Sizzler 5k Race Recap + Training Week 1

The night before the race was rather sleepless.

It wasn't that I was nervous or feeling restless. It's just this very hungry baby boy loves to spend quality time with mom in the middle of the night. Good thing he's so cute because his little smirk makes the sleep deprivation worth it!

After Baby W's last nursing session, 6:00 am came quickly. I jumped out of bed to brew my coffee and make a batch of egg pancakes before E woke up. My mom (a.k.a. "Grandma") stayed over night and was ready to watch the boys for me during the race, as Leo was gone for the weekend. Baby W was fussing but he calmed down quickly after some cuddle time with Grandma.

While waiting for the egg pancakes to get done, I sipped on my coffee and rolled out my legs with the GoFit massage bar. This was my attempt to appear well rested and fresh-legged for the morning's 5k.

As soon as E woke up, we all ate breakfast and got ready for the morning. After nursing Baby W again, he was due for a diaper change and I dressed him in his day clothes. It was time for me to leave for the race soon so I pumped and prepped a bottle for Baby W.

I put on my Garmin and iPod, grabbed a bottle of water and my entry fee and headed out the door. The morning temp had already warmed up to 73° and the air felt thick at 83% humidity.

Best part about this race? I could walk from my house to the starting line! I did a mix of jogging and walking on the way there and registration went really quick, as it was a small-ish local 5k. After waiting around for 30 minutes, we lined up on the starting line and were off at the blow of a whistle!

At 7 weeks postpartum, my plan was to take it easy and run at a pace hopefully under 9:00 minutes/mile. That plan flew out the window! There were two very speedy women in front of me and my competitive side couldn't help but chase them.

Mile 1 - 7:19
Mile 2 - 7:53

One of my first postpartum race goals was to ignore my Garmin during the race... but I had to look. 7:19?! I knew I was running at a pace that would be hard to maintain at my current fitness level.

My legs felt strong but my lungs reminded me that I haven't done any speed work or tempo runs in a long time. I carried on the huffing and puffing but slowed my pace slightly to a little under 8:00/mile.

Just when I was thinking, "Ah, this is why I don't like 5k's!" I saw a very cute little dude riding his tricycle down the sidewalk. E even blew me a kiss!


Grandma and the boys were cheering me on and that adrenaline boost helped me to ignore my fatigue.

I ran past them one more time as we completed the loop on the course and I blew E one more kiss. To keep my legs moving, I kept thinking "Cadence, cadence! Get those feet moving!". I didn't need to run fast but I wanted to keep a quick cadence as good practice for upcoming longer distance races.


Something I really like about this race is that I know the course well. It's rare for me to know the course I'm racing on and it was encouraging to know the finish line was near. I could keep this pace going for just a little longer!

I gave the last leg of the race all I had, which certainly wasn't much, and got passed by a guy pushing a jogging stroller in the homestretch. I think that was payback for passing people with E in the stroller last year! He was wearing shorts from the Boston Marathon so I didn't feel so bad :)

Mile 3 - 7:38
Mile .1 - 7:14

I FINISHED! Whew. It felt good to cross that line and I'm pretty sure my face was beet-red. According to my Garmin, my finish stats were:

Finish Time - 23:49 (On my Garmin -> 23:53, 3.14 miles)
Average Pace - 7:36/mile
Placing - 3rd female, 5th/39 overall

I ran home to Grandma and my boys and we were all ready to head inside to the air conditioning.
.....

After a quick shower, lunch and the boys' nap time, we were ready for the parade festivities! We headed to the parade and got way too much candy.

E is my candy magnet! Everyone threw candy to him. Grandma held Baby W while we picked candy. E became a pro at parade candy picking this year!


When we got back home, we were all exhausted and in need of a cool down. After supper, we watched Piglet's Big Movie and called it a night. I love cuddling with these boys!


.....

WH1/2 Training Week 1


7/6 M - 3.1 treadmill miles, 30:00. 1 min. walk/4 min. run intervals @ 9:00/mile.

7/7 T - Strength Training
.
7/8 W - 4.25 miles, 40:02. First day of no walk intervals! @ 9:26/mile.

7/9 H - 2.23 treadmill miles, 20:00 @ 8:58/mile.

7/10 F - Rest Day.

7/11 S - Sizzler 5k. 3.14 miles, 23:53 @ 7:36/mile.

Total Mileage: 12.72 miles

Linking up with Jessica and Jill at the Fit Dish link-up and Fitness Friday. #dishthefit

Comments

  1. that is an awesome 5K performance! WOW! and a walk to the start line- even better! It would be hard to resist that smile even in the middle of the night! Beautiful family!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, MB! Yeah, you can't beat a race start that's in walking distance :) It was so nice!

      Delete
  2. Boom! Awesome finish friend! You should be very proud of yourself. #fitfamlove xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amy. WOW. You are Wonder Woman!!! Mad props and I absolutely LOVE the pic of you and Eli getting candy on the curb :)

    ReplyDelete

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