On Sunday we ran in the Molly Murphy Memorial 5k, a race to raise awareness for anxiety and depression in young adults. This was our second year participating in this race; however, last year the race was held in July. Somehow this year’s race was hotter even though it was a few weeks earlier in the season.
I didn’t have any real goals for this race other than to just push myself and try to run faster than I did in my 5k a few weeks ago.
We arrived a little after 7am to get our bibs and warm up. Rob and I ran about 2 miles and realized how hot is was already. When you are dripping with sweat from a warm-up run that is never a good sign!
The course starts on a track. This year we ran around the track once, then out on the streets, and finished with another lap around the track. (Last year we ran two laps at the beginning and two at the end.)
There’s not much to say about the actual race, except that I was hurting pretty bad after the first 1/2 mile (which was flat and downhill). I realized I was running a 6:40 pace and knew I had gone out too fast. Either way, we started hitting some hills and then I was really done. It was all I could do to hang onto a 7:20-7:30 pace for the last two miles.
When we turned around at the halfway point, I realized I was the second female and there was a good distance between myself and the third female. So I just focused on keeping that lead.
I finished in 22:15, which was 10 seconds faster than my 5k in May but 35 seconds slower than my time for this race last year. 2nd female and 8th place overall.
They were serving Italian Ices at the finish which tasted amazing. I had gone through two bottles of water but they weren’t very cold, so the ice was perfect.
My sister and her friend also ran (we actually found our about the race because my sister’s coworker helps to organize it).
We hung out until the awards were announced. Rob was first in his age group, and as the second female I won a gift certificate for some acupuncture sessions!
I’m pretty sure we were the only runners not wearing pink…
This was both a physically and mentally challenging race for me, but I really didn’t put any pressure on myself so I am happy enough with how it went. We may run another 5k in July, and I am sure it will be just as hot for that one! These summer races only make us faster in the fall, right?
How much do your race times suffer when you run in the heat?
What was the best post-run treat you ever had at a race?
Have you ever had acupuncture? I did it once and didn’t notice any benefits, but I heard you really have to go a few times.
I’m linking up with April, Patty, and Erica for Tuesdays on the Run!
Congrats on a great (hot) race. I give you a ton of credit because running in the heat and humidity, let alone running a 5k, is a big deal! The heat definitely affects me even though I do adjust to it as the season progresses. I ran one 4 mile race a few years ago, I did okay but I am not looking to do it again lol.
Yea it was pretty rough, and every time I do a 5k I swear that its my last one!
Congrats on second female, that’s so awesome! At least with the short distance the pain was over soon! I don’t think I could’ve held onto that pace with the heat we’ve been having. Great job!
I have no idea how 22 minutes in a 5k race can feel SO long! I always try to tell myself that the faster I run the sooner it will be over.
Congrats to you both on a great race, especially in the hot conditions! I find it so cute that you both wear similar shoes 🙂 That Rita’s must have been so good!! I’ve only run a couple of hot races, but I can imagine that they’d suffer in the heat because I’m bad with it even when I’m not running!
Haha gotta love the Brooks pure line:) I usually don’t like eating ices that much but it was perfect after a hot run!
Whoo! Congrats on 2nd female and 8th overall! That’s awesome!
I keep track of the weather along with my runs so that I can look over my training and see exactly how the heat affects my temps. Right now my easy pace is about 20-25 seconds slower than it was during the winter :(.
*how the heat affects my paces
That’s really smart! I don’t do anything as specific but I can definitely tell that my paces are slower when its really hot and humid.
Congrats on your 2nd place female! That’s awesome!
The heat this year is killer. It’s been late July/early August hot here for a lot of June. I’m really really over the sweatfest that is running right now.
Thanks for linking up!
Agreed! I can’t believe its only mid June. It really hit us out of nowhere…hopefully we will get a break before the real summer heat comes!
Great race! 5ks are finicky bitches, let’s be honest–especially when you start off on a downhill. I remember you running this last year–thank goodness they didn’t wait till later in the season if it was already so hot!
I was thinking the same thing! But the weather is crazy, and you just never know what you’re gonna get. I figure maybe if I do alot of 5ks I will get more comfortable torturing myself with the distance:)
Awesome job!! I definitely find a big different in my race times when I have to race in the heat, especially the humidity. On my average runs, my pace slows roughly 15-30 seconds a mile. Best post race treat was a choco-taco or a firecracker popsicle. Italian ices would be right up there! I’ve never had acupuncture but I’d be willing to try. Hope you have a fabulous day!
I should really figured out just how much my pace slows down in the heat, but I would guess around 20 seconds per mile.
Choco-tacos sounds very interesting!!!
