Race Recap: New Year's Day 5k

Today I raced in Potomac River Running Store's (=PR=) New Year's Day 5k at Reston Town Center.

I've been coming back to running from a knee issue (my left knee and foot were giving a lot of troubles). I've been doing a lot of active recovery geared toward strengthening, lengthening, and inhibiting certain muscles (one legged strengthening exercises, balancing, foam rolling, and yoga). Coming back, I've very slowly upped my mileage (from 8 miles a week slowly up to 20-ish miles), not run on consecutive days, tested my shoes with and without my orthotics, and focused on cross training and lifting. This also means I haven't been running too much with Jack lately (he is speedy!).

Preparation:
On Monday, I ran on the treadmill for four miles (increasing the speed every half mile, then every quarter mile, and finally every tenth of a mile) and did a short lift (squats, lunges, man-makers, pull-ups, and ab circuit). On Tuesday, I did a very light four mile jog outside.

Last night, we had a get-together for New Year's at Nick's place. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and homemade chili before the party. Once at the party, I indulged in homemade caramels, cheese cubes, frozen pizza, cookie pie, a beer (DC Brau), juice, and a little champagne. It was definitely not a night of healthy eating, but I was okay with that. We played Pickimino, Bang!, and Carcassonne. I didn't win any games, but Mark won his first game in Carcassonne! Rob, my boy, was very lucky in Pickimino (or just excels with probability). I got my New Year's kiss, we had some fireworks, and I called it a night before 1AM.

Pre-Race:
Honestly, when I woke up at 8AM, I wondered why I had signed up for a race on New Year's Day; I wanted to sleep in! It is the last race in =PR='s Trophy Race Series, and I said I wanted to do six races in the series. I got dressed (I wore my Team RWB shirt), grabbed a Picky Bar, took a swig of water, and headed out to Reston. Race check-in went smoothly as usual. SWAG (stuff we all get) for this race was a long-sleeved shirt (from A4.com, great shirts), a lanyard for the 2014 race series pins, and a pin for this race. I swear, if I ever work at a place where I have to wear flare, I'm wearing all my =PR= race pins.

The indoor restrooms were open, which I was very grateful for (the port-a-johns had no toilet paper), and the course was neatly marked with orange cones. I did a 2 mile warm-up followed by some dynamic stretching (jumping jacks, pogo hops, squats, lunges, skips, leg swings). It was cold (30's), sunny, and slightly breezy at some points (but not too noticeable during the race).

Race:
We ran downhill, starting near the fountain, ran towards the WOD Trail, taking two sharp turns to get onto the trail, and ran to the juniper trees for an out-and-back run. The start is always crowded, and I started a few rows back as usual, but I made a strong effort to not get boxed in or behind people.

Wilson Bethel

Secret side story/what I think about when I run: Near the beginning, I saw Jason K. (I remember him from the climbing gym and working at =PR=. I officially met him after a run one day where he zipped past me and left me in the dust, but I saw him a few minutes later already stretching at the =PR= store.) who was taking photos for his girlfriend. Seeing friends always makes me smile and relax during races. Have you seen those Ryan Gosling fitspiration images online? It's usually a photo of him with text written over it along the lines of, "Hey girl, you don't need that cupcake, you're sweet enough," or "Hey girl, I'll be waiting for you at the finish line." I like to think of Wilson Bethel (he plays Wade in Hart of Dixie, the latest series I've been watching on Netflix) at the finish line instead. Jason is pretty much Wilson Bethel's doppelganger (and what a lucky girl his girlfriend is!). Rob really only comes to my "big" races (like the Boston Marathon or my first half distance triathlon), but I still love him.

Before reaching the turn-around point, I was the fourth place female (Perry, Anna, and Deedee were all in front of me). During the last mile, I was able to come into third place female and held it through the finish for a time of 19:15 (about a 6:12/mile pace). I quickly got into cool-down mode and did a mile cool-down for a total of six miles today.

Post-Race:
Focusing during a race can be difficult. I wasn't really "there" when thinking about my form or speed. I just tried to run and keep up. I must have been running hard, though, as my throat/lungs were tired at the finish! I talked with a few people who I recognized from other races and was told to consider trying to apply for =PR='s race team (maybe...if I get faster). Water, hot chocolate, coffee, donuts, and bananas were all available at the finish line. I stomached a banana and coffee and took a water for the road.

Just as I was getting too cold (coincidentally right after I finished my coffee), the awards ceremony began. I've never won any money from a race, so I was really excited when I found out I got third place (sometimes chip times show that someone behind you actually ran faster) and $50! I try to stay around for the entire awards ceremony, but I was cold and itching to get home before traffic got too bad, so I left.

This is the most races I've run for a local running store in one year (six), and I had a great time! I would definitely recommend =PR='s races. They're well organized, have free photos available online, and post results quickly. They have a variety of distances and courses (even though I wish they had more in the Arlington area). Although I love their race, part of me wants a taste of some of Pacers' race series this year. All in all, this was a great race to start the year!

Finished with a frozen face!