Last weekend, I ran the Carlsbad 5000, a fun local race. Last year I got to spectate the race with my girls during the Team Run the World retreat, but didn’t get to race it because of childcare. After experiencing it as a spectator, I knew I wanted to run it as a family affair this year!
It was a really wonderful day overall, but the race was not what I expected.
And I should have known that going in. I haven’t raced an in-person 5k in 3.5 years. And it was only the second 5k I have ever truly raced.
5k Training
After I ran Revel Big Bear last fall, life got very busy. There was the holidays, mom life, I opened my roster for 2023, met a bunch of amazing new athletes, launched the Best Run Year Ever, and kept on mommin’ and teaching.
I took off training totally between Christmas and New Year’s. And then I told my coach that I didn’t want to run more than 20-miles a week because I wasn’t ready to commit to it. It just didn’t sound fun.
I still did 1 speed work session a week and a tempo or threshold run every week or two, running 4 times most weeks. I also kept up with my 3 times a week strength training work. I finished the strength program Sure Thing, which I loved and saw incredible strength gains from.
The week before the race, I went to Maya Riviera for a rewards trip I earned through my BODi partnership and business mentorship opportunity. It was amazing and Christian and I never would have made that trip if it weren’t for earning it. I had the best time and don’t regret anything. That being said, it probably wasn’t the best timing for a great race. There were lots of drinks, sun, and not a ton of nutrient dense foods. But it was great.
5k Day
The day of the race did not go as planned. Yes, it was a local race, which meant I slept in my own bed and got a great night of sleep. I controlled all food choices, which is another win of a local race.
The race is about 20 minutes give or take from my house. About halfway there, about an hour before my race was scheduled to start) my husband realized he left his bib on the counter. So we had to go back to our house to grab it. I was very annoyed. In hindsight, I should have let it go because that surge of adrenaline did no good for my race, but hindsight is 20/20.
We got there in plenty of time, but I was still nervous. I cut my warm-up short as I tried to find the bathrooms. I managed to get to the corrals on time and realized my mindset was not in the right place so I put on some youtube motivation videos.
The Race
At the start of the race, I saw the split in the corral and started to experience some imposter syndrome with the paces. I told myself to let the runners carry me. Wrong move.
I went out too fast. Like almost 90 seconds per mile too fast. The race started downhill and it got me. About 0.25 miles in I realized I could not let the the other racers carry me. I had to run my own race.
This is where the lack of experience in 5k races definitely got me. I was used to running half marathons and always running my own race because 13.1 miles is long. I figured I could hang on for 3.1. But 3.1 still uses the aerobic systems. It still is endurance technically speaking.
The entire rest of the race was hanging on for life. I tried to surge in the last 200, only to gag about 50m from the finish. I ran it in very slow at the end, which was disappointing.
To sum up my Carlsbad 5000 experience
The good is a PR. by almost 2 minutes.
But I’m disappointed. I didn't race how I wanted, I made a lot of mistakes, and felt blah overall.
I always tell my athletes, and I’m reminding myself of it now, that the beautiful, magical, and heartbreaking thing about running, is that there is only so much you can control. And the way it plays out on race day is not 100% in your control.
My effort was there. I am more sore than I expected to be. I gave it everything I had in the tank yesterday, it just didn’t play out how I wanted. And that happens on race day.
The rest of the day was amazing. I hung out with the girls while we cheered on Christian who ran his own 5k PR. Then the girls got to run in a ½ mile kids fun run and they loved that. Running with C was definitely a highlight for me!
Now, I’m looking ahead to the Mountain 2 Beach half marathon in May! Want to follow along with the details of that training before I share a recap here? Follow me on instagram (you can click the link or find me @misadventuresofamarathoner).
Struggling with motivation after a race not going your way? Check out this post:
