Roxymama's 5k to Marathon, Time to Collect Another Castle

[ZellyB]

Race week!! I predict you will crush this race. And, I think you'll be surprised that you've made that hill seem more challenging than it probably will be in reality. I absolutely see a final time with a 4 at the beginning for you. Weather sounds pretty fantastic as long as that little 25% precip number doesn't become a problem. I'll be curious to hear how Billy thinks you should handle pacing from the beginning. Can't wait to hear all about your amazing progress from last year's race.

 

[SarahDisney]

RACE WEEK!! Time goals look great. I think you've got the right foundation and mindset to rock this race!

 

[roxymama]

Race week!! I predict you will crush this race. And, I think you'll be surprised that you've made that hill seem more challenging than it probably will be in reality. I absolutely see a final time with a 4 at the beginning for you. Weather sounds pretty fantastic as long as that little 25% precip number doesn't become a problem. I'll be curious to hear how Billy thinks you should handle pacing from the beginning. Can't wait to hear all about your amazing progress from last year's race.

Thanks Zelly! Hoping weather is nice too! I think I may need to finally just do gear check like a normal runner and bring a hoodie until race time and then go with short sleeves. Or do a throwaway. Yesterday's run I overdressed slightly and ended up with the sweatiest crelbows (TMI!)

RACE WEEK!! Time goals look great. I think you've got the right foundation and mindset to rock this race!

Is it bad that my mind immediately jumped to makeup foundation? Because I have been looking for a better one (non-running related of course)

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Yay!! I am SO excited for you... you are going to rock it and it's going to be the perfect confidence boost before Tink! Go RoxyMama Go!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Realistically, what kind of warm-up can you do before this race? I know it's a big one, so is the space/time limited to get one in?

 

[roxymama]

Realistically, what kind of warm-up can you do before this race? I know it's a big one, so is the space/time limited to get one in?

Generally it's pretty crowded...like really crowded. However we always go from my in-laws condo to the corrals for these races. And in the past that is where any warm-up can be done. It is about ~.7 of a mile from their place to the back of the corrals-ish. There's always elitey people warming up in front of the corrals but I'd be too sheepish to do that.
Here's the schedule.

6:30 a.m. – Gear check opens
6:30 a.m. – Start Corrals Elite, A, B, C and D (me) open
7:30 a.m. – Start Corrals E, F, G and H open
8:20 a.m. – Wave 1 Start Corrals Elite, A, B, C and D (me) close
8:30 a.m. – Wave 1 race start
8:45 a.m. – Wave 2 Start Corrals E, F, G and H close
9:00 a.m. - Wave 2 race start

 

[DopeyBadger]

Generally it's pretty crowded...like really crowded. However we always go from my in-laws condo to the corrals for these races. And in the past that is where any warm-up can be done. It is about ~.7 of a mile from their place to the back of the corrals-ish. There's always elitey people warming up in front of the corrals but I'd be too sheepish to do that.
Here's the schedule.

6:30 a.m. – Gear check opens
6:30 a.m. – Start Corrals Elite, A, B, C and D (me) open
7:30 a.m. – Start Corrals E, F, G and H open
8:20 a.m. – Wave 1 Start Corrals Elite, A, B, C and D (me) close
8:30 a.m. – Wave 1 race start
8:45 a.m. – Wave 2 Start Corrals E, F, G and H close
9:00 a.m. - Wave 2 race start

That's tough, because ideally the warm-up occurs between 60-15 min prior to race start. But it doesn't look like you've got much wiggle room in that timeframe. Anything outside of 60 min isn't likely to help during the actual race. Do you plan to/do you need to enter the corrals at 6:30am? Or is it possible to wait until 7:20ish? Obviously don't want you to lose corral positioning. You could try a little bit of running within the corral, but dependent on how crowded it gets in there. Don't forget you earned that corral D placement, so all those "elite" people at the front of D doing warm-ups are just as good as you are. Maybe you'll inspire someone else in corral D to also warm-up realizing you're all bada**es!

