FFFK

I had a great VD VR 5K (Valentines Day Virtual Reality). I mentioned earlier that I was going to do the FFFK (Freakishly Flexible 5K, so it only virtually counts as a 5K, but I could feel the presence of all my RBF's out there.

A little back story is necessary. For the last 3 weeks, I have not been running at distance or speed. Something in my right hip didn't heal right after my second marathon and I had been nursing the small muscles to help them heal. I had tried to do some running, but the hip seemed to act up during each attempt. I had bowed out of a couple of smaller races because of the continued problems.

Today, my right hip was feeling at about 90% and I had two goals in mind. First, establish where I am at for both racing and my Army PT test; and second, try not to aggravate my injury.
I planned out two race strategies. Number 1 was to run the 1st mile at 7:00; the 2nd mile at 6:50 and the 3rd at 6:40. The 2^nd strategy was to let the body naturally dictate the pace and go with the flow.

I arrived at Fort Benning's Stewart Field. Around the field is a 1 mile track surfaced with fine gravel. The rain had left some puddles on the inside lane near all the turns, but otherwise the track was in good condition. There were around 10 people on the track when I began my stretches. I had recently gotten this set of dynamic stretches from the RW.com "Half-Mary in 1:40" thread that I've been lurking on.

After completing my last stretch, I walked up and toed the starting line, took a deep breath, felt all the virtual racers around me leaning forward for the start … and then I was off.

Mile 1: While I was checking my watch and looking at my 1/4 mile splits, I was telling myself to keep the pace down. The body kept the momentum going for a while and I only backed off slightly. I found myself nailing down 1 mile at 6:29. I wondered that if I was 100%, if I could drop my 1 mile time. I knew to pull back some.

Mile 2: The messages from the brain to the body started to kick in and I slowed up a bit. I still was going at a fair clip and the pain was very slight. The second mile was done in 6:45 for a 13:15 - 2 mile time. (That would be a good 2 mile run in my age group for the Army next week.)

Mile 3: I kept my pace for the next half, then I settled down a bit for a quarter mile 2.5 to 2.75, thinking of form and good leg strength. Then I started a kick for the finish. I went by the 3 mile line in 6:39 for 19:54.

Then a finishing burst for a 20:28 5K! A virtual PR.

Deep down I'll wonder if I should have canned my scheduled real 5K this morning, but it all worked out for the better this way. Now I know where I stand, and what I need to do to get myself back up to 100%. I still did a race with a slightly competitive spirit, and I feel good that I can improve on my short distances, as I start to get back to my marathon maintenance training. Hopefully, I can continue from this point and build up throughout the coming months. Thanks to all my Running Blogging Friends for the virtual support!

Happy Running!