Ever been a (self-imposed) victim of the podium?
Let me elaborate....once you snag a coveted age group award, at a particular race, you may find yourself returning (in subsequent years) with the hopes of grabbing another. It can be both thrilling and stressful.
The thing is, there are no guarantees.
Case in point, my most recent race.
I first ran the Sully Freedom Fun Run 5K in 2014. I'd heard many great things about this event, and was excited to see what it was all about. The course is pretty flat (there are a few rolling inclines, but I would not call them "hills" by any means), and involves two loops around a huge part of the small town of Sully. The grand finish has the racers rounding the town square amidst all the spectators.
The race went well for me, so well that I finished with one of my fastest 5K finish times ever (25:27). Most of my runner friends know that I am not a fan of the 5K distance...so when I learned that I'd placed 2nd in my age group, I was ecstatic!
Fast-forward to 2015. At the time, I had not been routinely bringing home AG hardware (for any distance). I didn't go into the 2015 race with any grandiose expectations, but having placed second the year prior (in the exact same race), I was a little hopeful. This race didn't go as well as it had the previous year, but I finished with a fast-for-me time of 26:22 (almost an entire minute slower) but still felt satisfied. Low and behold, I wound up with another second place AG medal (the gal who'd gotten first place in 2014 had also taken first place in 2015).
In 2016, I finished with a similar time of 26:28. With 27:00 being kind of my benchmark for 5K's, I consider anything under that to be somewhat fast (for me). The same gal got first place (again) and I brought home another second place AG medal. Yeah, by now it was getting kind of comical LOL.
I had to DNS the 2017 race because of my knee surgery. When I got the email with the race results, I noticed the "first place gal" (from the three previous years) wasn't mentioned. Go figure! The one year I don't show, neither does she!
When the 2018 race rolled around, I was both nervous and excited. I had rallied back from the surgery with success, but was anxious to face this race course again. I clocked a 26:57 finish time...just barely under that 27:00 mark. Having run the other previous races faster, I was a bit disheartened. Even though I knew I did the best of my ability on that particular (hot and humid) day, it still was a buzzkill to not have done a little better. Much to my surprise, the "first place gal" was a no-show (again), so my "slowest" course time of 26:57 actually carried me to a first place AG. Huh.
I ran a different 4th of July race in 2019, so it was my turn to no-show that year. In 2020, I returned to the Sully Freedom Fun Run 5K (Yes! The race was able to take place, albeit with numerous Covid protocol measures in place). I ran what I thought was a respectable 26:35 (minus the Garmin, that had gotten left behind #mybad)...and that landed me a 3rd place AG (and the usual "first place gal" wasn't there that year either).
That brings us to the 2021 event, that just took place earlier this week. I didn't see the "first place gal" before or during the race itself, but I did spot her after I'd finished running (and she was wearing a race bib). When I saw our names on the monitor (prior to the awards presentation), I was in disbelief. I'd finished ahead of her, by a mere 11 seconds. I took first (26:06), and she took second (26:17). We looked at each other, smiled, laughed, and shook hands.
So, the purpose of this blog post?
It's not to elaborate on my cunning racing and pacing skills. Honestly, the 5K is still my least favorite distance to race, and I still feel like I'm a work-in-progress. I wanted to share some observations, though...how about five?
*While I love the race day atmosphere, I do not consider myself a competitive "racer." I say that with absolute honesty. I do not get any special thrills in trying to outrun others. The friendly "competition" (I use that term rather loosely) between myself and this other gal was just that - friendly. She's a much faster runner than myself (her previous first-place finishes were well ahead of mine). For me to actually finish faster than her was a pleasant surprise. I seriously doubt I could do it again.
*I've said it many times...How you pace (or race) is on you, but how you place is contingent on who else shows up. I think my finish times prove that. There are some "fast" finishes that weren't fast enough; and there was that one "slower" finish time that placed first.
*You can run the exact same race course, under very similar conditions (the 4th of July is always hot and humid in Iowa), and have very different experiences. Some days the miles just come easier and your finish times will reflect that. Other times, it's a struggle bus endeavor.
*For me, snagging a PR is more fulfilling that claiming an AG award. Don't get me wrong, I do love my hardware. But if I've run a strong race and finished feeling great with my efforts, then all is well. If I happen to get a medal for my efforts, then it's just a bonus.
*Don't discount "small" races as "easy" victories. I have found, at least in my age group, as the ladies get older, they get more competitive. There may be fewer of them (at these smaller races), but the ones who are still at it are taking the sport pretty seriously.
