Donor Dash 5k 2011

INJURY!!

I'm pretty upset about this. This was shaping up to be a really great race, probably another PR, and after the halfway point I fell apart. But let me start at the beginning.

Toeing the line at the start, I was ready to have a very fast race. I'd had a solid 14-mile run the day before, and had gotten plenty of rest. One of the things I've been doing this season is going out for a hard run (or as hard as I can handle) the day after my long runs, to get accustomed to running fast after a long distance. My hope is that this will help me keep an edge in the last 5k of my Disneyland Half Marathon in September. Running a Sunday race is the perfect chance to push myself. And, the Donor Dash is a personal favorite. It's the one race a year that my whole family runs too. In fact this year it was extra special since my kid sister Maggie and her husband Marty brought their new baby, my nephew Dax!

So when the gun went off, I shot out at about a 6:45 pace (I think. I don't wear my Garmin for 5ks any more). I held that for the first quarter mile or so, then eased off slightly to about 7:00. As I approached the 1-mile mark, I was pleased to see the lead vehicle not too far ahead of me--not that I was right behind it, of course, but the fact that I still had it in my sights was a good omen. I told myself I wouldn't let it get so far ahead of me that I couldn't see it.

Once I passed the 1-mile mark, though, I felt an odd twinge in my left hamstring. But it was just a momentary flash, and didn't continue to hurt, so I kept running. I backed off my pace slightly, but only very slightly. Unfortunately, as I continued to run, the twinge came back. It wasn't painful, just kind of annoying, like a dull ache. I thought I could run through it, and tried to; but as I kept going it continued to get worse. Finally, at about mile 1.7, I slowed to a walk. Walking at least eased the pain, and at the 2-mile mark I felt ready to give running another try--but definitely slower this time.

I started running again, holding about a 9-minute pace this time. Almost immediately the dull throb came back, but I convinced myself that I could hold out this pace for the last mile. At least, as I ran at a slower speed, it didn't get any worse. I told my hamstring that if it would just hold out till the end of the race, I'd give it a nice icy rubdown and take a few days off to let it rest up. It seemed willing... But just when I was thinking that I was home free, with a quarter mile to go and the finish line in my sights, something...rippled. That's really the only way to describe it. I felt a wave of pain flash up my leg, starting just behind my knee. I stopped running. Grinding my teeth in frustration, I limped towards the finish line.

When I was less than a hundred meters from the finish, I heard the announcer over the PA shouting "Here come the firemen!" I looked behind me and saw four firemen, in full gear, running next to each other. Naturally they were gaining on me. I was determined not to finish behind those guys, so I quote-unquote "ran" as fast as I could. Given the pain in my left leg, and my limp, I'm sure I looked ridiculous. But I finished before the firemen (barely).

Official Time: 26:18
YTD Race Miles: 87.1
YTD Total Miles: 767.6
Roost Winners: With the exception of yours truly (and I still finished under 27 minutes), everyone from the Roost Team posted very good results. Big props to Heather, who took home the Win!