Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report

Welcome, Guest

Blog Forums Calculator

Some links below may be affiliate links. BMOW may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.

As an Amazon Associate BMOW earns from qualifying purchases.

Return to topic list

<< Shamrock'n Half-Marathon Report	Runner's World Article >>
Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report

OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:31 am

My brother's giving me grief, telling me I should post my race report here...so here you go! One year ago I ran this race, went in with expectations which weren't supported by my recent training performances, and ran a race that left me bitterly disappointed. And for the several months leading up to that race I really hadn't been enjoying my training, and was just putting in the miles with the goal in mind of running a BQ marathon over the coming Memorial Day weekend. This race was the straw that broke the camel's back, and I quit running for the next 9+ months. Gained 15 pounds, drank too much, and got really out of shape. My New Year's resolution this year was to put that behind me, shed the weight, and get back into shape. Bought myself a good treadmill as a birthday present to myself shortly after New Years, and have gotten back up to weekly mileages in the mid-20's for the past few weeks, with my longest run to-date of 8.7. I've still only lost 9 pounds, though. The first few were easy, but now it's getting harder. OK, so now you're all caught up on my last 12 months. Nice sunny morning, temp in the shade probably around 45. Wasn't going to run this because I figured I'd just be disappointed in my performance because I hadn't trained enough. Too nice a day, though, so I decided to just think of it as a tempo run. Ran totally by feel, not letting my breathing get out of control. Pretty consistent pace: 7:38, 7:46, 7:49, 7:56, 7:30. Finish time 38:42, 7:44 average pace. I'm afraid I don't have any interesting anecdotes to tell...it was a pretty uneventful race. I'd agree with what my brother said to me - that sometimes you seem to be most pleased with your racing performances when you just go in there with no expectations and are just doing it because it's fun. For my first race in 12 months, and being in only marginal shape with very little fast running, I guess I'm pretty pleased with it, and I'm glad I ran.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 12:20 pm

Way to go bro! Your long time off was probably just what you needed mentally. It's great that you're back to really enjoying your running, instead of just going through the motions or outright resenting it. We probably had very similar 2005's, actually. You really kicked it in during that last mile, dropping your pace quite a bit. That's got to feel good. Any race where you can avoid the death-fade and finish strong has got to be a big confidence boost. So what's next on your running plan? Keep ramping up the mileage? Any more races on your calendar?

Rustyboy

LA, CA
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 225

Re: Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 3:10 pm

I am consistently blown away by you guys: OldMan. your, "I haven't run for 9 months and gained 15 pounds" 5 mile time is just a hair slower than my all-out "I've been training for an ultra, now I'm training for a marathon" 5 mile time. Way to go! It's good to see you're back on the run. Going through the motions just plain sucks. I've been mixing it up the past few months with swimming, and I bought my first road bike last week, so I'm gonna give tris a try this season - mixing it up has really kept me motivated. Welcome back to the fold!

OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Re: Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 9:32 am

Thanks Rustyboy. Tri's sound like they could be a lot of fun, but I'm only a passable swimmer (tired after just a couple of lengths of the pool!), and I find it hard enough to find time to train in one sport! Maybe duatholons someday for me. I'm back working in an office again, so my weekday mid-day runs are a thing of the past.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 1:02 pm

Around here there are a few sprint triathlons during the summer, where the swimming portion is only a couple of hundred yards, and I've been tempted even though I'm an abysmal swimmer. Is there anything like that near you? Swim 200 yards, bike 20 miles, run a 10K, no problem. Too bad about work preventing your mid-day runs. Is there a shower in your office? You might be able to squeeze in a few miles during your lunch break. Although I've never tried it, I know a lot of people with no showers do a "towel shower" in the office bathroom after their lunch-time runs. Probably not the greatest experience for you or your coworkers, but it's something to consider if you find that you really want to get in those mid-day runs. That said, I still think the best running schedule is to do all morning runs, because then nothing else can interfere with your workout and you know you'll always get it done. Unfortunately it can lead to some killer sleep deprivation when you have to run 10 miles in the pre-dawn darkness before stumbling into work at 8:00 am.

Bricks
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Chicago
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 222

Re: Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:08 pm

Oldman, Was this your first bout with burnout in your running life? Did you see it coming? New to running, I haven't had to deal with this yet and am a little scared of it. Rickshaw I think you had a smaller case of this recently too. Do either of you (or anyone else) have any advice on ways to avoid it, or what some of the major warning signs might be? With that question out of the way. Great Race Report. I love hearing about tri's, but have yet to get the courage up to try one, despite some of my freinds' nudging.

OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Re: Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 4:42 pm

Bricks - I think I can point to a couple of danger signs: 1) not wanting to bother running a race unless you think you can PR (or at least come close), and 2) not looking forward to the majority of your training runs. There have been times over the past several years where my runs were the highlight of my whole day. Last year they generally felt like more of an obligation and a guilt trip if I missed one.

mfox

South Orange, New Jersey
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 367

Re: Runnin' of the Green 5-Mile Race Report Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:29 am

Congratulations OldManRunner! I'm impressed how quickly you managed to get into the groove after such a long layoff. It should be a good confidence boost as you go forward with your running. All of you should give thought to doing a short sprint triathlon. I got started last summer and fell in love with it. A near by Tri club has a series of "practice" triathlons. They're intended as training races. No official time is recorded. But finishing times are barked out at the finish line. You can keep your own splits and submit them and they get posted on their web site. Then you can compare your times as you proceed through each "practice" traithlon. They're really inteneded for beginner triathletes and those wanting to do a good workout as part of their training. The events consist of a 400meter (roughly) ocean swim parallel to the beach and with the tide current, (in moderate surf), 10 mile bike, and 3 mile run. It's pretty low key but all the support is available and plenty of food afterwards. I did three of these before doing an "official" sprint triathlon down by Atlantic City (1/2 mile swim, 29 mile bike, 4 mile run). I managed to win my age group...while riding a mountain bike (with road tires). It was a blast. I wasn't really all that fast because the competition (about 87 competitors) was minimal. I didn't spend that much time in the pool or the bike but had been doing a lot of longer distance runs. I'm training for a Olympic distance triathlon this July and will focus more on my swim and bike endurance/speed. All while still preparing for two or three marathons. The moral of the story is, you don't need to spend 10-15 (or 20-30) hours a week training for a triathlon. And you don't need an expensive road or triathlon bike to get started. In fact, do only what you have time for, with the idea of just finishing your first triathlon event for the purpose of seeing if this type of event appeals to you. I found that I was able to get some biking and/or swimming in on what would normally be my easy/rest running days. In fact, many experts suggest that on the days that would normally be a run recovery day you simply skip the run and do a bike and/or swim workout. Keep in mind, the recovery run is ONLY to help you recover...not get stronger or faster. So, doing something else like biking or swimming helps you recover for your harder run days and yet allows you to practice another sport.

View posts:

		All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1