This race also coincided with Elle's 5th birthday celebrations and to be honest (which, why do we say that? I'm always honest with you :) about a week before the race, I thought seriously about pulling out, because I didn't want to feel over loaded. I went back and forth and decided I could do ALL the things and I really want to race in early February, blah, blah. Ultimately, by the time I got to the starting line I was exhausted. I tried to block it out of my mind when the gun went off, but my body was listening at all. Although I very much wanted this race, it just wasn't my day. The hectic pace of the week, including Elle's actual birthday the Tuesday before (which included school and home celebrations) along with her very first birthday party with friends (the last four birthdays have been family only) on the day of the 10k was pulling myself emotionally and physically in too many directions.
You can't do ALL the things and race well.
Jerold and I decided to take the kids with us to the race as it was going to be a gorgeous day and we thought they would have fun hanging with Dad while I raced.
They dropped me off quickly near the start, so I could begin my warm up and stretch routine while they parked the car. I felt pretty good on the warm up and ultimately would have liked to arrive even earlier to get to the front of the pack with ease as it was a pretty nice sized race.
From the moment the gun went off, I knew my body felt off. I didn't think about it too much, I just focused on running according the plan coach had outlined. After the first mile, there wasn't much zip in my legs and I tried to run as fast as my body would let me.
Splits:
7:10, 7:06, 7:02, 6:51, 7:16, 7:15 = 44:41
Let's talk about the good things here for a moment. The good thing is I'm working hard on pacing and the first four miles were a good progression down. I didn't start the race too fast and I was happy about that.
I HAD to find something good about my race :)
The not so good things were I was aiming to run 6:30s and go DOWN from there (nope) and also what happened to mile 5 and 6? (yikes - I could tell I was toast, couldn't even sprint in at the end which I always do).
These splits look more like marathon splits than 10k, but with each race you learn so much. I learned that you can't schedule 5,000 things over the course of a week and expect to race at your very best. I slept well that week, but I think the craziness of party planning, Mom life and some unexpected stresses during the week was too much for this runner girl :)
Other great things about this race:
1. Well organized. I had to pick up my bib early that morning and I was able to get it in like two minutes - no joke.
2. Fun race atmosphere! They had such great music, an enthusastic announcer and lots of fun booths to explore after the race.
4. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. The weather was fantastic and living in So Cal never, ever gets old (especially in February).
5. The t-shirt and medal were very cool.
6. Good, enjoyable course - flat with a few rolling hills.
I ran a two mile cool down and then we jumped back in the car to hurry home and get dressed and ready for the all the little people that were coming to my house later that day. Here's the thing - with being a Mom and an athlete, I have to juggle a lot of balls and hope nothing comes crashing down. In this case the race came crashing down, but to see Elle's eyes light up with joy at her big birthday party.... well, that's all that mattered on this day.
Bunnies and a bouncy house to celebrate 5!
I care about the time on the clock, but they don't :)
I would highly recommend the Redondo Beach Super Bowl 10k as a fun way to kick off Super Bowl Sunday, a well organized race in a beautiful seaside setting.
I'm in the middle of a 60 (I think it'll be 60) mile week, so off to hydrate, run and be the best Mom I can to three awesome kids.
How do you deal with bad races?
Ever raced during a hectic, super busy week?
Do Awesome Things.
xo,
Natalie
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