Option 1 - without WU
Mile 1 - Effort feels like WU (12:50 min/mile) for the first 0.5 mile. Move to Long Run (10:52 min/mile) effort for the 2nd half of the mile.
Mile 2 through 5 - Move to HM Tempo (9:39 min/mile) effort for the first 0.5 mile (Mile 1.0 to 1.5). Move to 10k effort (9:14 min/mile) for the remainder of the race. Don't go faster than 9:14 min/mile until at least the 4th mile.

Option 2 - with WU
Mile 1 through 5 - Effort feels like HM Tempo (9:39 min/mile) for the first 0.5 mile (Mile 0 to 0.5). Move to 10k effort (9:14 min/mile) for the remainder of the race. Don't go faster than 9:14 min/mile until at least the 4th mile.

Don't take for granted how easy the beginning of the race will feel. Maintain your eyesight, breathing, and general running form throughout the easy portion so that you can dig deep during the final stretch.

Thoughts?

 

[roxymama]

That's tough, because ideally the warm-up occurs between 60-15 min prior to race start. But it doesn't look like you've got much wiggle room in that timeframe. Anything outside of 60 min isn't likely to help during the actual race. Do you plan to/do you need to enter the corrals at 6:30am? Or is it possible to wait until 7:20ish? Obviously don't want you to lose corral positioning. You could try a little bit of running within the corral, but dependent on how crowded it gets in there. Don't forget you earned that corral D placement, so all those "elite" people at the front of D doing warm-ups are just as good as you are. Maybe you'll inspire someone else in corral D to also warm-up realizing you're all bada**es!

Option 1 - without WU
Mile 1 - Effort feels like WU (12:50 min/mile) for the first 0.5 mile. Move to Long Run (10:52 min/mile) effort for the 2nd half of the mile.
Mile 2 through 5 - Move to HM Tempo (9:39 min/mile) effort for the first 0.5 mile (Mile 1.0 to 1.5). Move to 10k effort (9:14 min/mile) for the remainder of the race. Don't go faster than 9:14 min/mile until at least the 4th mile.

Option 2 - with WU
Mile 1 through 5 - Effort feels like HM Tempo (9:39 min/mile) for the first 0.5 mile (Mile 0 to 0.5). Move to 10k effort (9:14 min/mile) for the remainder of the race. Don't go faster than 9:14 min/mile until at least the 4th mile.

Don't take for granted how easy the beginning of the race will feel. Maintain your eyesight, breathing, and general running form throughout the easy portion so that you can dig deep during the final stretch.

Thoughts?

This is very helpful. Since we tend not to be the earliest people to corrals I think there's a good chance I could make a warm-up happen. My thought is I can walk to the race with my family. Once I get there I can have my last sip of water...use the restroom...and then check out the corral situation. My hubby and father-in-law can go into the corral. I can then do a WU running away from the race area and back to it if I've got room. And then hopefully they've saved my spot. Did I mention father-in-law got a new proof that got him into D too? I'm still lone wolfing the race...we'll see how I fare vs the other roxyfamily members. Last year the Corral G started really getting squished about 15 minutes out but that's mostly because Wave 1 closed and we had a ton of Wave 1 hoppers into ours.

All in all, I "think" I can make a warmup work. I'd much rather WU before than during beginning of race when my body is gonna want to not go 12+. In the past I've used what you told me before. WU pace and with just a few little bursts of speed for just a few seconds only a few times. Still a good plan?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Sounds like a plan!

WU pace and with just a few little bursts of speed for just a few seconds only a few times. Still a good plan?

Most definitely! Given the race distance of 5 miles, if you could do 1-1.5 miles of warming up with the last 0.5 miles with the "strides" then you'll be good to go. That should prime all the necessary physiological needs for the beginning of the race.

 

[roxymama]

Got my event guide just now. Same course as last year. But this picture made me laugh, I dunno why; mostly because I was trying to think about what the people behind the green people were thinking to themselves. Especially the dudes looking behind themselves as if to say "really?"
Are Corral A type peeps just used to pre-race start line shenanigans? I can just imagine some of these dudes all getting into their race day mindset to try to actually win and then some public relations person is like "hey, green painted people, let's do some promo jump-shots"
I don't know why this made me laugh so much.

