I have 2 races scheduled so far in November: a 12K on 11/12 and the Philly HM on 11/20. I’m mulling over running this Turkey Trot for fun on Thanksgiving Day. And I’m scoping out a low-key 5K in early December. Low-key = not many fast runners, so I have a chance to place in my AG. I have no shame.
Back to the 12K and HM. The only reliable, recent race time I have is my 1:19 finish at the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in April. Since the 12K is a little under 10 miles (7.45) and the HM a little over, this should be a good predictor. And…bonus, I know my speed has improved since April 🙂
My goal for the 12K is to start just under 8:00 pace and drop it down from there. I know I’ll be hating life early on from oxygen deprivation. I don’t want to be too balls-to-the-wall about my pace in the beginning cause I’ll just end up crashing. It’s an interesting distance, 7.45 miles. It’ll be a PR regardless of time since the 12K distance is new to me.
For the HM, I want a sub-1:45. I won’t be happy with anything in the 1:45 range. Plain and simple!
I’m itching to race again but also dreading these races at the same time. The way I see it, there are essentially 2 types of race day pain: the marathon pain (my-legs-hurt-I-can’t-go-another-step-please-make-this-stop) and oxygen deprivation/lung pain. Personally, I’ll take marathon pain any day. I hate when my lungs are screaming and I’m in that “no talk” zone. Case and point why I would rather run 20 miles over a 5K.
Any November races? I know many of you are doing the Philly HM or Marathon! I hope to see you there!
Which race day pain do you prefer: marathon pain or oxygen deprivation/lung pain?