Goals for the RNR Philly 5K and Half Marathon

Time continues to fly and it’s already time to run two races this coming weekend – the Rock ‘N Roll Philly 5K and Half Marathon on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

After a long, hard summer of marathon training, fall racing season is finally kicking off!  I have to say that I’m nervous to be running my first race since the 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Half Marathon in early June.  That was a hot and humid race (though not as bad as in 2015) with lots of hills to keep you honest.  The RNR Half is fortunately very flat, and the weather will be much cooler, so it’ll be interesting to see how it goes!

I’m linking up with Jill Conyers for Health Fitness and Happiness, Annmarie, Nicole, Jen, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday, and Susie, Debbie, Lora, and Rachel for the Running Coaches Corner!  Check out their sites to find new workouts to try and lots of great running tips!

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

[bctt tweet=”Sharing my goals for the @runrocknroll Philly 5K and half marathon this weekend! #runchat ” username=”Janelle_RWNR”]

Goals for the Rock ‘N Roll Philly 5K and Half Marathon:

For the second time, I will be running both the 5K and the half marathon for RNR Philly as part of the Remix Challenge.  The first time I did this was back in 2014, which was my triumphant return to running after a regrettable stress fracture injury (Check out my recaps of the 5K and half marathon from 2 years ago!).  Two years later, I am finally training for my first marathon and these races will only serve as part of my training, rather than an end goal.

But regardless of these races not being goal races, I do have goals for my performance!

Logistics:

Interestingly, this weekend will mark my first races since moving to my new home.  Previously, I lived in the Art Museum area of Philly, which had me either walking distance to a majority of races or able to easily bike, take public transportation or drive.  Now that I will have to actually commute to this highly congested area that is normally impossible to park, I have to get my game plan together.

Both the 5K and half marathon start at 7:30 in the morning, so I’ll need to get up extremely early so that I can drive and find a parking spot.  I do have a couple of tricks up my sleeve on places to park for free, so hopefully that won’t be an issue.  My goal is to not get stressed the morning of either race!

Racing Strategy:

As you know all too well, training in the summer heat and humidity are not the greatest for building confidence in your running ability since your pace is so much slower than normal.  I have done hill repeats and speed work up to this point, but I have no idea how it will translate on race day.  However, I do have a strategy for both races, thanks to Coach Kristy!

5K:

Just like in 2014, I will not be racing the RNR Philly 5K but taking it easy.  My last 5K in April gave me a PR of 26:01, which I’m still amazed about!  I really don’t think I’d be able to sustain running an 8-8:30 pace right now, despite the natural adrenaline rush, so I’m going to focus on enjoying the view on MLK Drive and getting my medal at the finish line!

The key for this race will be to show restraint!  No burning out before the half marathon!

Half Marathon:

The half marathon will be a great opportunity to see how I’ve progressed these past 7 weeks or so of training!  Here are my recommendations from Coach Kristy:

• Start the race around a 10:00 to 10:15, depending on how I’m feeling
• After 5 miles drop the pace by 15 seconds
• For the last 5K, drop the pace again to whatever I can hang on to
• My half marathon PR is just under 2:11, so if I’m having a good day, she says I should go for it!

She also reassured me that if I can’t accelerate after the first 5 miles that it’s okay since I didn’t taper this past week.  Again, this isn’t a goal race, so there is no pressure!  If I can run this race around 2:15, I’ll be extremely happy.  I’m still pretty nervous, but I think that once I run the 5K on Saturday, that will help me to get back into “racing mode” and be able to mentally prepare myself for the race.  The Annapolis Classic Half Marathon still haunts me when I started out way too fast…never again!  I just have to play it smart and listen to my body.

Fueling and Hydration:

5K:

It looks like the weather for the 5K is going to be pretty nice!  The temperature and dew point is going to be in the upper 50’s – it doesn’t get any better than that!  I shouldn’t have to worry about hydration, but I will most likely bring my Nathan QuickShot to carry during the race for a quick sip when I need it!

Half Marathon:

While I was initially worried about a chance of thunderstorms, it looks like we’ll be in the clear on Sunday, though the dew point will be around 70 degrees, which is pretty uncomfortable.  Been there, done that, right?  For this race, I’ll be well equipped with my Honey Stinger Energy Chews to take every 3 miles, and carrying my beloved Orange Mud Hydraquiver on my back.  I finally feel comfortable enough to use it during a race, so this will be great practice as I get closer to the marathon!

Love for RNR Philly, A Sentimental Race

The Rock ‘N Roll Philly Marathon will always have a special place in my heart.  It is the first half marathon that I ever completed 5 years ago, and it continues to be my best half marathon ever at 2:10:53.  It would be a dream to be able to PR this race 5 years later, but if it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen.  I can’t dwell on it!

This is a race that is fun, has great music along the course, and is extremely well organized.  I’m really looking forward to this weekend.  I’m also doing the VIP package for the first time so I look forward to having access to less scary Port a Potties!  Oh yeah, and mimosas after the race…

I am looking forward to feeling the RNR love in my city.  I’m a Rock ‘N Blogger, and just like in DC, I look forward to seeing and meeting my fellow bloggers like Kathryn, Michelle, Kimberly, Lauren, Schnelle, and Jennifer.   I am sure that there will be plenty of love on Instagram over the weekend, so at a minimum, follow me @runwithnoregrets if you don’t already!

Have you ever run multiple races in the same weekend?  How do you strategize for non-goal races?