Hello, hello!
Coming at you today with a recap of the LuLu’s Hot Trot 5K! This was my 7th year of hot trotting!
Here’s a quick summary:
2012 – 19:56
2013 – 19:35
2015 – 20:50 (long)
2016 – 19:05
2017 – 19:01
2018 – 18:57
The race starts at 7:30 a.m. at LuLu’s in Gulf Shores. I picked up Jessica and Rebecca en-route and we arrived around 6:30. We were able to get our packets, meet up with Lizzie, go to the bathroom (nice, indoor bathrooms at that … it’s definitely a nice plus when you don’t have to do the pre-race porta potty thing in my opinion) and run the course beforehand as our warm up. I also did a few strides about five minutes before the start.
My pie in the sky A goal for the race was to be as close to 17:00 as possible. Based on my training, my coach felt like this was within the realm of possibility, but it would be still be really hard to pull off. From there, my B goal was to go under 17:30 and my C goal was to get under 18:00. Pretty big ranges for a 5K perhaps, but I don’t think there is technically a right or wrong way to set personal goals, so … those were my goals.
When I talked to my coach earlier in the week, we settled on a plan of starting out just over 5:30 pace, working down close to 5:30 in the second mile and “going to the well” with whatever was left in the tank during the last mile. I knew that the heat and humidity would make it tough, so I knew that I would also have to be okay with whatever the day gave me. We actually had a slight reprieve from the heat earlier this week it seems, but I can’t say that it seemed to be too much better than usual by Saturday morning.
The course is as flat as any course could possibly be. It is essentially an out and back course, but there is a little side loop that is added on the way back. There is some shade along the way, but there is also a good bit of sun and there are times when you think you are likely going melt right into the pavement. Sounds lovely, no? Oh … no, it actually doesn’t … you’re right.
I chatted briefly with Cody as we lined up on the start line and we realized that we would likely be trying to run close to the same pace. I think we were both excited about the idea of having someone to work with! Plus a little friendly competition never hurts. I must say that Cody definitely did the majority of the work on this one. After the fact he did confirm that having me right there behind him helped him to push more than he would have otherwise. So thank you, Cody, and you’re welcome. Ha!
There were about 4 or 5 runners in our “pack” through the first half mile, but after that it was just Cody out front and me trying to do my best to stay on his heels. We came through the first mile right under 5:35, which was exactly where I hoped to be.
Just after the one mile mark we came to the turnaround point. I always enjoy this portion of the race because you get to see and cheer for all of the other runners as you run back by. There were lots of friendly, encouraging faces out there and I loved seeing everyone. It’s crazy to think that I haven’t done a “local” race since last November. I’ve run in Mississippi, Florida, Massachusetts and Louisiana, but it was surely nice to be back racing in Sweet Home Alabama.
Things started to get a bit real at about a mile and a half in. Going into the race, I knew it was going to hurt, but I wasn’t sure exactly how far I would get before the pain set in. I focused on Cody’s yellow singlet and tried to stay as close to him as I could. My split for the second mile was 5:30 on the dot. Whew.
I was supposed to “go to the well” at this point, but as it turns out, the well was DRY! I couldn’t find an extra ounce to tap into whatsoever. I knew I was *almost* done, but Cody pulled away from me and it was all I could do to hold on and hope that I didn’t completely crash. The only thought I remember having during the last mile was that “pain is temporary, but race results are forever.” Weird. You really never know what thought is going to pop into your brain during the mid-race haze.
My last mile was a somewhat disappointing 5:48. Not disappointing in general, but more just that it was so much slower than the first two miles. Oh well. John and I had actually talked about this beforehand and we knew that there was a chance that I would not be able to hold the 5:30 ish pace for 3 miles. Even if I blew up, it was a risk he wanted me to take and I had absolutely nothing to lose. The goal now is to get stronger and get that last mile more in line with the first two!
I did manage to find a tiny little extra gear for the last tenth I “kicked” it in at 5:30 pace for an official time of 17:37. Considering that this is about (err well … exactly) a minute and 20 seconds faster than I have ever run this race before, I am happy with the result. I got a Visa gift card and a sweet coffee mug that holds A LOT of coffee, so of course I am pumped about that! I always enjoy this race and this year was no exception.