Thoughts during a 5K

Race morning: Ate toast for breakfast and we dropped off Brooke at my really good friend’s house to babysit because Billy was going to help me out the second half of the race.  We got to the park about 30 minutes before the race, took a mile warm-up (at a 9 minute mile pace) and then hung out for a while until 9.  I still get extremely nervous about races… need to work on that but doing a little warm-up before the race definitely helped my nerves.  

I did really like my race bib number.

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My thoughts throughout the race.  

Mile 1: 6:15. Pace yourself, pace yourself.  You don’t want to fly and die.  I can’t believe that this whole mile is pretty much in the shade.  Hi, big hill… you hurt.  Can’t Hold Us is my absolute favorite running song.  

Mile 2: 6:13.  This still feels somewhat okay.  I love running.  There’s Billy… wahooo I get my running buddy.  Let’s run side by side.  I wonder how Brooke is doing.  I miss her a lot (I have issues).  Um it is starting to get sunny.  A little too sunny.

Mile 3: 6:24.  Billy, run in front of me so that I can attempt trying to keep up with you because now I am grumpy and feel like I am going to actually die here and now.    I hate running.  

.1:  I have no idea what pace, I am not that good at math but my coach told me to run so fast that I wanted to puke for the last .1 so I did.  It hurt.  Never running a 5k ever again in my life. 

Mile cool-down

10 minutes post race=  Already thinking of my next goal for the 5k and drafting my email to my coach about the next one I want to do that is probably way too soon.  

Came home stretched and took an ice bath.

I am super stoked about working with a coach because I am already seeing ginormous benefits from having him.   After taking 5 weeks off for my IT band injury he really made sure that I slowly eased back into running and didn’t reinjure myself doing so.  I highly recommend getting a coach if you are thinking about it.  

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(I wear my Garmin 10 to train but I always wear the 305 ((which I have had for 5.5 years now and it still works perfectly)) to race in so I can see my average pace, current pace and distance on one screen when I am running).

After the race yesterday I watched the Prefontaine Classic and they were running the 5000 meters and they just beat my time by a little bit…. they just ran it in 13 minutes and 4 seconds is all.

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Anyone run RNR San Diego this morning?  The first place half-marathoner came in at 58:41.  An average pace of 4:29 per mile.  

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And a little hello from Brooke because she really likes you guys.  

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Tell me some of your thoughts during your last race or hard workout?

How do you warm-up before a race?

Pre-race favorite meal?

What have you been up to today?

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91 comments

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Congrats!!! Also, not to brag, but if you look in the comments from about five months ago I told you that Can’t Hold Us was the best running song ever created. So I’ll take partial credit for your victory. :)

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I need to thank you from the bottom of my heart!

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Awesome work on the race. I’ve ran a few shorter distance races that I feel like I’m going to vomit at the end but I need to push myself when I run MCM and Richmond this fall to that level. I want to know I was ALL in when I cross.

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Are you running Richmond Marathon? Think I’m going to sign up! Sounds like good opp for East coast blogger meet-up!

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Yes I am!

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When I race I am seriously hoping I can just finish.
Today is relaxing. Blogging and waiting for dinner….yummy mexican food.

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Wow now I feel really slow! Congrats on your speedy 5k though. Run til you feel like you’ll puke. Love it.

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GREAT race!! I have very similar emotions during 5K’s. Loving it the first mile, then progressively worse until by the third mile I’ve decided I hate running and I’m never running again. Shortly after I finish I head out on a cool-down and plot my next 5k (which is about a week later). My hubby will run in the last mile w/ me too and sometimes I love that and sometimes it makes me want to punch him. LOL

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That’s an awesome time Janae! Congratulations! I love my coach too, totally worth it!

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I finished my first tri today and during the last part of it I was singing songs from my childhood trying to get through it. I was so exhausted when I got home but I MADE myself stretch, foam roll, and sit it a tub of ice water (thanks to you) I almost threw up getting into it but it felt amazing after a while. I usually walk or slow run to warm up. My favorite pre-meal is a whole wheat english muffin with pb, honey, and banana. Congrats on your race. I loved your recap. I love running to I hate running. lol!!

