Short by Six Seconds (Boise Turkey Day 5k)

I was bold and daring, and came up short. 

Back in September I shared that I had decided to set a bold and daring (BAD) goal to run a sub-19:00 minute 5k at my local Thanksgiving race. I hired a coach for the first time and was excited about the training plan.

The training process was tough and rewarding. 

My coach—Montana—was incredible leading up to the race. She helped me strategize in a way I have never really done before for a 5k. Previously, I had followed the recipe don’t go out too hard, the first mile will feel easy, the second mile will start to suck—push through it, and on the third mile give it everything you have and just hold on. 

Montana’s approach was more targeted and geared toward the specific race and course I would be running. We reviewed the slight elevation changes and twists and turns of the course. I drove the course before the race in order to be able to visualize it. She gave me mile-by-mile mantras and goal splits:

 First Mile: Patient (6:11-6:15)

 Second Mile: Aggressive (6:06-6:06)

 Third Mile: Tough (6:06 – 6:06 or just under with whatever I have left in the last half mile)

Leading into the race I felt prepared, I felt fit, I felt confident and excited. I had run a two mile time trial on the track a few weeks earlier in 12:08 and nailed most of my other workouts.

Race Day

The forecast was chilly, around 30, overcast, and ZERO wind. 

I ate a careful breakfast, hydrated, topped off my fuel 40 minutes prior. I followed my warm-up routine, kept my clothes on as long as possible to stay warm, felt great on my strides, and joined a few Betties at line feeling focused and excited.

There was one tiny issue that I’m hesitant to share because I don’t want this to sound like an excuse, but I was experiencing some abdominal cramping during the warm-up. I knew I could run through and it didn’t have to affect my performance. I gave myself a little pep talk and remembered I had run PBs at other distances when things didn’t go perfectly—including a half marathon where I forgot a sports bra, woke up late and and had a stomach full of bagel at the start!

The level of competition at this race was incredible. By far the toughest I have seen at a race in Boise. There were elite level athletes from the Idaho Distance Project and some local high school phenoms. It was exciting to see and be around! 

Patient

The gun went off a few minutes after 9am. I focused on execution: stick to your pace, run the tangents. It took me about two minutes to find the right pace for the first mile. With so many fast people around me even holding back it was easy to fall into a 5:40 pace in the first 200 meters. I reined it in and found the right pace on my GPS watch, sticking closer to 6:15 since I knew I had gone out a tad fast. The beginning of the course has a slight uphill and then it was flat after our first turn. I maintained my pace and ignored anyone passing me. The first mile clocked in at 6:07, just 4 seconds too fast (although Montana had said “6:15-6:11 and NO faster“…). Again, that was because of the initial few hundred meters, then I found my sweet spot. 

Aggressive

Entering mile two which has a net downhill (we’re talking in feet, like perceptible because you’re running but otherwise wouldn’t notice) I was feeling good, and picked it up to find my 6:05-6:06 pace. Montana told me mile two is where some people check out and others who went out too fast start to drop off—this is where I needed to stay super focused. The first half of the second mile is on a straight stretch of road and while it seemed to take forever, I felt like I was rolling through it. We made a sharp left turn to head toward and cross over one of the main roads and into a residential area. I started to feel the first signs of fatigue, like I had to put more effort into maintaining my pace, but overall not bad and not much different than the second mile of most past 5ks felt. 

Tough

We entered the residential area and passed the 2 mile mark after a sharp right hand turn. I clocked that one a couple seconds fast again, 6:03. In that neighborhood, we made a few quick turns about one block apart each to get onto a main road that would take us back toward downtown. During those turns, per strategy, I powered through them without slowing down and focused on my tangents.

Everything was good until the dastardly nearly imperceptible uphill on Bannock Street. This third mile was where I was supposed to be tough and hold on to my 6:05 until half a mile left. Well, I felt like I was being tough but my body suddenly wasn’t on board anymore. I was running past the Meadow Gold dairy facility when fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. My muscles started to ache, swinging my arms took cognizant will. I couldn’t believe this measly slight uphill was hitting me so hard—I knew it was coming and was mentally prepared for it.

I looked at my watch and saw 6:20 for a second and forced myself out of sinking into despair. “Dig deep,” I told myself. “Don’t give in, mind over body.” The last mile of a 5k always sucks, this just sucked worse than ever before. I pushed with everything I had to get back to a 6:06 pace. I made a left on 11th and a right on Jefferson, coming toward the Capitol—my watch was still at 6:06. Back on track. But I knew I had time to make up.

Hanging On

We approached the Capitol and mile 3. I clocked in at 6:13. I knew it was too slow. Even with having run the first two miles a little fast. I couldn’t do the mental math fast enough but I knew I had to pick it up and give it my all for the final tenth of a mile, and even then sub-19:00 was unlikely. My face was scary in the race photos. I think my eyes were closed! I ran the final tenth at a 5:20 pace according to my watch.

The race clock was off—it was devastating to see 18:48 on the clock knowing it was slow. I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch. 19:05 

I dry heaved, looked up to see Jeremy running toward me. He hugged me and shouted, “You did it!” But he had been looking at the incorrect race clock. I told him I didn’t do it, I was 6 seconds off. But I reassured him I was also elated. I had just run a PR—a time I hadn’t been able to touch in four years—and with Montana’s help had just taken nearly 30 seconds off my 5k time in 3 months!

According to the race timing site, I finished 12th woman and 2nd in my age group. 

Post-Race

I ran my cool down with a teammate and reflected on the race. Immediately hungry for the next opportunity, I considered my options for a race within the next month or so. I texted with Montana over the weekend while I took a few days off and we discussed my options:

a) I consider this the end of a training cycle, take a full 7-10 days, and then get started with training for Spring races, maybe looking to set a few PRs; or

b) I do a small reset, and look to work from my current fitness to try again within the month.

My gut told me to go with the latter, I couldn’t imagine putting all this work in to get so close and then just stop and reset! 

Next Steps

I’m looking at the Boise New Year’s Day 5k. I need to run the course to make sure it is accurately measured (our YMCA courses are notoriously short) and if it is, I will register and go for sub-19:00 again on January 1st. I just had one of the best workouts of my training cycle hitting 800 interval paces and then some feeling better than ever—I know my fitness is there. 

Goals take time, they take missteps and failures. I missed my marathon goal at New York City last year by 5 seconds. Part of me wonders why I can’t find those few seconds, the other part knows I made huge strides and improvements to even get there. Even when we don’t achieve our goals there is always a silver lining—good to be found and triumphs to be recognized. Aside from even achievements and gains in times and splits, I first and foremost recognize my gratitude for my ability to run. To be able to CHOOSE to do this. And to have stayed healthy during this training cycle.

The beauty in setting bold and daring goals is that we don’t always get there. But we learn and we move forward, and we try again.