Hola from grad school!
This summer I'm up in the beautiful green mountains of Vermont starting my first of 4 summers working towards my master's degree. It's insanely beautiful here and I'm constantly inspired to go running. Those of you who follow me on Instagram saw a photo recently where I mentioned a great run and a rockin' playlist. As I'm listening to more and more music in Spanish, I've found certain songs whose rhythm and beats really pump me up. (On a side note, I'm also learning to dance salsa, and some of these songs are great for that too.) I wanted to share my playlist here for those of you looking for new music. I recommend these songs for when you need a boost, either on a long run or during a workout. I think you'll find it's hard not to pick up the pace with them!
¡Que disfruten!
Monday, July 28, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Race Recap: Hollis Fast 5k
Finally, a fast 5k! (Try saying that five times fast)
After scouring the web for a good race with which to end my spring racing circuit, I settled on running the Hollis Fast 5k, up in NH. Our speedy friend Kat had run it the year before, and after runner-stalking her and being impressed with her time, I signed up myself.
Unlike my last race, this 5k was very well put together. It was point-to-point, which was super cool and I got to see the whole course as I drove to the parking lot. The course was very downhill (hence the Fast 5k name) and was clearly marked. I got there early enough to have plenty of time to use the bathroom, drink lots of water and get bussed to the starting line. I warmed up thoroughly and even did some Dynamic Mobility exercises to kill the time. There were lots of people there; some of whom were there just for an evening jog (did I mention this race was 6:30 pm on a Thursday?) and some of whom were ready to rock it. I spied a number of team singlets: Western Mass Distance Project, Greater Boston Track Club, etc. I even spied some other women wearing Oiselle duds. I myself was enjoying being seen by everyone in this Oiselle Big O Burnout Tank in fresh green, with my neon yellow Strappy Bra poking through. Some of these women looked fast, so as the race started out I picked a couple and tried to stay with them.
I'll say it before and I'll say it again, I do not like going out too fast in a race. Some of the women that I had my eyes on took off and I was tempted to go with them. But I knew that if I ran a smart race, I'd be able to reel many of them back in. So I settled for a comfortably hard effort and ran my own race. I hit the first mile in 7:07, and that was exciting because I did not feel like I was running that fast yet. The second mile was slightly slower, 7:09, but still pretty good. After Mile 2, I felt like I was starting to slow down, and some of those women were pulling away from me. After two pretty quick miles, I was expecting to feel tired and run-down, but I did a quick body-scan and realized that I felt fine. Why not push it a little more? I set my targets on a woman in purple and a very sweaty man. As we closed in on the final stretch of the race, we had to zigzag through some of the slower people in front of us, and I lost the purple woman. However, my Garmin beeped at me for the last mile: 7:05. I crossed the line and immediately checked my time (22:10) and Age Group position. I hadn't thought I even had a chance to "Age Group" but it turns out I was 4th. I think I said a couple of choice words out loud at missing 3rd, and headed back to the banquet hall and parking lot to cool down.
After scouring the web for a good race with which to end my spring racing circuit, I settled on running the Hollis Fast 5k, up in NH. Our speedy friend Kat had run it the year before, and after runner-stalking her and being impressed with her time, I signed up myself.
Unlike my last race, this 5k was very well put together. It was point-to-point, which was super cool and I got to see the whole course as I drove to the parking lot. The course was very downhill (hence the Fast 5k name) and was clearly marked. I got there early enough to have plenty of time to use the bathroom, drink lots of water and get bussed to the starting line. I warmed up thoroughly and even did some Dynamic Mobility exercises to kill the time. There were lots of people there; some of whom were there just for an evening jog (did I mention this race was 6:30 pm on a Thursday?) and some of whom were ready to rock it. I spied a number of team singlets: Western Mass Distance Project, Greater Boston Track Club, etc. I even spied some other women wearing Oiselle duds. I myself was enjoying being seen by everyone in this Oiselle Big O Burnout Tank in fresh green, with my neon yellow Strappy Bra poking through. Some of these women looked fast, so as the race started out I picked a couple and tried to stay with them.
I'll say it before and I'll say it again, I do not like going out too fast in a race. Some of the women that I had my eyes on took off and I was tempted to go with them. But I knew that if I ran a smart race, I'd be able to reel many of them back in. So I settled for a comfortably hard effort and ran my own race. I hit the first mile in 7:07, and that was exciting because I did not feel like I was running that fast yet. The second mile was slightly slower, 7:09, but still pretty good. After Mile 2, I felt like I was starting to slow down, and some of those women were pulling away from me. After two pretty quick miles, I was expecting to feel tired and run-down, but I did a quick body-scan and realized that I felt fine. Why not push it a little more? I set my targets on a woman in purple and a very sweaty man. As we closed in on the final stretch of the race, we had to zigzag through some of the slower people in front of us, and I lost the purple woman. However, my Garmin beeped at me for the last mile: 7:05. I crossed the line and immediately checked my time (22:10) and Age Group position. I hadn't thought I even had a chance to "Age Group" but it turns out I was 4th. I think I said a couple of choice words out loud at missing 3rd, and headed back to the banquet hall and parking lot to cool down.
The Hollis Fast 5K definitely lives up to its name, and my splits
showed how beneficial a downhill can be. I like to think my time was due to
weekly track sessions and some solid milage, but in reality the negative slope
did most of the work for me. I'm still really happy with my time and my effort.
I ran a smart race, and I will never complain about negative splitting. I
initially was bummed that I missed getting an AG medal and was worried that the
purple woman, who beat me by 5 seconds, got it instead. Turns out, however,
that she was 40+ years old, and that 3rd in my AG ran almost a minute faster
than I did, so there's no shame in my 4th place after all.
The biggest disappointment is that there is no photographic evidence!
It was a weird sensation driving to the race all by myself and not knowing
anyone there. I didn't have a change to snap any selfies, and the official race
photographer apparently decided to take a break for about 2 minutes, during
which time I crossed the finish line. Suffice it to say, it was a good race but
I'll have to go back next year to get my proof.
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