sidebar | life and training 7.22 – 7.28

The 5K is the devil, and I made the devil sit his ass down and contemplate his sins on Saturday.

I’ll prelude by saying this: I am no means a fast runner. I know my abilities – they are quite average, really – and I am under no delusion that my times are competitive caliber or impressive compared to some of the high-flying Instarunners you see crowding social media. Not universally impressive, in other words.

However. I hadn’t raced in a year before this previous Saturday, and I think my average for that shindig was somewhere around 8:40 per mile. I don’t usually sign up for 5Ks because I find them awful – the burn starts from mile .1 and only worsens as the short but torturous event veers closer to the 3.1 mile mark. I’m more of a 10K kinda dude, the slow burn, running fast and hard but needing to sustain it over a longer period.

A few days after the big kahuna that left me solemn, confused, and whirlybird-ing around trying to figure out where to aim next, I buckled down and signed up for not one, but two 5K races over the next month. Summer events are difficult to find since very few people love running in the sweat and swelter of Florida’s worst months, but a few exist, and they’re universally lighthearted and urge runners to find humor and grit in the pain.

I tell you what, kids, I really missed racing. Even though I hate 5Ks. Did I say that already?

The Freakin’ Hot 5K surprised me immensely. I arrived at the park determined, but certainly expecting very little from a mid-July showdown shortly after sunrise. I warmed up for a mile along a quiet, pretty trail adjacent to the cordoned route, then meandered around the race village aimlessly for maybe 30 minutes before heading to the corral. That was the biggest flaw of this event: 600 plus runners and no organization at the start line. Another reason I find 5Ks tricky is the lack of etiquette. Walkers often stampede to the front of the line only to fuck up the people trying to run.

Hence, the first mile of the 5K – when theoretically one should be honing into goal effort – is always a clusterfuck, and this race was no exception. I wove around variously-paced folks until finally, shortly before that first marker, I settled into a gap where I could dodge around more easily and settle into something of a race pace. I had no idea what speed I ran the whole time, since I never really look at my watch while running. This race was more of a “what can I do with what I have” trial.

Apparently, I could do a lot more than I expected.

A 25:05 time was much lower than I figured I ran – I expected somewhere around 26-27. 8:07 pace by my watch, 8:04 in the official timekeeper’s book. I ranked 4th out of 41 in my age group, and the 3rd place podium was 18 seconds faster than me. Had I watched my time throughout the race I probably would’ve overthought my effort and peetered out during the final mile, but instead I clocked a 7:47 split and dove through the finish line at a 7:04 pace for the last .1 miles.

It burned. My legs jiggled like gelatin. Took me a solid 5 minutes to get my breath back once I walked through the chute. But a 25:05? I think I uttered “holy shit” out loud and turned a few heads. Couldn’t fucken believe it.

Of course, now I’m determined to break 25 minutes sometime this racing season. I’ve done so once before, unofficially, and I think I was far better conditioned than I am now and that time wasn’t too far off from Saturday’s. I drove home sore but accomplished, stopped by Publix for a half dozen doughnuts, and certainly threw down one when I landed home.

I’ve needed to find things to reconnect with my deepest self, and running, although day-to-day my relationship is tumultuous and sometimes I just don’t wanna, is an outlet for me to dig deep and emerge anew. I expected nothing and gained everything from this race. Once I finished, I forgot the inevitable hurt that comes with racing in the red. I can’t wait for my next soiree in two weeks. I’m ready.

Later in the evening I attended the Rays-Reds game. They won, which was nice, even though in the previous days and the following day the Rays firesaled a bunch of beloved players and, thus, exhibited their now-obvious rebuild mentality. AKA, giving up on 2024. Like me. I nibbled a pretzel and some popcorn and sipped lemonade, and enjoyed being back in the stadium. My first game of the year, because I’ve been slacking on my sports fandom.

The rest of the week was busy but fairly uninteresting. I attended a support group Monday, which is a new weekly evening thing for me and brings quite a lot of comfort. I booked a therapy session Tuesday, which was productive, and of course strolled over to Bright Ice for a bowl of chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream as a treat.

I hope this week to be a bit more social. I’ve also determined to start studying for the FTCE exam, specifically English grades 6-12. I’m feeling a big need to pivot my direction in life and teaching has slowly crept up as a path I’d like to explore. Not much else I can do with a Bachelor’s in English, and honestly, I think I’d be good at it. I’m shooting for an exam date in October, once I gather my materials and start studying. Should give me a nice sense of purpose in the upcoming months. In the meantime, I’m also considering applying to become a substitute teacher, to dip my toes in the shallows and see if my hunch about teaching is correct.

