I ran the Frosty 5K shortly before Christmas and the New Year's Day 10K on January 1. I am late in blogging about both of them. Neither of them were stellar performances, goal races, or particularly interesting, so the urge to blog wasn't as strong as it typically is. But there is always something to reflect on post-race, so I will start with Frosty.
Two weeks post marathon I wasn't sure if my legs were recovered enough to tackle a hilly 5K. I knew from my Turkey Trot that I was not in great 5K shape so both of these factors combined made for a less than ideal race setup.
Before the Race
On race morning, I recorded an Instagram video in which I said my goal pace would be 6:40. I had no idea what kind of time that would translate to with the distance being slightly off, but if my Garmin pace averaged 6:40, I thought that would be a solid effort.
I arrived at the race and picked up my bib. I got there super early now that I have PTSD from missing a race start! I was trying to be in two places at once because my friend Caroline was in town from Florida running the race and I also wanted to warm up with Lighthorse Track Club, which I was considering joining. I somehow managed to start the warm up with Lighthorse and also find Caroline so that was a win.
Lighthorse had a huge showing of runners. They choose two races a year where most of the team comes out and this was one of them. Dustin, the leader, organized pace groups based on what people would be running. I joined up with two people going out at a 6:30 pace. I knew I wouldn't be maintaining that pace, but the first mile is downhill, so that was my target for mile 1.
It was 25 degrees with winds at around 8 mph and partly cloudy. I give this an 8 out of 10 on my personal weather scale. I could have done without the wind and added about 5 degrees onto the temp. Otherwise it was perfect.
I wore my favorite CW-X stability capri tights, which feel so fast for racing! I paired it with a Tracksmith Brighton Base Layer and Zensah socks, plus my trusty adidas Adios Pro 2 shoes.
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| Bib number 1225 - Christmas! |
I lined up with the two runners who said they were going out at a 6:30 pace but promptly lost them shortly after we started. Lighthorse is a fast group which meant there were a lot of fast runners right up front. It was a bit of a chaotic start, but I was able to settle in after we made our first two turns. It wasn't long before I found myself with my friend Michelle. We worked together for a little bit, weaving around people. I wanted to take full advantage of the downhill so that meant weaving. I clocked in at 6:33 for the first mile.
Mile 2
Now that the downhill was over it was time to work. Mentally I was very strong in this race. I think it was the fact that there were so many other fast women. Instead of trying to run a personal best I focused on the competitive aspect and that really motivated me. I used one of my favorite 5K mantras which is "make it hurt". That's my job in a 5K to make it hurt. This mindset allowed me to pass multiple runners during the second mile and that felt great. I don't recall anyone passing me - but it's been over three weeks now so maybe they did! My time for this mile was 6:39.
Mile 3
I knew I had a lot of cushion to make my 6:40 average pace goal. Mile 3 would definitely be the slowest (it always is due to the hills) but I didn't want to back off the effort. I was pleasantly surprised by how strong I felt on the hills. I had much more energy and pep than I did at the Turkey Trot, when I felt flat. I kept repeating my mantra of making it hurt and I powered up that hill! I did not want anyone coming from behind and passing me at the end, and they didn't! My time was 6:53, which is impressive given the hill profile.
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| Heading towards the finish line |
I gunned the final 0.16 at an average pace of 5:57 according to my Garmin. I felt really strong.
My official time was 21:01 which is a course PR by 8 seconds! I was thrilled. And my Garmin pace ended up being exactly 6:40, so my powers of prediction were on point.
After the race I cooled down for 1 mile with Caroline and then I got my award. I won second place in my age group and was curious about another 45-49 year-old woman running faster than me. But then the reality hit me that I am no longer the youngest in this age group, having recently turned 46. A 45-year-old woman ran faster than me! More power to her - it was a super competitive race.
It was really, really cold so I was happy not to linger for too long. Greg and I met up with Caroline and her husband at a nearby restaurant and had breakfast. I was chilled to the core and kept downing my decaf coffee!
Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I was pleasantly surprised with how strong I felt. Even though I predicted my exact pace, I didn't imagine that my legs would feel as recovered as they did.
- It was a competitive field with all the Lighthorse ladies showing up. I was the 11th female finisher.
- This was a course PR by 8 seconds, making it my second 5K course PR of the year on an often-run course!
- In 2024, I set distance PRs in the marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 1-mile. I did not set a distance PR in the 5K but my two course PRs show major progress.
- I ran a slower time than my recent Turkey Trot, but the Turkey Trot is less hilly and measures closer to 3.1 miles.
- I also felt much stronger and more energized than I did at the Turkey Trot.
- My "make it hurt" mantra really helped me.
- I enjoyed feeling like I was competing and it was nice having other runners around.
- It was fun to see so many of my friends, particularly Caroline from out of town.
- I didn't realize I had bib 1225 (12/25 for Christmas) until an Instagram commenter remarked on it.
- This was a great "workout" to start my winter of speed. I want to focus more on speed over the next two months because my previous training cycle was lacking in that aspect.
