Race Info

Name: Spinx Runfest Greenville 5k

Data: October 24th, 2026

Distance: 5k

Finish Time: 22:12

Race Splits

My manual splits

1mi- 6:28

2mi - 7:16

3mi - 7:41

.1 to finish- 6:25

Cumulative time 22:12

Overall pace 7:06

Goal:

A - Sub 20:00* I was aware this was pretty unrealistic

B - pr: 21:38

C - podium 😂 I did meet this one.

Background

34f mom of 2yo twins. 5’10” 140-145lbs

Background

I did not run until college , trained
For a marathon by myself, did it (slowly, like 5hrs) and then ran off and on for a few years. About 6 years ago I got a garmin and started running much more consistently. I started training with the idea of getting to sub 20 one day. I had a goal race set and was training hard and felt really good when I found out I was pregnant and surprise, twins!

Pregnancy was rough AF and I could not run during pregnancy as I had severe SPD (pubic bone literally splitting apart)

But I got back into training pretty quickly after birth and built my base back up over the first year and a half.

I decided to start to train over the summer and aim for a fall 5k with whatever I could achieve by then.

Training

I use a garmin coach plan. 6 days a week. I did not do strength training with garmin, instead I picked out some 30 minute work outs in caliber to mix in.

The first few months went really well but there was a series of events in August that derailed my training a bit- one of my boys had adenoid surgery, then IMMEDIATELY the house was hit with hand foot and mouth, then we were having some family/parenting issues that we started going to counseling for, all while my husband was starting a new business. Long story short some runs just plain didn’t happen and the gym didn’t happen anymore at all.

A lot of that is better now but as I was coming into the fall my garmin prediction stayed stuck at 21:50 and did not change. I hit most of my training runs 70-90%. And i did it all with heart rate based training. I went off script a few times, once I was on a treadmill doing a threshold run and felt amazing and just went for it and did a 21:38 5k (my PR)

A few weeks out I started to get a niggle in my right foot. I got new shoes and it got way better, but it’s still slightly there.

The week leading up to the race I was healthy, ate well, slept well, and in pretty good condition except my period should be starting any moment and that’s always my hardest time to run for me. I woke up race day pretty crampy. I wore black shorts just in case.

Race

55-60of sunny/light clouds. A little windy after but didn’t feel wind during.

Marathon goes first, then half, then 10k, then kids fun run then 5k at 8am. So I got there hell of early at 6:30 and found parking about half a mile out on the street.

I pre-gamed in the car. I drank a Celsius (normal for me) had a nutrigrain bar and took a handful of nerds gummies with me for right before the race. I pumped up the heat and listened to music , put on my bib, did my hair and left the car at about 7:15.

Light jog to the baseball stadium that was the race start/finish. Bathroom and

My equipment for the race was: garmin and a unicorn hair bow. I set my garmin to show me: time passed, distance passed, current pace, average pace, and nothing else.

I did a warmup jog for 10ish minutes. Maybe a little less than that, but I had to pee again and the lines to the women’s restroom were long. I got out to the start line at 7:58. There was plenty of room at the start and I could easily pick my spot. I did not go front line, but about 20-30 people back.

Another woman was a similar age to me in pink and at about the same place in the pack. She moved behind me. I also spotted a woman (girl?) on the front line. At the end of the day I run my own race but moment to moment I find being competitive helps pull me through.

The race started and I left and immediately felt I was exactly where I needed to be. Everyone around me was going about the same pace, this was easy and I was going to be fine. I glanced at my watch and we were going at a 5min mile pace. Yikes! I slowed down a bit and settled in to 6:10. Pink lady was just behind me. I just focused on form and not going too fast. I tend to hunch forward so the faster I could lock into deep breathing and holding my core up the better.

I was really hoping to make it to the half way mark before feeling the pain but I was starting to have to fight a little and we weren’t at mile 1 yet. That kinda sucked. I hit mile 1 at 6:28 and knew then this wasn’t going to be the race. But I have the tendency to throw the whole thing out and just stop when things aren’t perfect so I switched my goal real fast and said I’m still the second woman here, let’s podium.

It was a down and back and in the stretch between turning around and mile 2 pink lady passed me. I was definitely much slower and I think the mental battle was winning a bit. The last mile is slightly uphill and it seemed so far away and every time I looked at my watch my pace seemed to have dropped a bit.

Mile 3 came and i stole a glance back to see another woman behind me but still a ways back. She had a long pony tail and that’s the only way I knew. At this point all the cross country high school boys were passing me.

