I like reading and writing race recaps. I find it helpful to read other runners' race experiences and I like looking back and analyzing my own race. We all have good races and we all have bad races and the more we share and read the more we can learn from each other's triumphs and disappointments. At least that is the way I see it. The Race: Todd's Trot is a local 5K in Durham, NH. It is a memorial race for a young man from Durham, NH, Todd Heuchling, who secumed to heat stroke while trying out for the West Point marathon team. I've run this race quite a few times and each time, when his family goes to the microphone before the start to talk about their son and thank the runners, I cry. It is a great race to be a part of and supports a great cause. This year was the tenth annual running of the 5K.

Race Morning: I was so nervous and excited last week as the race approached. But Saturday morning I felt at ease. Race nerves take a backseat to mommy duties. We had to fill Jack's tissue expanders Saturday morning and even though it has become routine for my husband and I, it still is a little stressful. Nothing like a little medical procedure to take your mind of a race. But once that was done we got to the race with 45 minutes to spare. I was loving the 10am start! I had planned to nurse Jack before the start of the race, but he fell asleep and I opted not to wake him up. But of course, he woke up a little fussy about 10 minutes before the start and by then people were making their way from the warm gymnasium to the start line and I had to go. Jack usually eats around 10am so I figured he could wait 20+ minutes until I got back. More importantly I could wait. So I hustled on out to the start line before he worked up a good cry. My little sister was also running the race. Little did I know she was gunning for me! Had I known maybe I would have run a little faster:) She finished with a time of 23:10. Way to go Alissa!

The Course: I knew when I signed up for this race it was a tough course, it has a small hill (50ft climb) every half mile. Nothing crazy or steep, but enough to keep you from establishing a nice rhythm and keep you constantly recovering from hard efforts. I know that if I had wanted to run a PR I should have signed up for a flat course. But I've made a commitment this spring to run races that are within a 25-30 minute drive away from home so that my races can be family events. Closer races make it easier to keep breastfeeding a priority.

Conditions: Saturday morning was COLD. It was 34 degrees at the start of the race and WINDY. I wanted to badly to wear shorts and a tank but I ended up with capris, a long sleeve t-shirt, gloves and a hat. The wind made 34 feel like 20 degrees. So much for spring. We mostly ran through wooded neighborhoods, the only place where I felt the affects of the wind was on the last hill right after the 2 mile mark. It slowed me way down. But you can't change the weather on race day, which is why I am a huge proponent of running outside no matter what the conditions.

Strategy: Going into the race I did not have a specific finish time, although I hoped to get something in 21:5x range. On race morning I knew that with the wind and the cold would probably affect my time but I wasn't sure how much. I wanted to run the first mile at 7:10, with the intention of dropping the pace in mile two to around 7 min/mile and then dropping it again to the 2.5 mile mark and then flying in the last .6 of a mile.

Here is how it actually went...

Mile 1 (7:06) For the first tenth of a mile I was out fast at 6:50 pace. But reigned it back in. And whenever I glanced down at my watch the pace was in the 7-teens to 7-twenties. I was surprised to see that the split was 7:06. There was a little hill climb at the .75 mile mark but I kept my pace pretty well.

Mile 2 (7:13) The second mile wound through a neighborhood with some more rolling hills and a few flat sections where I found myself running 6:40's and 50's. I tried to keep it controlled on the flats so I'd have more for the hills. But I found myself slowing considerably on the hills. There is a little hill before you exit the neighborhood at the 1.75 mile mark and on that hill I was running 7:40's and up. Once out of the neighborhood I recovered a bit just in time for the last and biggest hill. Just before the hill some guy yelled out that I was the 9th female. Cool. I thought. Now lets keep it that way.

Mile 3 (7:15) This mile starts with a pretty steep hill. I tried to power up it and it was at this point that a couple guys passed me. I had been mostly running alone, which is hard. There were no other girls in my sights up ahead. I focused on holding my pace as much as possible and didn't look at my watch until there was about .3 left in the race. You come down a pretty steep hill, curve around up a slight hill and finish in a parking lot. My pace picked up to about a 6:30-40 min/mile.

.1 (5:43) Just as I turned into the parking lot a girl passed me. I tried to catch her but I couldn't. Bummer.

Finish Time: 21:25, 2nd in age group 30-39, 10th female, 53rd out of 426

What I learned: Overall I feel really pleased with the time. It wasn't the sub 22 minute that I was hoping for but for my first race 6 months postpartum I think it's a great starting point. When I went back and looked at my past 5K times this is actually my 4th fastest time. Though it's not a PR it's still a good time for me. I feel like I learned a few things from the run. My pacing still needs some work: I want my races to be negative splits. I also need to run hill repeats. I had trouble keeping a steady pace on the hills. Check out this graph below, my pace was all over the place. Hill repeats will help me do that.

I also ate to early. I ate my breakfast at 7am and took a few sport beans 15 minutes before the race. At mile 1.5 I felt empty (this empty feeling was also probably due to the fact that I had some GI issues diarrhea on Friday night and Saturday morning--thankfully not during the race). Two hours is ideal for me. I need to stick with that no matter the race start time.

Going Forward: Now I can take my new 5K time and plug it into the McMillan pace calculator to get new training paces. I've got some work to do if I want to run a 1:40 half marathon (on a hilly course) in May. Now I have a better idea of how to work towards that goal.

A little Jack update...We got great news from the surgeon on Friday. Jack's "expanded" skin is looking great and we have a *tentative* surgery date for May 8th. Wahoo! We are in the home stretch. Thank you to all of you who have expressed your support and care on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I appreciate it so very much! If you are unfamiliar with my son, Jack's story you can read about it HERE.

Do you like reading race recaps? Do you think they are helpful? What have you learned from your most recent race?

--Sarah

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First Postpartum 5K: Todd's Trot Race Recap

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