 

[roxymama]

Did a really great job of sitting on my backside last night. Which was good because I was a bit tired legged (not sore, just tired) from my long run on Sunday. Feeling normal-legged today.
Hubby went to swim practice while I was doing diddly-squat so at least one of us is doing something active at all times.

Question: What do you call that thing where your legs are tired so you just want to sit...but your mobile-legged hubby has sore arms from swimming and lifting. So one of us is walking without lifting anything and the other can lift things but doesn't want to stand up to walk? So we both just sit staring waiting for the other one to get up so we can ask them to get us what we wanted.

 

[SarahDisney]

Question: What do you call that thing where your legs are tired so you just want to sit...but your mobile-legged hubby has sore arms from swimming and lifting. So one of us is walking without lifting anything and the other can lift things but doesn't want to stand up to walk? So we both just sit staring waiting for the other one to get up so we can ask them to get us what we wanted.

I will admit, I'm no expert, but ... I think that's called marriage.

 

[roxymama]

I will admit, I'm no expert, but ... I think that's called marriage.

A-HA mystery solved.

 

[roxymama]

I'm so used to going to the gym on weeknights now because of the darkness and even after the time change, generally if I'm running for close to 50+ minutes it's gonna get dark by the time I've cooked dinner and digested enough to feel comfortable getting out there.

But then last night I had made dinner & eaten it and relaxed a little and it was 7:15ish and I only had 3 miles at EA pace on the schedule. I've never put on running clothes so fast in my life....because...
I COULD RUN OUTSIDE!!! if I got my tail moving.
So I did

It was like 39-ish degrees and got colder every single mile as the sun lowered. But I didn't care. Reminded me how much I like the "chasing the sunset" runs. And then when I got back kiddo was still awake and we all watched Spring Baking Championships (it's a new series...I highly recommend it if you don't mind going to bed with cravings for giant rabbit cakes.)

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Good luck on your race this weekend! I can't wait to hear you did! You are so prepared, and are doing awesome!!

 

[roxymama]

Good luck on your race this weekend! I can't wait to hear you did! You are so prepared, and are doing awesome!!

Thanks! I never feel as prepared as I should be, but that may just be the over-planner in me
Realistically I should just be happy to be doing a fun race; but I know how I get when I've got certain times in my brain.

 

[dancingtodisney]

Boom!
View attachment 227628
Fist pump!

FIST PUMP

Great run!! Well done!

It's RACE WEEK!! Hopefully you're having a good week. I think your goals are reasonable and it's great to be able to reflect back on this time last year too! Looking forward to reading all about it and best of luck for race day...

 

[roxymama]

FIST PUMP

Great run!! Well done!

It's RACE WEEK!! Hopefully you're having a good week. I think your goals are reasonable and it's great to be able to reflect back on this time last year too! Looking forward to reading all about it and best of luck for race day...

Thank you!! Hopefully I'll look as cool calm and collected as Jimmy Fallon up there.

Weather update: It's raining like crazy right now, but the accuweather for Sunday has switched from "perhaps a morning shower" to "mostly cloudy with a touch of rain in the afternoon"
So I guess we'll just have to wait and see what it says tomorrow!

 

[dancingtodisney]

Thank you!! Hopefully I'll look as cool calm and collected as Jimmy Fallon up there.

Weather update: It's raining like crazy right now, but the accuweather for Sunday has switched from "perhaps a morning shower" to "mostly cloudy with a touch of rain in the afternoon"
So I guess we'll just have to wait and see what it says tomorrow!

I'm sure you will be! YOU GOT THIS!

And it'll probably change again come Saturday evening! I don't mind a bit of rain when I'm running (which is lucky because I got lashed on for my first ever half and full marathon) but only if it's not also really windy! The rain keeps me nice and cool...

 

[DopeyBadger]