Race Report: Franklin 5000

“Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.” - Martha Graham

For the third time in three weeks, I raced on Saturday. This race came at the end of a week that while restful on the training front, was full of life stressors. The good news is that all of this racing has really helped with my typical pre-race jitters and, by the time Friday afternoon rolled around, I was in good spirits, eager to have my little sister Holly visit, and ready to run.

Despite the early start time (especially given the recommendation that we pick up our packets by 6:00 AM!), the Franklin 5000 was a beautiful 5K through quintessential Chapel Hill, NC supported by wonderfully enthusiastic volunteers.

Holly and I warmed-up together and then each ran our own races. For me, the race was about continuing to practice going out hard and attempting to find my pace. I ran strong throughout and stayed mentally focused. I again taped over the readout on my watch and heartrate monitor, but after seeing the reading at the end of the race, I realized that I was not running at my lactate threshold and physically could have pushed harder. Perhaps next time, I'll try running with my heartrate visible for an extra level of accountability. Practice, practice, practice....

After crossing the finish line in 25:35, happily greeted by sound of race crew cow bells and my coach cheering, I joined in on the finish line fun and cheered in Holly and our other fellow Sage Endurance teammates out running that morning.

The cure for a tough week? A beautiful morning with family and friends (giant post-race brunch included!) A solid 5K time. Winning my age group.

Final Results
3.1 miles
25:35
Age Group: 1/10 (Yay!)
Overall: 70/206