by Runner’s Corner and I are back together again, and I will be racing for them this year! I’m excited to sport the logo and be on the team with Lauren.
Lauren and I decided at the very last second to jump into a 4.01k (2.49 miles), which we were excited about because it meant we would get an automatic PR regardless of what time we ran. The race was UVU (a local university) Race to Retirement, hence the 401k distance. It’s pretty clever if you ask me.
We decided to jump into shorter races and rip the bandaid off with this one. I love racing, but I want to take a break from the longer ones right now, so I want to jump into any shorter ones I can find. I googled races near me, and this 4.01K popped up. We were probably the last people to have signed up.
It was lovely to wake up naturally at 7 and then meet my friends for a 6-mile slow warm-up. I had an almond butter bar from Costco (so good) and then a caffeinated gel at about 8:30.
This race hosted a kids’ race and Zumba on the field for a warm-up! I didn’t know there was a kid’s race, so don’t tell my kids because they will be so sad they missed it. They were at home with Andrew and my friend, Jo took pictures of us racing.
We lined up at the 200m line, and this track was pretty cool because if you just kept going straight, it took you directly to the road, so we left from there to the roads and then came back through the same spot and finished on the track.
We should have done some strides and drills before the race, but we didn’t and just went right into it. The first 100m was a full-on sprint, haha. Pacing has never been my strength.
I learned something new about my watch during the race, which made it hard to figure out my splits—> If you push the lap button (which I did right at the beginning because I was adding the race onto what I already had done) and then push the button to go to the lap only screen (what I wanted to see), then it automatically discards your lap. I was so confused and tried it a few times before realizing what was going on, so I don’t have clear splits because it kept discarding my laps.
Back to the race… We were in synch so much that we were even blinking simultaneously.
The race was small but surprisingly really well-marked! Volunteers at each turn told you which way to go, and cones were placed at any place that you might question if you were on the course.
That first mile felt like a million bucks. It was a slight down (like 20 ft), tailwind, and just on the roads or track. The second mile is when the pain really kicked in for me. There was a bit of a headwind, the tiniest up and jumping off and on the sidewalk. I knew that I only had a few minutes of pain left, and I kept reminding myself to focus on doing the best I could at that exact moment.
The pain that occurs during a short race vs a long race is so wildly different to me. I always feel like I’m going to die at the end of a marathon, but the end of the short stuff, where I have been at my max HR for approximately 14 minutes straight, is a pain I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy unless they too are someone that pays money to put themselves in this type of pain cave.
My goal was under 15 minutes, and I was happy to see 14 on the clock as I approached it. We took 1st and 2nd! The race says we ran a 5:56 pace but with the data I did get, I’m guessing my average was probably close to 6:05.
They had all sorts of refreshments afterward, but sadly, our bodies could only handle one bite right after the race because our stomachs were so off after pushing as hard as we did.
It’s probably my only race this year beating Lauren, haha, as she is freshly postpartum and just now racing again.
We left with a $10 gift card, off to buy another Skims dupe t-shirt with it;)
And now, let’s get into the rest of the weekend:
Andrew was on call all weekend but we lucked out by him only having to go in for a few hours.
My sister invited my kids over to her house and that left me and Andrew only one option of things to do, go get massive burritos. I think this is my new favorite post-race meal.
We went and watched the BYU cheerleaders perform their routine before they go to Florida to compete. IT. WAS. AMAZING.
Skye wants to be a cheerleader now.
We had my family over for Easter dinner….
for a burger bar!
And of course, an egg hunt.
When did you get your last running personal record?
What is the shortest race distance you have competed in?
What was the best part of your weekend?
Happy April—> Who has a birthday, anniversary, or race this month?