So, there you go. A few parting thoughts and observations on my experiences with this one particular race. As mentioned, this is a relatively small event. As with many small events, the "competition" could either be minimal or intense...again, you never know what the day will bring. The same goes for your energy and/or mojo.
Talk to me...Have you ever repeated a favorite race? If so, how did your finish times compare? Ever have any friendly "competition" with one particular fellow runner?
I'm linking this with Michelle, Renee, Darlene, Jenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.
I do repeat races but not too many. I compete with myself most of the time but as we get older it's hard to accept those slower finish times.
ReplyDeleteAs far as awards, it always depends who shows up. I am happy with a good time. Sometimes I don't win. Other times, I win am award with a crappy time. In the end, it all evens out.
I'm a pretty competitive person as a rule. And the last two 4 milers, I beat runners that normally beat me. That was more gratifying than an award. But they were injured??? lol
ha ha, they were injured LOL ;-) I have to wonder if my "first place gal" was slightly injured since I was able to beat her. Her other first place times were a good minute faster than mine.
DeleteI suffered badly from a comparison trap with myself from a June 10k. The 2nd year that I ran it I had a 7 minute PR - and the next year when that didn't happen I didn't know how to handle it. I've also noticed that when I started racing in my 30s that I was 4th AG a few times. Now in my 40's I'm faster but so is everyone else so I haven't been anywhere near single digit AG's for a while. While I will always savor a good race time, the whole point is to have fun.
ReplyDeleteIt is a buzzkill when a previous race has a "better" finish time. I like to think I'm in better shape now (better training and cross-training, etc.)...but I am older #ahem LOL I do agree that the whole point should be to have fun, especially since most of aren't training for the Olympic trials.
DeleteI do like to repeat races for my own comparison. I will most likely never get an AG win as its pretty competitive around here. Maybe when I am 80! Ha. It's great that this race offers you a chance to compete and place. Congrats again on your speedy finish!
ReplyDeleteMy AG is pretty hit and miss here. Sometimes, I'm surprised that I'm the only one, other times there are numerous gals.
DeleteI used to have race streaks. Often I did improve, but not always. It's been a long time since I've raced though so I suspect there's been a little backpedaling there, but who knows? I am competitive!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to NOT compare previous times. I'm doing an evening 10K tomorrow night that I've done twice before. They've changed the race course, though, so the comparison trap won't be a factor LOL
DeleteThis is all so true- if you're chasing an AG award you might end up very disappointed, because you just never know who is going to show up that day. It also depends on the location, like Deborah said. When I lived in NYC (in my 20s) there was NO WAY I would ever place in my AG- I remember looking at the results from one race and calculating that I would have placed in the 60-64 AG. That's how competitive it was!!! Then I came down to Florida and place frequently- but it still depends on the race and who else shows up!
ReplyDeleteThe AG wins/awards are a nice perk, but they definitely do not give an completely accurate scale of comparison. There have been times when I've had a crappy finish time, but the others have had even worse...I didn't even want to bring the medal home LOL (Yes, I realize that's very much a first world prob)
Deletedefinitely have repeated races and in some case try to beat times (and have succeeded, but sometimes not)... but I have to laugh about AG awards :). maybe when I'm 80. in the meantime I try to win my own "WNL" (Was Not Last) award each time I take on a race. I'm not a fan of 5K races, haven't run many of them but even in my fittest days I didn't get close to 27 minutes. We're all different and different is good :)
ReplyDeleteWe definitely all are different, and I also think that's a good thing. I love your WNL attitude ;-) For myself, 27 minutes is my "average" 5K finish on a good day without much effort. Therefore, I need to have optimal weather conditions and a good start (without starting out too fast) and good pacing to get under that by a good margin. I cannot comprehend the peeps who can run a 5K in 20 minutes....totally won't be happening in my lifetime!
DeleteI do have some fave races that I repeat and it is interesting to see how I perform from year to year. We've got a pretty super competitive bunch around here so snagging an AG is just never going to happen. At this stage of the game I'm just competing with myself (and even some of those times I have to let go of LOL).
ReplyDeleteI do repeat races, but I have never gotten an AG award. I've come painfully close sometimes, but it's more because of who didn't show up rather than my performance. I have been running with the most awesome friend, and she's in the next AG. We've run together and matched paces since we started racing, and she's snagged an AG spot several times, while I finish at the same time but am way further down the list in mine. Boo.
ReplyDelete