I have never tried accupuncture. I think you do have to go fairly regularly to start to see a benefit. Heat totally affects me – I feel like it makes me so slow!
That is what I have been told about acupuncture, so I figure its worth looking into. Heat really makes running feel SO much harder!
Congrats! I can only imagine being fast enough to place even at a small race. But what I am most impressed by is the great cause you ran for 🙂 And I love the idea of Italian ices at the finish, apparently a race I’m doing in a couple weeks gives Popsicles which I’m excited for since NYC the last weekend in June is a humidity fest.
Oooh popsicles will be good too! Anything really cold is perfect after a hot run:)
Congrats Lisa! You rocked that sucker in the heat and all! Italian ice sounds divine post hot race. RnR Chi gives out popsicles and Jamba juice and those are pretty amazing cuz RnR Chi is always a sizzler. What an interesting prize. I’ve not tried acupuncture.
Thanks! Yea, it will be interesting to give acupuncture another try…we’ll see how it goes!
I don’t know what the benefits would be for acupuncture. I’m not good with needles, at all!, so that’s not the first treatment I’d go for.
I don’t really mind needles, and I’ve done dry needling a bunch of times which I actually really liked.
Lisa, that’s an amazing time! Think about all that time off running you had because of injury! The 35 seconds slower can be attributed to the heat alone. WOW you really bounced back, girl! Good job. I have no doubt you’re going to nail some PRs this year.
Im hoping that I would have run faster if it wasn’t so hot! But I also knew I was just coming back to those faster distance so I wasn’t expecting too much from myself.
Congrats on finishing as second female! The Italian ice after a hot race sounds amazing. I’ve never raced in the heat but I’m sure it would slow me down.
You are lucky that you never had to race in the heat! The ice was perfect to help cool me off after the run.
Congrats on placing! I love how there are so many charity 5K’s during the summer. I wish there were just as many in the fall when it cools down a bit!
Agreed! I just figure 5ks are good for the summer because its really too hot for anything longer!
Wow, you’re speedy! Great job! And how cool getting 2nd female!
My race last weekend served snow cones post-race, and you could pick the flavoring, which was great in the high heat/humidity!
Thank you! And Im sure that snow cones were just as good post-race!
Congrats on your 2nd place finish! Summer is definitely upon us and Italian Ice after a race sounds like a very good idea.
Thanks! And yes, it was perfect:)
That is an amazing time!! I can’t even believe you were recently injured.. you killed it!! And congrats on the 2nd place finish 🙂
Thanks so much!:)
The heat & humidity has hit us hard! Great job on your race & getting second female (congrats to Rob on his AG win too)! Acupuncture is a pretty cool gift to win. I’ve never tried it, but definitely would if I had a gift card. Who knows, maybe you’ll feel a difference this time 🙂
I’m not a big fan of Italian ice, but I know it would be sooo refreshing after a hot June race.
Im thinking if I go a few times I will have a better idea of whether or not I notice a difference. Worth a try considering it would be free!
Super time and congrats on 2nd place! That’s awesome! Italian ice at the end sounds great after a race on hot day!
Thanks so much! And the ices were perfect:)
Awesome job!! That’s pretty impressive considering the heat and humidity!! I’ve never had acupuncture before!
Thanks! The heat and humidity definitely made things interesting:)
Woo hoo! Second place female, that’s awesome! You’ve come so far since the beginning of the year, doing the “little things” are really paying off for you big time right now!
My body is so weird with the heat. I feel like, for my long runs, it takes my body longer to warm-up than usual. Like 6 miles worth of warming up (compared to the usual like 4 ha :), before I feel good! Which you would think would be the opposite since it’s so hot! And then when we get hit with humidity during the monsoon season pretty much every other run slows down too. But they do make us stronger and make us feel pretty awesome after the fact (when we’re in the air conditioning…guzzling water..haha )
Thank you! The weather really plays a big part in our running. I feel like 90% of the year I am either complaining about the heat or the cold!
Great cause for a race!
I’ve never tried acupuncture before but I’m getting ready to try dry needling on my knee. I’m kind of nervous about it!
I had dry needling a bunch of times and it feels weird but doesn’t hurt!
Way to go Lisa! Those times are awesome. You have me really wanting to race 5K’s now
Thanks! 5ks are so hard but I like that they don’t involve a whole lot of planning or recovery.
Congratulations on a strong race!
Thank you!
Congrats on your 2nd place female– that is awesome! Yum, italian ice sounds so good after a hot race. I’m running a 5K next weekend, and part of me hope to beat my last time (in March) but with the expected heat I don’t want to get my hopes too high!
Good luck in your 5k! I have another this weekend too, but I feel like I never run very well in summer races!