Saturday 04/21/18 was the Go Make a Difference 5k in Port Orange, FL. This was also the final race of the 2017-2018 Daytona Running Series. I'm in the middle of my Hanson's Training Plan, but I still wanted to take this race as a test of my current fitness level and hopefully see improvements. I'd never seen the course before, but I could tell by the location near the river that it would be a pretty run. 

Mile 1  6:34
I purposely made sure to start off slower this time as part of a strategy. I needed to make sure I had enough energy left at the last mile to not ruin my race. After we finished the first mile, I still felt pretty decent and was also able to pull out ahead of everyone else. 

Mile 2  6:45
The entire second mile also felt pretty strong; all those endurance workouts are paying off for sure. It was an out and back course on Riverside Drive so I knew after the turn it was halfway over with the hard part ahead of me. I have a sort of mental block with out and backs because sometimes I just see how long I have to go, and it can psyche me out. I have to work on this mentally and I'm really trying to. 

Mile 3   6:53
Of course I felt tired here, but I just tried to pick up my pace when I slacked and glanced at my watch when I could to see my current pace. I still had the overall lead and told myself I had to push hard or I'd lose it. Overall it was not the worst last mile I've had (far from it actually). I would call this a success if you asked me. 

Mile .10  5:53
The watch was pretty accurate which was expected on a course with not many turns and always welcomed. I pushed hard at the end and was happy with my time because I did improve and felt better from my last race. Winning 1st overall was also pretty neat and unexpected. 

After/Reflections
This race was so fun and the food spread after was exceptional with mimosas, muffins, bagels, fruit, and plenty of waters. This was one of the nicest local races because I could really feel the sense of community. After the 5k awards, the Daytona Running Series awards were presented. My season may be almost over. Sure, I was not as successful as I wanted to be, but I did learn so much about racing and myself and, right now I feel I have a great training plan and things are starting to look up. One more trail race next week then the summer will be spent training and getting faster. 

Results
Time: 20:51
Pace: 6:43
Overall: 1st out of 117

Background
Thursday 4/4/2018 was the Southeast Volusia Chamber 5k in New Smyrna Beach, FL. As I previously stated, I just love night races so of course I signed up for this one. I know I'm in the middle of my training, but there was no way I was going to miss this race. I definitely didn't have any time goals and didn't want to push myself too hard to potentially ruin my training or anything. 

Mile 1  6:23
If you follow my races, you probably know I always start out with a fast first mile no matter how hard I try to even out the splits. Well, this time I felt pretty fast so I started this mile at a slower pace than what I thought was "all out." It may not look like it, but I did hold back here. 

Mile 2  6:43
I checked my watch during this race more than I usually to do see my current paces. It was pretty easy to tell how fast I was going and when I needed to speed up to maintain my pace. I knew after this second mile I could have a good final time. 

Mile 3  7:11
My final mile is always the toughest for me. This time it was even tougher. We turned onto Riverside Drive and right into the wind. My fatigue from the end of the week and working all day also hit me here. I was a little disappointed (okay a lot disappointed) with the way this mile felt especially after all those endurance building exercises, but there were so many factors I just can't think about it too much and just have to look forward. 

Mile .10  5:44
I really tried to work in my final .10 sprints at the end. I saw the clock and knew it was going to be closer to under 21 minutes, so I can it all I had and just made it! 

Reflections:
Sure, it was not the race I wanted however, I do see improvements and I was able to break 21 minutes (which I haven't since January). The training is working and I look forward to testing it out again. This race definitely lived up to my expectations! 

Results
Time: 20:59
Pace : 6:46
Overall: 11th out of 306
1st in Age Group Female 30-34

↓  The Swag ↓