10K + 5K = 15K! Race Report

If you do a 10K and 30 minutes later do a 5K, does that still count as a 15K?

I finished the 10K in about 59:36 (a 9:33 average pace on my Garmin), but I think my official time may be closer to 59:45 because I started my watch a little late. 6.24 miles The last .24 was a 7:49 pace---almost exactly like my 400 meter intervals on Thurs! I rarely do intervals and on Thursday did 3 X 400 meters, and the first two were a surprising 7:49 pace, but the last one was more like an 8:15. I'm glad that 7:49 pace practice came in handy for the last 1/4 mile! I guess it's true that intervals "wake up" your fast twitch muscles. Mine have been kind of hibernating. :-) I enjoyed a Gu Roctane Pineapple during the race---1/2 right before and then 1/2 at mile 3. That is a yummy flavor, by the way. I got it at Dick's Sporting Goods for FREE with a $10 coupon they'd sent me for having a rewards card.

Then I had a little 30 minute break and 1/2 an orange. Got out there for the 5K and ran fairly easy, walked 3 or 4 times. I ran the first 1.5 solid, but that 10K was catching up to me. I started letting myself take 30 second breaks about every 5 minutes in that last 1.5. It was just a cool down anyway---no pressure. I was hoping to finish under 33 minutes, and I did! I finished in 31:57, a 10:15 pace. Beautiful course, beautiful day!

*It's interesting that my 5K pace two weeks ago was 9:30 and felt really hard, but today my average was 9:33 in the 10K and it felt ok. The main difference was all the hills in that other race. Today was mostly flat. Maybe 2 or 3 hills in the 10K and 1 in the 5K. It may also help that I have been trying to do some slightly faster tempo-type running.

Today's ADVENTURE in running was a good one! It was not my fastest 5K or 10K, but it was a great day! There is nothing like feeling good and happy throughout a run!