Short Distance Summer, the finale: Fortuna Rodeo 5K

Still humming along on the steady stream of caffeine he's poured into himself on an overnight shift, Matt is busy coordinating volunteers when I arrive at the race with the remaining supplies. In February, this previous director of this race resigned. The club had yet to find a replacement until Matt volunteered to take it over this summer only. He agreed that my summer of short races should peak at this, the flattest of our club 5Ks and the only one that is USATF certified. I know he was doing the club a big favor by taking over this year, but the biggest favor of all was done just for me. :)

I make a quick survey of the course, setting out the mile marker cones and counting the stoplights until the turnaround. This race course is "L" shaped and comes with one really long straightaway. I'm sure to note where the slight incline and declines are. I run through the course in my head as I drive along. I take a long warmup by myself to gather my thoughts. I lace up my racing flats, shake out my legs one more time, and then take my place in the pack.

Y. Kim, SRRC photo.

Matt makes a quick morning announcement, including something we've been talking about all week: "the turn around is farther than you think it should be". The police chief begins the race and everyone takes off in a sprint. I count the girls up ahead. About half a mile in, I catch the lead female, a small girl who can't be more than ten or eleven years old. The thought of possibly winning this race passes through my mind but I'm so fixated on running a faster time today that it doesn't last long. I cruise up to the first mile cone to realize I've tied my one mile PR.

Mile 1: 6:29

Up ahead, I can spot Yoshi. Just as at the last race, I try to close the gap. You got him last time, you can do it again, Karen, I coach myself. I focus my gaze down the street. I can only see two stoplights off in the distance. The turn around is near the third one. It's too far away to see. Sometimes I wonder if a course with more than one turn each mile would be easier to handle.

I catch up and pass Yoshi just before the only hill on the course. The roadway loses elevation just before the turnaround cone. It isn't until now that I realize my super speedy training buddy Dave is the next person ahead of me.

A complete u-turn around the cone followed by an uphill throws off any and all momentum I had going. I throw myself up the hill, probably in the ugliest form I've ever had, while friends going downhill get to watch. I always try to fake my strength on 180 turns like this, but today there's nothing. If anyone wanted to boost their confidence and think they can catch me, my effort here today would be a good opportunity. Ugh.

By the time I try to recover from the uphill and am facing into the headwind, the pain-o-meter is still stuck firmly in the red zone. I know I'm slowing but try to remain positive.

Mile 2: 6:53

With a speedy first mile and a second mile just barely under PR 5K pace, I tell myself there's still room to PR. I try to coax out any remaining energy I have left. I know it's too early to kick, but the entire third mile feels like a sprint kick. My lungs are on fire, my heart wants to explode, my quads are begging for mercy.

I try to stick with Dave. He's only ten seconds ahead right now. You're hanging with him. Stay there.  After an eternity, we make the final turn and I know the are only two more blocks to go until I get a slight downhill for the final two.

This final portion is into the wind. My lungs have gone from a hard effort to wondering if I'm about to have an asthma attack. I feel my lips curling into a snarl to try and make more room for air to pass in. It's the strangest sensation and I can feel I'm on the verge of collapse. For a moment, I wonder if I should stop so I don't actually fall to the ground, but just as quickly as it appeared, I push it aside. Traffic control on this course is all police officers. I'll pass two more en route. If I collapse, they'll save me.

Mile 3: 6:52

I hit the slight downhill I've been waiting for but it feels like a mountain. Friends who have finished ahead of me are cheering. All summer long, they have been asking what my next race is, meaning what am I training specifically to run. They all knew this was my goal today.

At the trail 5K two weeks before, I thought I had finished with no kick left. I was wrong. If I had no kick then, I was actually dying at the end of this one. I see Dave begin to pull away and it feels like I've slowed to a crawl as I pass by Yoon. I have no time to look down at my watch to see how fast I'm going. MUST STOP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!

Mile 3 to finish: 0:37 (5:37/mi pace) <---uumm ....not="" a="" after="" all="" br="" fade="" quite="">

Y. Kim, SRRC photo.

20:53
6:43/mi.
Female champion
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I plan to discuss this more in my next post, but I couldn't have asked for a better end to my season. Not only did I come away with another PR by shaving almost forty seconds from my road best, but I had my first victory in almost two years. Yay! So. much. yay!

Special thank you to my husband Matt for making this race possible. He's always my biggest cheerleader and I definitely could not have gotten to where I am now without him. :)