What I Ate Race Day (plus race recap)

 

I thought it would be fun to combine Monday’s 4 mile race recap with What I Ate Wednesday!

I ran the Bellmore Independence Day 4 mile race on Monday. It was my second time running this race with my first time being back in 2012.

The race was scheduled to start at 8:30 am which is a super late run time for me, especially in the summer.

I had coffee and water early in the morning along with half of a banana mashed into a small amount of oatmeal.

On the way to the race, I had another banana plus water mixed with Nuun.

I ran two warm up miles prior to the race start. I ran one mile at home before leaving for the race to get a feel for the weather and then another mile once I arrived at the race.

The temperature was right around 80 degrees with bright sunshine and no shade. The line for the porta potties was insane so I didn’t complain when the race start was delayed 20 minutes.

My dad came to watch me run so he was able to hang out with me prior to the start.

Fun fact: My dad used to run this very same race every year.  I grew up in Bellmore so this is an extremely local race!

I really liked what I wore for this race.

• lululemon Run Swiftly Short Sleeve
• lululemon Sun Visor
• lululemon Pace Setter Skirt
• Pro Compression Marathon socks
• Adidas Energy Boosts
• Sunblock!

I definitely had on the ugliest pair of running shoes at the start line though. One day maybe Adidas will decide to only make nice color combos for their Energy Boosts. It’s rare that I am able to get a good color when I get a new pair of Boosts.

Anyway, the race.

My plan going into this race was to try to hold consistent with my half marathon pace, not a 5k race pace. I wanted to run comfortably fast but I also realized it would be extremely hot which can definitely slow me down. I was not trying to hold back to only go faster later on and I didn’t want to sprint or speed up at any point.

I just wanted to feel well enough to push a bit, consistently if I could, without overdoing it.

The first mile was tight yet I clocked in at 7:15. Although I actually felt great and was super surprised at how fast I was moving according to the race clock, I told myself to slow the heck down because that is way too fast of a pace for me in the hot weather.

I was definitely feeling the heat. Although it was a flat race course, there was not an ounce of shade and the sun was beating down.

I am not a warm weather race runner nor am I a short distance race lover, that’s for sure.

Mile two felt the longest. I think short distance races can play with your head. Mile two in a half marathon tends to go pretty fast for me since it’s more like the warm up part of a race.

There were water stops at every mile mark and I grabbed a cup at each one. I didn’t swallow much of the water but I did pour it on me to try to cool down. Did I mention it was hot out there?

The approach to the finish line felt like forever. I saw my dad right in front which was great because he was able to take my picture.

I figured I would most likely PR in this race as I am a much stronger runner than I was back in 2012 when I first started taking running seriously.

My official finish time (not adjusted): 31:37. About two minutes faster than 2012.

Average pace: 7:54.

I came in 7th for my age and 134th overall (there were 600 runners).

As soon as I stopped running, I continued to walk while grabbing two bottles of water, drinking one and dumping the other bottle on my body < – that’s how you know it was really hot, I don’t normally do things like this.

I recalled loving this race for the watermelon at the finish line. I thought about the watermelon throughout the four miles and couldn’t wait to have several pieces!

I came home to eat my post-run favorite meal: cooked oatmeal served cold mixed with cherries, berries, Skoop B-Strong, almond milk and muesli. Pretty sure I added peanut butter too.

My legs felt great after the race, as if I didn’t just run a race at all, but the heat does have an effect on me. I felt cold for quite some time (especially after my shower) and I was completely unable to drink coffee for the rest of the day. I get dizzy easily and coffee can make me dizzy after running in the heat, even after rehydrating.

I was also all screwed up meal timing wise since the race was so late. We were headed to the Mets game for a 4:00 pm start so before leaving, I ended up making another oatmeal/muesli bowl which I guess became my lunch.

I recently bought a new muesli from Trader Joe’s and I am obsessed.

I packed up a meal to bring with me to the Mets game.

Usually I get pizza or sushi at Citifield but I didn’t feel like either option. I have been on a veggie burger kick so that’s exactly what I brought. I was seriously craving a Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger on an Ezekiel roll with tomato and avocado.

Only problem was that the Ezekiel rolls that I pulled from the fridge were moldy! Ugh, totally my fault, I should have known to freeze them.

Instead, I put the veggie burger in a container with tomato, avocado and brown rice. At the Mets game, I added sauerkraut and the sautéed onions from the toppings bar.

My son and I shared candy at the game. I love that Citifield has the candy bins!

It was a beautiful evening for a baseball game. I caught myself cheering for the Mets though when they made a good play. Remember, I am a Yankees fan. I need to stop going to so many Mets games this season!

Be sure to check out what everyone else is eating today. 🙂

[bctt tweet=”Independence Day race recap plus WIAW! #running #race #wiaw #mets #citifield #muesli #fitfluential” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

How do you feel about short distance races/races in the summer?

Favorite snack to get at a sporting event?

Do you like muesli?