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5K Race for Redemption

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Hi, I'm Tina!

I’m the owner of Carrots ‘N’ Cake as well as a Certified Nutrition Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P). I use macros and functional nutrition to help women find balance within their diets while achieving their body composition goals.

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So, do you want to know the good news or the bad news first? Ok, I’ll decide for you. Let’s go with the bad news first since the good news is really good.

Bad news: I didn’t break 24 minutes. Wah.

Good news: I PR-ed and placed 3rd for women and 8th overall! Ok, there were only 71 participants (both runners and walkers), but, hey, it’s still makes me happy!

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The First Annual 5K Race for Redemption started at Braintree High School, where I hear there are some pretty amazing teachers, especially in the History department. It was a small race, so picking up my bib and t-shirt took no time at all. No line, no wait.

I had about 30 minutes to kill before the race started, so I used the bathroom inside the school and then stretched my legs and lower back, which were suddenly tight and sore from yesterday’s Squat Cleans. It’s like they knew I was about to run a race!

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The race route started out on Granite Street toward Five Corners and then took a bunch of right turns to make a loop back to the high school. Off of Granite Street, it turned right onto Franklin and then right on Washington Street, another right onto Pond Street, and then finally a right back onto Granite Street to finish the loop. It was mostly flat with a few hills on Pond Street, but nothing too crazy. I’ve definitely experienced worse!

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I always wear regular running sneakers for races, but, today, I wore my New Balance Minimus 20s, which seem to help me run faster or at least not as “goofy,” according to Mal. The minimalist style prevents me from heel-striking like a madwoman, so my running is more efficient. The Minimus 20s are also quite a bit lighter than regular sneakers.

FYI: It’s taken me nearly 7 months (aka since I started CrossFit) to be able to run long-ish (3-5 miles) distances in these sneakers. Minimalist shoes are usually an adjustment for runners (even experienced runners), so it’s important to transition cautiously and work your way up to longer and longer distances.

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Anyway, back to the race recap!

About 5 minutes before race time, the race director reviewed the course, warned us about the hills on Pond Street, and recommended that we drink a lot of water because we’d be “blazing” by the end. I love his use of the word “blazing.” Haha!

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Having everyone line up for the start of the race took a matter of seconds, which was so different from the races I’ve run in the past. I mean, I’ve stood in a corral for 30 minutes waiting to start a race on more than one occasion. It was also kind of nice being so close to the start line when the gun went off.

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At 9:00 on the dot, we went off running. My plan was to push myself in the beginning and try to keep up my pace for as long as possible. I figured if I could make it to mile 2 with two sub-8:00 miles, I’d be able to push through to the end. Well, my plan sort of worked. My first mile was 7:34, my second mile was 8:09, and my third was 8:06. (My Timex GPS watch was 11 seconds off from the race clock, so my splits aren’t accurate.) As you can see, I just couldn’t keep up my pace for the second and third miles. The heat was absolutely brutal, so it definitely affected my running. I’m a little bummed that I didn’t break 24 minutes, but I honestly gave it everything I had and no one who ever gave their best ever regretted it. I finished in 24:22, which was an average pace of 7:51. Next time, 5K!

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And you know what? I PR-ed!!! Did I say that I already? Ok, I did, but it’s still awesome.

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Lunch

It was only 10:30 by the time I got home and showered, so I made myself an early lunch, which was a salad topped with sliced deli ham, homemade croutons, balsamic vinegar, and truffle oil.

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I also drank a celebratory iced coffee with coconut-almond milk.

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Thankfully, despite having ulcers on his eyes, Murphy hasn’t lost his appetite one bit.

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After lunch, I headed to the mall to do a little shopping. I stumbled upon an adorable sign with a fun quote from Julia Child: “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.” Just wanted to share. I wish it came in a different color because I totally would have bought it for our newly painted kitchen.

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Snack

After my shopping adventures, I came home and snacked on some pickles wrapped in deli ham. Random, but delicious.

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I also grabbed a plum to snack on.

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Last week, I received an email from ZOOMA with a bunch of questions about race t-shirts. Basically, they want to know what kind of t-shirts female runners most prefer, so they can offer the best ones to their race participants.

Here’s the t-shirt that I got from today’s race:

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It’s not the greatest shirt I have ever received, but it’s only the first year of the race, so I’m sure there wasn’t a huge budget for t-shirts.

My favorite shirts from races are either tech/sweat-wicking shirts (short or long-sleeve) or cotton long-sleeve shirts (like the one I got from the Cohasset Race by the Sea 10K), which I tend to wear a lot in the colder months. They’re so comfy and go well with my laid-back, jeans and t-shirts wardrobe. I also really like colorful shirts. White shirts are fine and all, but I tend to wear the ones with color more often. Plus, white shirts get grubby so quickly.

Question of the Day

What kinds of shirts do you prefer from races? Have you ever purchased a shirt from a race (outside of the one that comes with your registration)? If so, what kind of shirt was it? What does your favorite race shirt look like?

P.S. I’m on the search for another 5K to run, so I can break 24 minutes. Local runner friends, if you have recommendations, please let me know!

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