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You pulled out SUCH an incredible time. Having billy there must have gotten you through the finish. I should find someone to do that for me. Maybe I’d have a better kick. I’ve never heard of someone run that fast before, 4:29 mile for 13 miles. How is that even possible?

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I just did my first race post-baby ( although baby came almost 9 months ago). It was a four mile race and I pushed the BOB the entire way. Felt great, although I didn’t run quite as fast as you! I at a banana with peanut butter beforehand, which is what I normally do. Congrats on your awesome run this morning!

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I’ve never ran a 5K before, but you did so awesome!!! Today we are going to the best store ever aka Target! :) I’m pretty excited.

xo

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A banana and water is all I can stomach pre run. I haven’t really races in a longg time but def want to! I miss that push feeling. Now you have me looking for a shorter race…,

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My favorite pre-race meal is a PB/banana sandwich on a sandwich thin. So good!

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WOW, you are my IDOL! I could not even imagine running that fast.. I was super excited with my 7:49 time today.
My thoughts are usually… Oh my goodness I have to pee.. This is usually only at mile 2. Even though I just peed. Its just nerves! Then it passes a few mins later. :)
I usually do not warm up. Except I do stretch!
Pre-race meal consists of high carbs the day before and usually a bagel or banana morning of.
Today consisted of a morning run with Robert, then we went to a Mexican restaurant and Sam’s Club. Now back home. I am so full.
Tomorrow we are picking Strawberries… Yeah!

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Way to go on your time, great job! I am grumbling today about my stupidity yesterday. I decided to walk the 2 miles to our swim club in flip flops. I now have a cut in between 2 toes, and 3 other cuts. So no running/racewalking for awhile.

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I don’t know how I ran 5ks every week in high school! I did my first one since September this morning, after doing 2 halfs and a full this winter and it was so hard! I am definitely not a sprinter. And, because I’m boring, my prerace breakfast is a Larabar.

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Best pre-race breakfast – toast with strawberry preserves. Yum. I’ve noticed that whenever I run a 5k race, I ALWAYS feel like I am going to vomit in the last .1 or so. Even when the course isn’t accurate. I think it may be totally mental due to the excitement to get the race finished.

Today? Auditing, auditing, and more auditing. So ready to be done with school related things forever.

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Now you need to download Blurred Lines by Robin Thick -you will LOVE it.

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Great race time! Congrats!!! Today has been such a lazy day for me and I love it!

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You did it!!!
I love that you are taking the time to get back into your running even though I am sure there are days where you just want to run wherever, whenever, and not care about your previous injuries!!
I’ve only run two races but when I was training for my half and doing my long distances like mile 10, 11, and 12, I would always start strong and in the middle start to lack motivation but in the very end pick up again because the finish was clear! :)

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I stretch before a race..
Pre-race meal.. 1 slice whole wheat toast w/ PB..
Played soccer (parents vs kids) with my son’s REV soccer team.. had a great time!!!
Ran 7 miles to the gym and home
Family Sunday night dinner.. BBQ ribs and my homemade cornbread with honey butter..mmmmm..

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My last super hard workout was last week and it wasn’t running. It was in my weights class and we were doing burpee-mountain climber burnouts and I just kept thinking about how much I hated the trainer and that I just wanted to vomit all over the floor. Afterwards I was happy and offered to buy him a beer to show my gratitude because that’s all I wanted ;) I really just like peanut butter… but plain bagels and water work for me as well.

I have the beginnings of a pretty nasty sinus and chest infection, so I started today off with a slow-hill workout and then just laid on the beach forever. I’m still feeling pretty terrible though :(

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thoughts during race:::
“I hope there is a hill. I can do hills. They distract me. it is the flats that I suck at. Oh my gosh this whole race is flat. Man I have to go to the bathroom….”

ha that is pretty much it!!

That finish time of 58:41 is INSANE. Oh my goodness can’t even wrap my head around that number….

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Last race was just me telling myself not to throw up! I had a stressful start (my ride didn’t show) and no warm up to speak of. For some reason this led to bad stomach issues the whole race.
I’m still learning how to warm up, but I have found that I need longer warm ups than I think. For a 5k I need at least 2 miles, probably more.

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Awesome job! I just signed on w a running coach and we start tomorrow. I’m so excited! Also I always warm up before anything under a half marathon, but don’t warm up before a half or full. I feel like I need to save all my energy for longer runs

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Brooke always looks like she’s posing for every picture. So cute! How do you get her attention?

