For the past 8 weeks I trained to run my first 10K in over 10 years. Unfortunately, a small injury popped up and I switched plans to run (not necessarily race) the 5K instead.
I went into this race with one goal: run a 10K PR.
I couldn’t find my official results from the small race I did previously, but I remember running over an 8 minute per mile pace. This time, I felt much more prepared. During a previous training cycle for a marathon, I had averaged 7:45 minute per mile during a 6.2 mile workout so I knew I had a PR in me. The question wasn’t if I would PR, the question was by how much.
I built my own training plan, and every week I had a dedicated “race pace day” where I ran 2–4 miles at my goal pace of 7:30. It was tough, but manageable, and I started gaining confidence in my ability to hold that effort.
Mentally, though, that’s always the hardest part for me. Believing I can do it. That’s why I focused so much on goal pace work. I wanted to know what 7:30 felt like and prove to myself that I could handle it.
At peak training, I hit 40 miles for the week with a 12-mile long run. I was feeling strong, until Sunday came around, just under two weeks out from race day. During a goal pace workout, I felt a pull in my hamstring. I only had about a quarter-mile left of the pace miles, so I stubbornly pushed through. That was my mistake.
Afterward, my hamstring was sore and fatigued. I skipped a few runs, dialed things back, and kept everything easy. It didn’t feel great. Thankfully, Shane, my personal athletic trainer, rolled it out for me, which helped a lot.
Still, I went into race week unsure if I could or even should run.
By Wednesday, 3 days out from the race, my hamstring was feeling 90% better. I did a 4-mile run with one mile at race pace and felt no pain! I was relieved. But it also brought more questions. Just because I could run… did that mean I should?
The day before the race, I decided the smart decision would be to run the 5k instead. I was not going to go for a 5k PR and instead run it hard but not too hard.
I was nervous about my hamstring all morning.
“Should I run”
“Are you going to go into race mode and push it too hard”
“Are you not going to push hard enough”
I got up at 5am and started getting ready. I ate my pre-run fuel of a plain bagel around 5:45am. During this time I also sipped on water.
I arrived at the race around 7:00 a.m., picked up my bib, and headed back to the car to relax until it was closer to start time.
I continued to sip on water and had my pre-run snack of Noogs chews. Sidenote- if you haven’t tried them already you should! I love the sour flavor and they taste great.
Around 7:20am I headed back to the start and did a very short warm up. Watched the half marathon and 10k runners start.
Now it was my turn.
I lined up near the front since it was a small race. I had looked at past results and thought there might be really good shot at finishing in the top three, but of course, you never know who else might show up.
As the race started, I realized I was leading the women. I immediately thought, Can I actually hold this? When am I going to get passed?
The course started out on trails, and the shade felt amazing, even in that first mile.
Mile 1 – 7:25
Okay, I’m holding the pace (actually a bit faster than my goal pace would be for the 10K). I started wondering if I was going to regret going out at this pace.
Then came the hills, and I could feel the effort catch up with me. I was struggling to stay smooth and started getting in my head. I could tell I was slowing and dreaded what I’d see at the next mile marker. But when I finally glanced down…
Mile 2 – 7:27
Not as bad as it felt. I’ll take it.
Around this time, I started hearing spectators cheer me on and say that I was the first female. That lit a fire. I wanted to hold onto first place so badly.
Mile 3 – 7:27
This was a looped course, but when my watch clicked over to 3 miles, I realized I was still nowhere near the track and the race ended with a 200m stretch on the track.
How did I run the tangents this poorly? There were a few turns, but not that many.
For the final 0.3, I kept asking Shane, who ran next to me the entire race, “Do you see anyone coming?”
In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t. When he reassured me that no one was close, I let off the gas.
Final 3.29 miles in 24:25. Averaged 7:26 per mile.
I crossed the finish line as the first female overall.
While I didn’t run the race I originally hoped to or hit the PR I trained for, this was truly the next best thing.
My hamstring didn’t hurt, but I could tell it was starting to fatigue slightly toward the end. Honestly, I don’t know if it would’ve held up for another 3 miles, so I’m grateful I made the last-minute decision to switch to the 5K.
I am usually one for going off my chip time vs watch time. I found out after the race that the half marathon and 10K courses are USATF Certified but the 5K is not. Makes sense why I was so far over in distance for the 5K.
It’s tough to run tangents perfectly, especially on courses with lots of turns, but if you’re aiming for a specific time or PR, making sure the course is USATF Certified gives you the best chance to run close to the official distance.
The annoying part is Shane and I finished with the exact same time but for some reason the race had the audicity to put his name before mine 😉
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Hi, I'm Amy aka the Running Dietitian. An expert in all things running and nutrition.