Have a good week, folks. Be kind to yourself, and others. Ride your personal tides with grace. Or not. It’s okay to fall apart sometimes, too.

The Fuck We Cooking This Week?

…That spicy-sweet margarita I think I mentioned recently. I’M DOIN’ IT.

…Another cool no churn ice cream.

A Few Things I’m Digging

Overnight oats…Been prepping a very simple overnight oat formulation for my early mornings – I’m quite enjoying them. Usually I combine oats with half a smashed banana and soy milk (sometimes a half scoop of protein too), then top with berries and peanut butter in the morning.

Hydroflask…Bought the 32 oz tumbler and it’s FABULOUS. Keeps shit cold forever, and since it’s a hydroflask I can cut myself some slack not being a Basic White Girl with a Stanley mug. Bonus points for no trace amounts of lead in my water bottle.

Racing…I missed attending races! After my 5K Saturday I’m trying to fill up my calendar as much as possible with running events. Good way to pass the time and challenge myself.

Mini waffles…My friend bought be the Honey Stinger Mini Waffles by mistake (not knowing that they make the bigger waffles, too) but I find them perfect for pre-run snackage if I’m a little nibbly.

Biofreeze…My tight hamstrings protested immensely after my race, and this shit works so well to calm down the inflammation. Be ready for it to stay on your hands forever, though, and if you don’t like the smell of menthol then you’re SOL.

Peachy Keen Nibbles

Last time around we talked peach cocktails, and this week, let’s highlight some savory options to enjoy while our favorite Booty Fruit remains in season!

4 Cheese Peach Garlic Butter Pizza

Tomato, Peach, and Cucumber Feta Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Pull-Apart Peach Caprese Garlic Bread

Chopped Peach and Blue Cheese Salad with Hot Honey Vinaigrette

Easiest Pesto Peach Tart

Whipped Feta Peach Garlic Bread

Blackened Peach Bruschetta Salmon

Sticky Basil Peach Meatball Bowls

Week in Training

Monday, 7.22: 7 miles, 10:38 pace + 12 minute strength

For some reason I felt really good this morning! A little speedwork to start the week. 2 mile warmup, then the following short set: 400m (2:00), 300m (1:28), 200m (:54), 100m (:25), 3+ mile cooldown. The legs were springy and ready. I definitely didn’t go full out and likely held back quite a bit more than I should’ve, but the numbers I think are a nice stepping stone for further workouts.

Strength:

• 3 x 12 OH lunge 30#
• 3 x 10 incline bench press 20#
• 3 x 10 jump squat 50#
• Core work

Tuesday, 7.23: 4.14 miles, 10:52 pace

Legs felt okay, albeit sore as hell from strength training the day before. Not even sure why, nothing I did Monday was particularly strenuous.

Wednesday, 7.24: 3.16 miles, 11:04 pace + 12 minute lift

Quite a groggy, uninspired morning, and the leggies were certainly not inspired either. Squeezed in a quick gym workout in the afternoon, though, so I was proud of that.

Strength:

• 3 x 10 behind-back lat pulldown 50#
• 3 x 10 deadlift 80#
• 3 x 10 waiter curl 30#
• Core work

Thursday, 7.25: 6.21 miles, 10:38 pace

Really stressed out, and I think I will continue to be for awhile, so I let my legs turn as long as they felt like it on the treadmill after work. Felt pretty good, albeit a little unsteady since I kept chewing my cheeks instead of breathing properly.

Friday, 7.26: 5.57 miles, 10:48 pace

A few pickups sprinkled into this run. My legs felt awful and I hope it’s not a premonition to how tomorrow’s race might go, but I hoped some foam rolling and TLC would calm down the muscles before I tried my hand at the 5K.

Saturday, 7.27 *FREAKIN’ HOT 5K*: 3.09 miles, 8:07 pace

This race exceeded anything I could’ve expected. I don’t look at my watch during races anymore (except to check how much further a fucking mile marker is while I’m dying) so when I saw the 8:07 average, I was kinda shocked. My official pace was 8:04, and I landed 4/41 in my age group. SO close to a podium! This race was everything I needed to bounce back into the environment I actually, truly love. Also ran a 1 mile warmup and 1 mile cooldown.

Sunday, 7.28: 5 mile walk (1:16:57)

Total running mileage: 31.2