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You are a speed demon! Way to go!

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That really is an incredible pace. I can’t even imagine running that for one mile, let alone 3.1. You are a baller!!

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Congrats on the 5k! I think most people think that they’ll die the last mile of the 5k… I watched the Prefontaine meet too- I was hoping that Ritz would hold on a little longer! I usually just warm up with 15-20 minutes of running plus a couple strides before a speed workout or race.

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It is so pretty, and early. Oh look, a mini hill. Ouch. I want to stop now. Another hill? I really want to stop. I’m probably going really slowly. Ow ow ow I want to quit. No! I’m past my driveway and have another .46 to go! Oh yay; I’m done.

I’ve never done a race, so I don’t know my warmup/meal

I’ve been practicing soccer and trying to convince myself to go for a run.

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I just ran my first half marathon (over Memorial Day- the Bayshore in Traverse City, Michigan) beautiful run, all along the lake front.

Anyway, my thoughts:

Mile 1-6….I rock, I love every minute of this, this is so awesome. I’m doing this every year, and running more halfs.

Mile 7…when my IT band flared up (after having not had one single problem for a year) (out of the blue—-IT BAND ISSUES) this isn’t good.

Mile 8-13.1 MISERY every single step……seriously, it hurt so bad. I cried, I wanted to quit, I wanted to stop and I hated every person on earth……but I had worked so hard to build up to a half, months and months of work, and I refused to quit…so I ran (sort of limped) the whole last 6.1…..couldn’t enjoy it one bit, couldn’t enjoy the lake, or the fun people on the course….I just focused on getting it done.

I finished. And I’m proud of myself for not quitting. It HURT SO BAD. :)

But now, a week later, I’m ready for MORE.
Kelly in Michigan

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Girl you are FAST!!!!

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Hah, I think I wrote a very similar post after running a 5K! Nice job.

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I ran a 5K this Saturday and it was a nice sunny and humid 90 degrees. My thoughts during the race went kind of like this: “OK, strong and steady…it’s soooo hot…don’t push too hard…water – douse self….don’t want to puke or pass out…hot, hot, hot…yay shade…stay strong…douse self with water…more shade…more sun…OMG I’m about to PR!…YAY A WATER TRUCK!”

My pace was not nearly as fast as yours, though! You are super speedy. Congratulations on taking first place! Maybe I should get a coach…

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Thoughts during my the last .6 miles of Saturday’s 10k (which was straight up hill):
I want to die, puke, walk, or do all three at once.

Good thing I didn’t! Congrats on coming in second!

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Great Job Running!! You definitely need to run more 5k’s the more you run them the more you will love them!

The last race I ran was in April, it was a 5k, I just had my eye on the boy in front of me and I was not going to let him get out of my site!

Before races and workouts I do the same warm up, good old fashion 15 minutes with some stretching. I dont like to do to much, I like to safe some for the race :)

Pre race meal has varied though the years, but it all comes down to the good Italian stable, GF pasta!

And to wrap this up, today, I ran with a friend, Which I NEEDED desperately. I have been running to many runs alone. So it was a nice change of pace!

I enjoy your blog by the way!

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I can see why having a coach would be a good idea – he can see the whole picture better than you can when you’re in the middle of it. Sounds like you had a great race!

This morning the boyfriend and I went out for brunch, and then this afternoon I watched the US v Canada women’s soccer game.

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Congrats! I’m usually spelling out words in my head while I run… I don’t know why. It’s like every step I take I say a letter? Or I sing. I do both ;)

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“Can’t Hold Us” IS such a great running/race song! I think I put it on repeat for the last 2 miles of my half marathon, haha…my favorite part is when he raps a line about “Shark Week” haha ;-)

Great job on the race…serrrrriously, you are a rock star.

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Today I did a 5k too! It was the second annual women’s Goddess Run here in Victoria, BC…lots of fun and some great costumes :) My amazing friend and colleague and I created a run club for girls at the middle school we teach at and we did the 5k race with 16 of our grade 6s – all around an awesome day! Now I’m ready to train for my first ever 10k…

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I got to run an 8k today with a group of elite runners from Kenya, most of them Olympic medalists. I was pretty slow (51:45) but it was a really fun race.

