00 first mile.
Right after the first mile marker, we split off from the other races and turned toward the lake. The course ran through a park and then along a marina before running along the lake. It was so pretty, but I obviously didn't have time to stop to take a picture. I was feeling good at this point and knew I could beat my GCM 5k time. The second mile was the hardest of the race, but so much of it was just so pretty. It reminded me of the countless runs I used to take along Lake Michigan, and past some of the harbors and marinas in Chicago. Running nostalgia strikes again. Keep on pushing, you've got this. The hard part of the second mile was the strong-ass winds coming at us from the lake. Those gusts were no joke. But all I could think about when the wind hit was how many of my runs this winter and spring were just as windy (if not more so). The wind slowed me down a little, but didn't discourage me. 12:02.
There was a water station at mile 2, but I blew right past it as we turned back toward downtown. The stretch between mile 2 and 2.6 was just as windy, but I knew once we turned around the wind would (maybe? hopefully?) be at our backs. I just had to make it to the turn. Through most of the race, I kept playing leapfrog with one of the volunteers from packet pick-up. She and her friend were just ahead of me at this point, so I stuck with them and eventually passed them again after the turn. A voice in my head was starting to tell me I was tired and maybe couldn't keep up this pace, but I knew the mile 3 marker was close so I told it to STFU and thought about how awesome crossing the finish line was going to feel. I hit 2.9 miles at 35 minutes. I had 2:30 left to finish this race up in order to PRPR. At this point I knew I had it in the bag. Not only was I going to PRPR, I was going to do so in under 37 minutes. 11:39.
As I passed the 3 mile marker I felt awesome, so I went balls to the wall for the final push. I flew past a few people who were running out of steam and charged down the finish chute, running the last tenth of a mile at a 10:21 pace. I finished in 36:51, a new PRPR!
So, what's next? I have two races on my calendar for the rest of the year, both 5ks. The first is the Wauconda Fest 5k at the end of June and is tentative based on the weather. It takes place in a nearby small suburb and fits my post-retirement requirement of not running ridiculously expensive races (by which I mean, anything more than $25 for a 5k is a bit much - sorry, Chicago races). The second is up in Zion in mid-October, and will definitely be a PRPR attempt.
I feel like I've already got my pace under control at this point - it's been steadily getting faster as I've been running more consistently in the past few months, and I expect that to continue so long as I can stick to it. This 5k time is about 15 seconds faster than I was running while HM training in 2013 (and after a year of consistent running at that time), so I'm definitely happy with how quickly I'm getting my speed back. That said, I'm going to shift my focus to building up my endurance for longer runs. Right now, most of my runs are between 2 and 4 miles, and I'd really like to get back to a place where a 5 mile run feels easy.
It was great to get back to Kenosha to run some part of the Wisconsin Marathon again. My last time there was in 2014, where I scored a pretty sizeable half-marathon PR, but still bonked big-time 10 miles in, melted because of the sun and heat, and had some other crap get in the way that soured my memory of the race. But enough about the past, amiright? Suffice it to say, I was extremely happy to come back to Kenosha and to run a damn fine race with no distractions.
 |
| Right after taking this picture, I wished the sun would go away so I could have a good race {Sunrise over the harbor, as seen from my hotel} |
 |
| Yessss.... clouds... keep coming! {on the walk to the start line} |
The 5k started at 7;15, 15 minutes after the half and full marathons. Hoping to see Kim and Rachel (who both ran the HM) before the race started, I meandered over to the start line at around 6:45 and caught them just as the National Anthem was starting. The same thing happened in 2014, when I happened to bump into Kim and Bobbi right before the race started. I love that this race is not so huge that I can't find the only people I know there pretty easily.
 |
| Who is going to have a good race today? Everyone in this picture! |
Right as the half and full were about to start, the skies got dark and there was even lightning. Gulp, well this is a bad omen. I had a loose time goal of 37:12 in my mind (which would be a solid 12:00 pace for the entire race, and a PRPR of 19 seconds), but I wasn't dead-set on a PRPR attempt so soon after the last one, so I decided to just take it easy and, you know, not get struck by lightning or hailed on, or whatever other weather disaster was coming (and in spring in the Midwest, it's seriously impossible to predict). I started to get really cold as I waited for the 5k start, since the wind was really starting to pick up at this point. I momentarily regretted wearing only a tank top, but reminded myself how much I'd appreciate it once the race started and I got moving.
 |
| Oh crap, what terrible weather have I wished upon this race? {before the 5k start} |
The race started right on time at 7:15 and we took off west down 54th street, along the harbor and right past the site of packet pick-up the day before. As the race went through one of the cute downtown business areas, I remembered my last time running through there, and how excited I was to be crushing my goals two years ago. Getting nostalgic about past race awesomeness made me kick things into gear. Before I knew it, we were getting into the residential area and approach the mile 1 marker. 11:34. Holy crap, I knocked out a sub-12:00 first mile.
