“Don’t give up. Don’t slow down.” Shubie Classic 5km Recap.

Saturday April 3, 2019 was the Shubie Classic 5km in Dartmouth, NS.  Way back at the beginning of my New Jersey Half Marathon build, I signed up for this race as a dress rehearsal for NJ. After a long period of training over the winter paired with no racing, I know that I’m not at my most mentally fierce. The simple goals for this one were to sharpen that mental fierce and work on “don’t give up” before showtime on the Jersey Shore.

I wasn’t sure if I would capture a race recap. I am head coach for a high school track and field team. On Fridays, I take the distance team for an easy run to polish off their training week after two workouts. It’s the only time I run with them. Small aside because I can: I currently have 81 athletes signed up for this high school track and field team (!!). So many athletes that there are two sets of twins (!).

So on the Friday eve of this race, I was running alongside two of the girls. They were asking me about events like Mud Hero and I was talking to them about getting off the roads and track to have fun and keep things fresh. I told them the story of my first (and only!) wild trail race. One girl said, “you should write down all your race stories!!” I smiled to myself.

And thus this.

I go to very few races without a Love Training More, Road Hammer or sister entourage but this one I went to solo. I left my happy little household with the words: “isn’t it wonderful to have the health to love these moments” after sharing a photo with the Love Training More team that I coach.

The evening prior, I had reread a collection of my previous 5km blogs. I resolved to remember that it feels so hard because it’s hard and to hang tough and not quit from 3 to 4km.  This is where I have mentally quit in too many races to count.

Though I didn’t arrive with any friends, I saw pal Troy Musseau of Atlantic Chip as soon as I got out of car. He intro’ed me to race directors to ensure I knew the course.  There was no bike lead today. He said you never know who is going to show up to toe the line, let’s make sure Erin knows your course as she will be up front. We don’t want her leading everyone off course!

This was a flattering and lovely way to begin the race day. I then ran 2km of the course to make sure I knew it. Check.

Warm up was relaxed. My body felt like I wanted it to. I line up on the line. Two sweet high school girls who I have have seen compete for years because of my own high school coaching were on the line. I had a little chat with them. We are walked up to the line. Go.

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1km: I think that you can blow a 5km race in the first km. If you are 10 sec too fast, you will pay the 5km banker more than that back in fines over the last 2km. This first km had a turnaround cone over a bump out for distance correction and a giant hill to assist with keeping the pace honest. We were quick off the line. Slow around the turnaround and then the hill. It felt right. I decide I don’t need my watch, I know how it should feel. I feel right.

2km: keep at it. Catch one of high school girls. I have seen her fly, it’s not her day. The trail is soggy. We could have worn XC spikes.

To Turnaround at 2.5km: no memories

To 3km: Run the Kilometer you are in. I know how to do that. One at a time.

3-4km: chant “don’t give up, don’t slow down.” There’s nothing in my head but these 2 thoughts. I do neither: I don’t give up. I don’t slow down.

4-5km: order body to run faster charging into 400m hill placed at 4.2km or so. There is no faster. Only this. Hill: “don’t give up, don’t slow down.”

I ask brain to consider what the time on the race clock will be. I haven’t been looking at my watch. …… Silence. There are no brain cells left available with which to compute such a request.

Tiny foot bridge. 300m to finish.

Clock comes into view at around 18:55. The crowd is yelling at the lead high school girl to get in under the 19 barrier and she just misses it.  I cross the line at 19:19. I had no time goal but it was a faster day that I expected on a soggy and hilly trail and on full training without being tapered.

It was a worthwhile dress rehearsal, I met my goals of “no give ups.” It’s taken me years, literally, to run a smart first km and to achieve “no give ups” from 3km onward. The dress rehearsals help tremendously.

When I see this photo by Tim at East Coast Running at the bridge about 300m to go, I am satisfied that I dug deep enough.

This little 5km had some pretty amazing features. The course was super well marked and had Kilometer markers. The volunteers were great. There were massage therapists at the finish line!! For a 5km!! I sure did take advantage of that! Cookies from Gingerbread Haus. Coffee. Radio station DJ amping up the crowd. Medals. Toque. Kudos to the team, Dean and Jerry, I totally enjoyed it.

GPS data was interesting. When I ran the course on warmup, my watch dinged at exactly the right moments, coinciding with the Kilometer markers. During the race, under the cloud cover and the rain and the 245 other people wearing GPS watches: not so much. Goes to prove that they aren’t always accurate in a race. You see from this race’s Strava segment that it’s legit.

With this is the bank, I am facing forward to the Jersey Shore. Thanks for reading! Here is Andrew Wagstaff of Maritime Runner’s article on the race.

Best of luck to all of my dear friends racing Boston Marathon tomorrow! I can’t wait to cheer you on from here. Shauna, beware, your phone will be blowing up!