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Hahaha I love it! Oh my gosh how is that even humanly possible. 4:29 for 13 miles?! Toast is my fav prerace meal. I just ran my first 10k this morning!

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Ahhh congrats! I honestly could never run 6 or 7 (or probably even 8) minute miles. I’m so jealous. The people who finish first at a lot of races are INSANE. It took the first guy who finished the recent race I was in 7 more minutes to run the full marathon than it took me to run the half…

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I ran a 1 mile race tonite. My only goal was to break 6. I just snuck under @ 5:59. Went out way too fast and paid for it in third quarter. The whole race I was just thinking, keep going, don’t let the HS runner catch you. And major self esteem boost when my 31-yr old legs caught & passed a HS boy.

I wasn’t even going to run but my 3 y/o inspired me. Have to brag b/c she SMASHED TN state record by more than a min & ran a 10:12 mile! She’s my hero!

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Didn’t fall off my bike doing a Du today…it’s all good;)

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Haha, during my last hard workout I was so focused on keeping a 7-minute mile pace on that last mile that I ran right by my sister’s fiance and totally didn’t notice until about ten seconds later. Thoughts went something like, “Ugh, just run, run, keep going, look people, keep running…wait! That was my future brother-in-law! Crap, should I turn around and try to wave or something? Nah, he’ll understand, keep running….”

Congrats on a great race, you are one fast mama!

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Nice job!! I do not understand how people can run half marathons at a faster average pace than I could probably ever run 1 mile!!

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I ran the RnR sd full marathon this morning! I finished in terrible time but I heard there was some drama with the elites.

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Way to go!! Is this your best 5K? I have a feeling you will be in the 18’s very soon… :-) Your splits were super consistent! Great job girl!

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congrats on the 5k!!

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My favorite pre-race meal is the classic standby of PBJ + banana. Today was disappointing – I went into my 2nd marathon thinking I was over a case of runner’s knee, only to drop out at mile 8 after discovering I SO was not over it. Frustrating, but I’m already looking forward to my next race day (whenever that may be!).

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You rock. My pre-race meal is a plain bagel with a banana. Used to do nutbutter too but I don’t think my stomach likes fats before races since they are slower to digest.

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I ran a morning 5K today and definitely need to rethink a lot. My thoughts during the 5K are definitely a lot different than yours. I had a horrible race, my time was disappointing and I thought about it all day long, but I’m looking forward to my next race in July which I’m bumping up to a 10K instead of 5.

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Your post yesterday inspired me to bust out a fast 5k this morning. I’m not up to your speed, but I did PR because I knew that I wasn’t going to die by running outside of my comfort zone.

Thank you for that :)

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Ahhhhhhh way to go girl! That is awesome!

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Awesome 5k. I have to say that I also used to think about how much I hated running in the last mile of my 5ks!

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Seriously, so inspiring! way to go Janae, that’s such an awesome accomplishment. I can’t wait to continue to see my own progress as I keep running.

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I was at the last water stop today and saw that guy come by, it was CRAZY. It was a good 6 minutes before the 2nd place person came through!

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I ran the RnR San Diego this morning!! I met my race goal and PRed with a half marathon time of 2 hours (right on the nose!) It was painful but worth it.. I told my husband I wanted to run a 2 hour half before I got pregnant again.. I guess it’s game on now! :) (we have a 14 month old)

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Congratulations!!!!! You are so darn fast and that race number is AWESOME. I want to hang out!

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I hope I can one day break 20 minutes in a 5K! I have a long ways to go considering how it’s hard for me to even run one mile at 6:50!
Need to have more speedwork and 5K’s in my life though. I only stick to the long and slow runs. Glad you are liking your coach!

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Pre-race meal: One small bowl of cereal, minus that last 2 bites. No matter how little cereal I put in the bowl, I always lose my appetite for it with just about 2 spoonfuls left. But only before a race, otherwise I finish off the whole bowlful without a problem.

I warm up for anything 10K or less, but usually skip it for a half-marathon. The first mile is my warm-up!

Congrats on a solid race – and I agree: A coach is a terrific tool, no matter *what* your level, or goals! :) [Even coaches like to have a coach!]

