Weston Memorial Day 5K: A Look Back At My Racing Season


Today, I ran the Weston Memorial Day 5K, to start my road to Berlin with a bang.  It was a bang alright, to my chest!!!!!

Summary
Asthma Attack - Check
Hot Weather - 84F? Check
High Humidity - 72 Dewpoint?  Check
Sunny and Shadeless - Check
Nice Patriotic Outfit - Check

Long Version
After my last 5K, I really didn't want to do another one, but knew that a more recent race would help me determine the paces for my marathon training, which started today.  Oh, how I wish I had stayed in bed.

Weather was yucky, 75F and 72 dewpoint when I got there before the sunrise, but 84F and 72 dewpoint, sunny, and no clouds by the time I finish.  It was bound to happen.  Asthma attack came at Mile 3.  I finished in 27:55 and barely made the 28 minute mark.  I so hate 5Ks!

Instead of doing this as an RR, I wanted to look at my 2011-2012 racing season, which ended today, and look at how far I've not come.  I feel like the last year has been missing.  Not because it was a waste, but because I am repeating 2010 in terms of paces and it looks like 2011 never happened.  I seriously doubt sometimes I was the person that finished a 5K in 24:57 and a 10K in 51:25, but it did happen.  It was just after that time that my running world collapsed.

So, here is my racing season in a nutshell:

Races Completed
  • 5Ks - 7, including today, 4 with asthma attacks
  • 10Ks - 3, 1 with asthma attack
  • HMs - 8, no asthma attacks
  • Marathons - 5, 1 DNS (illness), 2 asthma attacks
PRs
  • Overall - 2 (West Palm Beach Marathon and Disney Half Marathon)
  • Post-Asthma - 4 (Turkey Trot 10K and South FL Fair 5K and the two above)
AG Awards
  • 2 (Pillbox Pharmacies 5K and Doral 5K)
FEs
Halloween Half




NYCM







13.1 Ft. Lauderdale




WPB




RnR Miami Beach




One of Rich's abs, of course...




Disney Goofy






Overall, this racing year I'm going to call it the reset year.  I am not necessarily the same runner I was when I started the racing season with very fast PRs and the possibility of a great marathon PR.  I feel like I'm bruised and on the floor, on the verge of getting up to fight.  My lungs are still at 67% on a good day, 30-50% on most running days.  But I am stronger now, and considering my asthma, running 2300 miles in 2011 (more than half of them during the worst part of the asthma) and 2300+ miles this year is a triumph.  I will be back, I know that.  But it better be quickly!

Next...Berlin.

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