Right after the first mile marker, we split off from the other races and turned toward the lake. The course ran through a park and then along a marina before running along the lake. It was so pretty, but I obviously didn't have time to stop to take a picture. I was feeling good at this point and knew I could beat my GCM 5k time. The second mile was the hardest of the race, but so much of it was just so pretty. It reminded me of the countless runs I used to take along Lake Michigan, and past some of the harbors and marinas in Chicago. Running nostalgia strikes again. Keep on pushing, you've got this. The hard part of the second mile was the strong-ass winds coming at us from the lake. Those gusts were no joke. But all I could think about when the wind hit was how many of my runs this winter and spring were just as windy (if not more so). The wind slowed me down a little, but didn't discourage me. 12:02.
There was a water station at mile 2, but I blew right past it as we turned back toward downtown. The stretch between mile 2 and 2.6 was just as windy, but I knew once we turned around the wind would (maybe? hopefully?) be at our backs. I just had to make it to the turn. Through most of the race, I kept playing leapfrog with one of the volunteers from packet pick-up. She and her friend were just ahead of me at this point, so I stuck with them and eventually passed them again after the turn. A voice in my head was starting to tell me I was tired and maybe couldn't keep up this pace, but I knew the mile 3 marker was close so I told it to STFU and thought about how awesome crossing the finish line was going to feel. I hit 2.9 miles at 35 minutes. I had 2:30 left to finish this race up in order to PRPR. At this point I knew I had it in the bag. Not only was I going to PRPR, I was going to do so in under 37 minutes. 11:39.
As I passed the 3 mile marker I felt awesome, so I went balls to the wall for the final push. I flew past a few people who were running out of steam and charged down the finish chute, running the last tenth of a mile at a 10:21 pace. I finished in 36:51, a new PRPR!
 |
| Photo by Steven |
 |
| How you post-race in Wisconsin: beer & brat, naturally |
So, what's next? I have two races on my calendar for the rest of the year, both 5ks. The first is the Wauconda Fest 5k at the end of June and is tentative based on the weather. It takes place in a nearby small suburb and fits my post-retirement requirement of not running ridiculously expensive races (by which I mean, anything more than $25 for a 5k is a bit much - sorry, Chicago races). The second is up in Zion in mid-October, and will definitely be a PRPR attempt.
I feel like I've already got my pace under control at this point - it's been steadily getting faster as I've been running more consistently in the past few months, and I expect that to continue so long as I can stick to it. This 5k time is about 15 seconds faster than I was running while HM training in 2013 (and after a year of consistent running at that time), so I'm definitely happy with how quickly I'm getting my speed back. That said, I'm going to shift my focus to building up my endurance for longer runs. Right now, most of my runs are between 2 and 4 miles, and I'd really like to get back to a place where a 5 mile run feels easy.
Hell yes! Way to go, Anne. What a great effort! Surprise PRs are the best kind! And the best part of this was talking yourself out of fading.
ReplyDeleteAny PR is a good PR :)
DeleteWOO HOO!!! Great job, Anne! Way to go and way to push through that crazy wind! Isn't it the best feeling to know at Mile 2 that you are going to be able to hit your target? You are tearing it up!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were volunteering at Wisconsin! That's awesome! I agree, though, it would be tough to be on your feet for so long the day before racing. Volunteering is hard work! The hotel stay is a fantastic perk, though, and yay for local kringle at breakfast!
Yes! It's rare that I know I can meet a 5k goal that early in the race! Sometimes I think I can and then the wheels totally fall off, so it felt awesome to actually be able to do it.
DeleteYour photos really tell the story of how fast the weather shifted! So nuts! But I was soooo grateful for those clouds :)
ReplyDeleteGreat race!!! The 5K course looked interesting - I would like to check out those paths right by the bay that the HM doesn't go on!
I was so happy to see you before we started! In past years, I've tried to set up a meet up but I've realized that just stresses me out so I don't do it anymore. It's nice that you CAN run in to people here :) I ran in to a few others I know, too!
I just filled out my registration form and wrote my $25 check for the Zion 5K! LOL. It's nice to look at my race budget spreadsheet and see that I'm spending less on races, too. Not saying that won't change (if I do a marathon it will be $150+) but it's definitely less than where I was last year at this point!
The mile that I ran of those paths was fun! The only annoying part was going through the park - the path broke into circles going around trees, which definitely added a little distance (no way to get around those darn trees more quickly).
DeleteRace meet-ups are really hard to pull off! And I imagine one at this race would have been earlier than I would have wanted to get there. So it works out when you can just randomly bump in to people :)
I still need to register for Zion, but I'm not super worried about it selling out just yet.
Congrats on the PRPR. Your splits are awesome with a great finishing kick at the end! Running into the wind that day must have been a chore! If I were the race director, I would have had second thoughts about starting a race with lightning flashing around the course. Last year I ran a 5k where a couple of "close" strikes happened just before the horn sounded which added to my adrenaline level and motivated me to finish faster! Love the post-race food for your race - gotta love Wisconsin! :)
ReplyDeleteI was a little disappointed at no negative splits, but understandable with the wind being what it was! And Wisconsin knows how to party - they are the Wurst :)
Delete