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Just bought my first pair of non-$10 running sunglasses (white Oakley Unstoppables) and they look just like the ones in your picture. I will accept this as confirmation that I made a good choice and will be as speedy as you in my 5k this coming weekend.

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My last race (half marathon) was on Saturday morning and I far exceeded my expectations! I have had a difficult time getting my pace back after having my daughter and I keep getting mild injuries that make me sit out for a few weeks at a time. However, I some how gave myself a pep talk during this race and ended up only 30 seconds away from a PR :).

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ice baths . . . i think i’ll try that next time. lol!

http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com

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I freakin’ loooove Macklemore & Ryan Lewis so much. Can’t Hold Us gets me pumped for whatever I’m doing!

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Mackelmore went to my high school! 206 represent.

I just did a hill workout and it KICKED MY TRASH

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5ks always make me want to die. They are the only races where I listen to music because if I try to keep pace with songs during other runs, I run way too fast.

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mile 24-26 of my second marathon last weekend…. “please don’t puke, please don’t puke, please don’t puke.”
BTW… i didn’t puke and took 17 minutes off of my first marathon time:)

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Huge congrats on an amazing pr!!!

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Way to push it in the race – that last mile is always so hard!

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You are seriously amazing…such an inspiration. I have been trying as hard as I can on speed work and my fastest 5K time is 22:48 min (on the treadmill) and 23:45 minutes (outside).

I am so impressed by your hard work and determination and I truly hope that I can get to that point some day. Amazing results girl!

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Way to go!! I need to work on my speed, but I’m going to think about that after my slow 26.2 coming in 3 weeks.

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Awesome race!! I usually do toast and water before a race.

The past couple of years I’ve lived close enough to downtown Victoria that I usually jog down to the start line of whatever race as my warmup. I really live doing this because there are always so many other people doing the same thing!

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way to rock a 5k so close after an injury! i am curious how much a coach would cost. i think it would be so beneficial to have one. when my plantar fasciitis heals of course.

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I ran the San Diego Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon yesterday. Ended up with a 12 minute PR!!! I still can’t believe it.

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Ahhhh that is so awesome!!! Huge congrats!!!!

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yesterday during my 1/2 marathon…”just keep going…just keeping moving your legs”

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Congrats on the great race! It sounds like having a coach has really been working out for you. How did you find yours?

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Thank you! I actually got super lucky and he contacted me!

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great time!!!! i’ve never been able to break a 26 minute 5k. my friend, liza hunter-galvan, just did one with me and she did it in like 17 minutes and some seconds. ya….she’s one of those “i win every race, including marathons, that i run”

i, too, get really nervous for some reason. when i start the race….i hate running but then when it’s all done…..i feel so good that i’m a runner. lol.

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Nice job!! I ran RnR SD this weekend! It was my first half and it was awesome!!! I’m already trying to decide what race I’ll do next. :) But seriously, 58:41 blows my mind!

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I ran my first 5k yesterday and did terribly. I was recommended to your blog by a friend who did the Alberta Women’s half yesterday and I’m learning a lot already. I knew I would have to push myself but once I got to running I know I didn’t…have a 10k this weekend and another 5k 2 weeks after that so hopefully I can take this new information and inspiration from you and make myself better.
Ps. Your time is AMAZING.

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How did you find your running coach? I’m wanting to get one but don’t know how to go about it!

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WOW! Awesome time! You are my inspiration. I’ve been trying to get in under 20minutes for some time now. I always know I ran a good race if I puke at the end. Just a little bit though. The only time that really backfired on me was during a 10k when I had to stop and throw up about 25 yards from the finish line. It cost me about 45 seconds. :-)

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Awesome post!
If you’d like some help putting together a list of coaches for runners I’d love to help. Thankfully there are so many more options now for finding and working with them due to technology.

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I would! Thanks!

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OMG! That was a great time. I am still trying to break out of my run-walk for all of my races. I am so enjoying your blog site. It is helping me with motivation and tips.
~Kris

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Wow those are some awesome times! I run for my highschool’s varsity cross country team as our 3rd runner (5 count). We usually run 4ks and the guys do 5ks. I really love your blog and it’s so inspiring! My usual time is about 16:30-17:00 and I finish in 7th or 8th place. I really want to improve even more though, any tips?

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