Bronzed Middle Ages

Saturday, I ran the Energy 5k as part of the Cornhusker State Games. The annual statewide race is held right before sunset in Lincoln, my hometown. It was my third attempt at an age-group gold medal.

I ran a very slow warmup mile and commenced my usual pre-race routine of walking around, trying to focus on serenity and tranquility, stopping to smell the roses (or stare at them).

Stop & smell the roses!

The race began well, with me trying to keep the leaders in view at all times. I was able to keep my pace restrained a bit to reserve some energy and strength for later. I tend to start races too fast and burnout too soon. Beginning a little faster than 7:00/mile pace, I slackened the pace a little to settle it at 7. The first mile split was perfect-7:00. After that, it got tougher.

My first loop (half of the race) split was 11:47 or so and I remember smiling for the photographer as we passed into the second loop. Here I was getting passed by several runners and couldn’t pass many back. The heat and humidity were taking their toll (temp was over 80 and over 80% humidity). About 5 young kids were holding out their hands for high-fives on the course. So I deviated from my running the tangents of the course pattern to high-five them-that gave me a little burst of energy before the 3 mile mark arrived. Just tried to hold on and save a little for the end. Finally got my splits back under 8 minute pace after 3 mile mark after a lazy third miles of 8:00+/mile pace (the rest of the splits were sub-8).

I crossed the finish line at 24:09 chip time. Ran over to check the results board. At first I thought I was fourth in my age group. Double-checking, I was wrong. Third.

Bronze medal again? (same medal as last year in this event). Two years ago, it was silver.

But my disappointment was quickly tempered by realizing that I was fortunate to medal on the 250th day of a runstreak while training for a 50k (burning the candle at both ends) and trying to runthisyear (2,014 mile goal). I did very little speed work to train for this race. Also, I ran this race faster than last year and faster than the year before. So I’m getting faster in my middle ages.

It was a race of a few firsts: first race wearing a HRM, first race powered by algae (EnergyBits){moment of irony: eating EnergyBits as pre-race fuel before the Energy 5k}, first 5k race in compression socks, and my first race in the 45-49 masters age group. The HRM showed my heart rate was a little higher than I would like but I think the excitement of the race, attempting to medal, and heat & humidity spiked it. I really need to work on relaxing before and during the race-it’s hard to do sometimes if you are burning off stress. I tried to make it my first race with only nasal breathing to try to keep my heart rate down but that didn’t quite work. That transition is still underway-it takes months according to the Irish doctor that first told me about nasal breathing to help athletes, especially those with lung conditions like asthma.

Redeeming qualities of the race: 1)a three-year medal streak in the same race!

Bronze 2013, Silver 2012, Bronze 2014

2)breaking two speed records on my Garmin for fastest mile (7:00) and fastest 1k (4:12). (Those were obviously from the beginning of the race. The combo of hills, heat and humidity combined to prevent me from setting other speed records.)

So I missed my goal of a PR. I missed my goal of an age-group gold. But I still medaled and I ran as fast as I could with tired legs. It was great to get back to get back to my cross-country roots and remember where I came from to help me focus on where I am going.

Lessons learned: Do your best and forget the rest. Take the opportunities the race gives you and try to make the most of them. Return to your roots enough to help you remember where you came from so you can reach your next goal. Finally, search for the FUN in every RUN!

Happy Bronze memories!

bronze close-up