Last Updated on December 10, 2019 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS
Editors note: a decade (!) later I’m going through many of my old posts and editing them if/when I can. This, my very first race review, of the 2nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Run Fest 5K held in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is definitely not my best work. I even had to go back and research the name of the race (and add it to the title), as I completely left it out of the entire post, haha. But it’s a memory indeed, and so while I’m purging through old, useless posts…this one stays. It’s a wonderful way to see how far I’ve come both as a runner and a writer. Cheers to growth, and the ability to look back and see how far we’ve come.
Also: LOOK HOW CUTE MY LITTLE BABY ROWEN IS!
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IT DIDN’T RAIN!! OK maybe a few drops here and there, but overall the weather was *perfect* for our races today. 55-ish and overcast, no wind, and most importantly , no rain.
So G.J. (short for Grandma Jan, rich’s mom), Hope (Rich’s sister) , Rowen, Kain and I made the trip up to North Myrtle Beach where we met up with the Naatz’s, the DeSoto’s, and Holly T. Got our bibs and shirts, and waited around for the start. I was a nervous wreck which I knew was silly, I wasn’t there to compete, just to have fun.
Anyway, eventually we got to the start line, and I am very proud to announce i did not go sprinting off like a bat out of heck like i sometimes tend to do. I held back and felt good. I was running about an 8:30 pace when …dun dun dun…just short of mile one was the massive overpass. OK, OK it was only 65 feet from bottom to top at a (i think, i just installed my Garmin software today…yes two years later…and i’m trying to figure it out) 4% grade. To us flat-as-a-pancake Myrtle Beach-ians, that was a mini-mountain, haha! I made it halfway up the hill and had to walk. I ran downhill (of course) and then walked through the one and only water stop at the turnaround (I will learn the art of drinking and running…). On the way back I walked a few more times, and let a bunch of people pass me. I just kept telling myself that it’s ok, this is just the start, finishing is still an accomplishment.
So, I ran at my happy little pace, walked when i needed to , and finished in 29:17. a 9:25 pace (including the walk breaks) Not even close to my better races, but you know, it’s a time and that’s better than sitting on the couch. Right? Right. This is a good starting point, I’ll just look at it that way.
Rowen’s tot trot went as to be expected. He refused to put his number on (GJ snuck it on his back, haha) and was very reluctant at the start line. But GJ ran with him, and once they took off he was all smiles…until the girl at the finish line tried to put a medal around his neck! He was NOT having it! Oh well, someday he will learn to covet the hardware 🙂
GJ & Rowen
Mommy & Rowen, and Ro’s medal
So, post race…legs feel great, but I’ve got a nagging headache. I know for a FACT I don’t hydrate enough to be running and nursing an 18 lb 5 month old. I need to work on that. The other half of this training battle will be, without a doubt, my nutrition. Healthy eating pretty much went out the window since Kain was born. Tomorrow is day #1 of my 30 week training plan for the marathon . I have each week written out detailed to the day. I’m super excited 🙂
Heather Hart is an ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), UESCA certified Ultrarunning Coach, RRCA certified Running Coach, co-founder of Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching, and creator of this site, Relentless Forward Commotion. She is a mom of two teen boys, and has been running and racing distances of 5K to 100+ miles for over a decade. Heather has been writing and encouraging others to find a love for fitness and movement since 2009.
Holly
Awesome job!! You had a race goal and you stuck to it and Rowen and GJ look so great! I love all the big smiles!
Good work Sister, it’s hard to stick to race plans in the excitement of the day! You’ll be so much more prepared when you toe the line in races later in the season!
Good Job to EVERYBODY on a great race day!!
Twiggles and Trunks
holy smokes! way to go baby!
& dang, your hair is growing super fast! didn’t you *just* chop it?