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WHYY 12K Recap

November 12, 2011 by Kristy 10 Comments

Well, today wasn’t my day and that’s OK.  Really, it is.  I tend to beat myself up over races but this was only a 12K and I’m going to cut myself some slack.

FACT #1:  I mentally checked out at the turnaround.
This was an out-and-back course (out-and-back on West River Drive is never fun).  My pace was feeling hard and, as I predicted, I was hating life.  I went around the turning point and just let my pace slip.  I was done.

FACT #2:  I lost a bit of speed since my last marathon.
The LVM was 2 months ago and I’m currently toeing the line between maintenance running and maintaining my speed.  I have been training non-stop for the past 2 years and this is the most lag time I’ve had between marathons (Boston training doesn’t start until around Christmas).  I need to allow myself some down time….some time away from weekly speed work.  So it’s only natural that I lost some quickness.

FACT #3:  I really need to get my iPod fixed.  I generally run without music but there are some races where music is a necessity (like today).  My iPod has been broke since the NJ Marathon last May!

FACT #4:  I can’t wait to run an ultra!  I just need to hang in there with the speed work for another couple of months until after Boston.

FACT #5:  I need to reevaluate my goals for the Philly Half next weekend…or maybe I’ll have a better day next Sunday!

Here are the Garmin stats.  A 12K is 7.45 miles so I didn’t do too bad running the tangents.  Clearly, if I held back more in the beginning I probably would have done better.  Mile 6 makes me laugh….yeah, that’s marathon pace!

image

The best part of today’s race?  Hanging out with Sara, Trish, and Ann and having a delicious brunch of french toast with Trish afterwards.

Tomorrow is most certainly a rest day too 🙂


Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Boston Marathon, NJ Marathon, via lehigh valley marathon, WHYY 12 K

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda says

    November 12, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    I’d have a hard time knowing what pace to try for on a 12k since it’s not a usual race distance. I know it’s probably not as fast as you wanted, but a 7:56 pace is great in my book! 🙂 And at least you had a good brunch at the end.

    Reply
  2. Alyssa says

    November 12, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    Damn, girl, that looks fast to me! You’re absolutely right though, you need a mental break from intense training, and I bet you’ll improve your speed in the long run as a result of this “break”. You will LOVE ultra running. Come here and do an ultra with me.

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    November 12, 2011 at 2:47 pm

    If it makes you feel better, I’d slice off my upper (fat) lip to run 7.45 in just under an hour. LOLOL

    Reply
  4. runningseal says

    November 12, 2011 at 3:18 pm

    A 12k seems like an interesting distance! Not that I really know how to pace myself for any race..hah…I think I’d know even less for a 12k! Don’t give up on Philly goals! Although I do sympathize with you on feeling like you lost some speed since your last marathon as I am feeling the same way 🙁

    Reply
  5. Kelly says

    November 12, 2011 at 6:17 pm

    Meh, we all have off days! I’d chalk it up to just that and start getting excited about Philly! Checking out mentally can also have a huge effect on a race, you know? I bet you’ve got more speed in there than you think! Congrats though, I think you did great!

    Reply
  6. Terzah says

    November 12, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    I don’t like out-and-back courses either–they always psyche me out and just aren’t as interesting as loops. I think you did great, and the downtime will be really good for the year you have planned.

    Reply
  7. thethinksicanthink says

    November 13, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    I say, have fun with the Philly half and see what happens! I mean, did you already PR in the half this year 😉

    I’m so impressed you can still be racing and training and stuff. Marathons destroy me for some reason (or at least this one did). I couldn’t imagine racing a half in Jan! So, be proud of yourself for being a rockstar!

    Reply
  8. Katie says

    November 14, 2011 at 12:11 pm

    Dang! That looks like a fast race to me! French toast sounds amazing, and enjoy your rest day! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Kara says

    November 14, 2011 at 7:11 pm

    If I had those splits, I’d be like “Daaaamn, I’m FAST!” haha. It’s all about perspective. 🙂

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. WHYY 12K Recap - runthelongroad.com says:
    November 11, 2012 at 2:01 pm

    […] ran this race last year and proclaimed “never again”.  The distance (7.45 miles) is strange and I end up running 10K […]

    Reply

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