El Cinco de Sucko 10k

Today I ran in the local Cinco de Mayo 10k.  I ran this race last year for the first time and many years ago I did the accompanying 2 mile fun run.

I was a beautiful morning for a race.  I managed to eat well yesterday and I was plenty hydrated.  Also, I got myself to bed by 9:30 pm. I woke up well rested at 4:25 a.m. but laid in bed until 5:00 a.m.  Then I did my normal pre-race routine and got out the door by 5:50 a.m.  I felt pretty good and managed to find a parking spot.  I was wearing my TTG purple shirt, a skirt, purple compression socks (to fight off a slight knot in my right calf) and my super fancy *insert eye roll* purple and black shoes.  More about the shoes in another post.   I got out of the car and realized I probably looked pretty ridiculous.  First order of business:  Port o Potty.

Heading for the starting line, I mean Port o Potty.

The morning weather really was gorgeous and watching the sun rise over the city was a pleasant sight to see.  I hung out in the registration area for a bit.  I went to this race alone so I just sort of wandered aimlessly.

Margarita socks seemed right for the occasion.

I snapped a picture of my nifty socks and obnoxious shoes.  Given the Cinco de Mayo theme for the day, I thought the socks were an excellent choice.

I finally wandered over to the starting area.  There I suddenly found myself surrounded by fellow Tri Girls.  They must have been attracted to all the purple.  I chatted for a bit.  Okay, I attempted to chat. It is difficult sometimes to overcome my social awkwardness.  I set up my music and just waited for the gun to go off.

I hadn't run more than a quarter mile into the uphill course before I realized I should have made one more stop at the potty.  I told myself it was just nerves and that I was only running for about an hour.  I could hold it.  I tried to go out with a controlled pace.  The ache in my right calf was noticeable but not hindering and I had no pain from my bad left hip.  The first mile was a piece of cake.  The second mile was a challenge and I fought to keep my heart rate under control.  I was flying downhill on the third mile and felt okay at the turn around.  I was very, very happy with my 5k time.  I have not run much since my labral tear diagnosis and all my runs have been slow.

There was this hill during mile 3.  It was a terrible, awful, mean hill.  It made me walk.  I only meant to walk long enough to catch my breath, work out a side stitch and hydrate.  As soon as I slowed my pace my right calf and hamstring seized up.  Blah.  I hobbled through a miserable mile +.  I ran and then I walked and repeated this for what seemed like for-ev-er.  Finally I reached the Mile 5 marker and I knew that they advertised a 2 mile downhill to the finish.  I mustered what I could and ignored my leg and I ran.  And then I walked.  

I convinced myself to stop walking altogether when I looked down at my watch and realized that even with my craptastic run to this point I could actually PR this race.  So I ran.  But the finish line was just too far away.  I did beat my best time and can technically call it a PR.  I bested my time by a whopped 23 seconds. 

I crossed the finish line and walked in my delirious state right over to the free massage area.  There I chatted with a fellow Tri Girl while waiting in a slow line.  I got my quick massage and did get some relief in my leg.  My last order of business before heading home was to get my free burrito.  Imagine my disappointment when the burritos were gone before I got there.  Booo.

My run is in a desperate place right now.  I am tired of having these failed race attempts.  I clearly need to train more consistently and get my mind cleared to just enjoy the running.  I think that besides the physical frustration of this race, I struggled to keep my negative thoughts at bay.  I need to have a successful, fun, and uneventful race to turn my thinking around.  Next on my calendar is the Meet Me Downtown 5k on June 2nd.  Given my excellent 5k times while running the half marathon at Tinker Bell and now at this 10k, I hope that this next race is a piece of cake confidence builder.

Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. – Norman Vincent Peale