Race #197
5k #60
2022 Race #5
2022 5k #2
Turtle Trot 5k #3

As soon as I finished the RWBS 5k the week before, I eagerly anticipated a faster time at this race purely based on the fact that it would be flat. I conveniently ignored the fact that we would be running on the beach in the south after the sun had come up completely in the middle of the summer.

Mom and I rode the five miles to the start, a nice perk to all the trails on the island. After locking our bikes in one of the racks we picked up our bibs and waited the 10 remaining minutes before the start. (We chose to grab our t-shirts after the race.)

After some pre-race instructions which included a shout out to the Turtle Patrol which drove by (the proceeds from this race series go to support this organization which helps the sea turtles who nest on the island), we lined up to start.

This course had only two turns. We ran a quarter of the race in one direction, turned, ran past the start/finish line, ran another quarter of the race before making one last turn to the finish.

As soon as the race started, I took off way too fast. I knew it but I still did not slow down as I should have. I felt the best during that first quarter. The wind and the sun were at our backs which meant that as soon as we turned, the sun went straight to my eyes. That also meant that without the wind, sweat started pouring into my eyes. So much fun.

Mile 1 – 7:37

I could feel my body craving a slow down, not because the pace felt too fast to handle or my legs felt too tired. As we passed the finish line, I knew that the third quarter of this race would not feel pleasant. I looked forward to the final turn when we would hopefully get the wind back and have the sun in a more advantageous position.

Mile 2 – 8:01

After that mile split popped up, we still had a ways to go. I knew I would manage perfect positive splits, especially as my body kept screaming at me to slow down. Shortly before we turned around I started to feel nauseous, that full out effort kind and thus chose to pull back on my pace so that I could finish.

Unfortunately, at the turn, the only benefit I got was that the sweat stopped pouring into my eyes. I don’t know where the wind went. Oh, we also got to stop at the finish line this time.

Mile 3 – 8:34
.18 – 8:34
Overall – 25:08

I did manage to run faster that the week before but not quite as fast as I had hoped. It did really spark my desire to train hard and run fast.