Hannah's Wellesley Fire Dept Road Race

A couple days ago my dad convinced me that I should participate in a local 5k that’s a benefit for our local Wellesley Fire Dept. The course starts and ends at Babson College, about a 3min run from my house, so I figured, especially after Rob’s harping on it being Period 2 on the training log (i.e. time to start intensity training), that I didn’t have much excuse not to. As I haven’t done any intensity for the past 5 weeks, I wasn’t counting on much, only hoping that maybe I could beat my dad.

The start - Hannah in blue

The course was simple: downhill for about a mile, flat for about a mile, back up hill for about a mile. My strategy was to work the up hills and down hills because I knew the flats would be my weakest section. I started off with the lead pack flying downhill. Thanks to Rob’s coaching, I knew that the most important thing to do was keep my body relaxed and bobble down the hill without using my feet as brakes (basically run pell-mell downhill). This got me to the first mile marker in 3rd place behind two guys who were both wearing Boston Marathon t-shirts. But I was starting to feel out of shape…I doubted I could keep up the pace.

On the flats I was passed and started up hill in seventh place. By this time I was recollecting what a privilege it is to race when it’s 30º or less outside and your body actually wants to warm up. My head was pounding and I started to wonder if racing after not training for 5 weeks in 90º heat is really such a good idea. But then I realized that wasn’t going to get me anywhere in the race so I remembered all those hill run time trials and focused back on pushing to the end. I was passed by a few more guys – I think they had more motivation not to get girled than I had to experience any more pain – and finished in a solid 10th place overall, two minutes ahead of the second woman. Not bad, I guess. Good news: after training for Nordic skiing all year you can’t actually get that out of shape in April.

The firemen had a nice BBQ spread after the race. Aside from feeling like I was going to wilt, it was a nice way to get back to the racing and intensity training mindset. I would gladly welcome anyone who would like to join me next year. (I think the prizes are better if you enter a team too).

(Hannah finished the 5km in 20:50.)