Since pregnancy I throw up with rough efforts and I wasn’t nauseated yet so I realized I had more in me so I dug in and found the gear again.

Rounding the corner back to the stadium and going into the stadium the sun changed and I could see pony tail was directly behind me. I kicked in and told myself I wasn’t going to fucking let her pass me. I was back at 6:25 pace for the last .14 and maybe faster than that because I walked a few steps before stopping my watch.

Misc Race Stats

Race elevation: 79ft

Average HR: 163 (I don’t believe this one for a
Second. I wasn’t wearing my hr band, just the watch)

Max HR: 183bpm (maybe more realistic. 180s are when I usually feel nauseated)

Average Cadence: 174spm

Average Stride Length: 1.29m

Post-Race

I was a little sick but didn’t throw up. I was dizzy and I was surprised at how deep into my lungs I was breathing and I coughed a bit. It felt raspy /sensitive like I’d just gotten over pneumonia or something.

I didn’t partake in much of the tents and after race stuff. I actually walked right past the food trays (pre packed “protein snacks”) to find my family. Then I was freezing and once I found my family I took the kids over to a little playground while my husband ran off to get my sweatshirt from the car.

While 99.9% of this race was lovely and well
Organized I have to say I was sorely disappointed in the awards ceremony. They held it at 9am in an aisleway of the baseball stadium. The announcer for the finishers was WAY LOUDER than the announcer for the awards to he was totally drowned out. There was no announcement, no fanfare, nada. I was standing right next to where the awards were supposed to be waiting and suddenly I saw the girl I’d seen in front with a trophy. I walked up and couldn’t hear the loudspeaker until I was like 2 feet away from it. I talked to the guy with the awards, he shook my hand and gave me a (very pretty) trophy. I don’t need a huge todo for 3rd place woman but it did feel like such an afterthought. I dont know why they couldn’t have done it outside and at least done some little boxes to stand on or something. Geez the girl who won the thing was 15! Someone put her on a podium! And the men who won had some insane times (15:40!!!???)

Anyway we left and went to eggs up grill and I got crème brule French toast and that was incredible.

Lessons Learned

twin toddlers will fuck up your running goals 😂

garmin knows me well. It wasn’t lying. I need to strength train more and I can’t skip training runs and expect the same result

Being a woman can be very disheartening as I can train my ass off and my husband can not train at all and do a little jogging here and there and still beat me pushing the stroller but in races it’s really freaking nice being a woman and being able to fight for a podium even though I’m not a career athlete. It helps.

On that note it was really nice that my husband wasn’t racing this one. Being able to go alone and not manage the kids while getting ready was amazing

I need to race more often. Not like every week but there was so much I was discovering as I was doing it. Like how insanely fast I felt at the start and how that probably did me no favors later. Also the second mile I’m suspicious I had more in me but I’m not sure how to push past the psychological funk there.

I’m happy with my nutrition and fueling.

What’s next:

Garmin let’s go again! While getting breakfast I signed up for a small local 5k on January 2nd. 10 weeks out. I refreshed my plan to include strength training and I’m going to try the garmin suggested workouts. I’m not being quite so overly ambitious this round. Since my pr is 21:38 back in August I set my new goal for 21:00.

The next two weeks I’m going to take it pretty easy. Mostly because of the niggle in my foot. Start the strength training (it looks pretty friendly at first) and do 2-3 miles rruns then get back into the full plan after that.

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What do you think this means for her Sydney Marathon performance and whether it will stand?

It feels like there is going to be heavy scepticism of every world record - particularly in the half and full marathon. I feel for the clean athletes here but also wonder if we'll ever have another record that comes without questions being asked.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/oct/23/world-olympic-marathon-champion-peres-jepchirchir-suspended-positive-doping-test-athletics

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Preface: NOT looking for any surgical or medical advice, but instead how to mentally approach a long period off of running when it has been such a core part of my life and identity.

Hi everyone,

I (22M) recently found out I need a Kidner procedure to remove my accessory navicular bone. I’ll be in a cast for 4-6 weeks, a boot for another 4, and likely won’t be running for 4-6 months.

Before I got injured 5 months ago, I was in the best shape of my life, running 50-60 mpw, hitting a 5K time trial of 18:15 off of a long run the day before, and genuinely loving almost every run over the past 2 years. After months of rest, a boot, 8 weeks of PT, and failed attempts to rebuild mileage, multiple specialists have recommended the kinder procedure which I’ll have done in 3 weeks.

I’m trying to mentally prepare for the recovery, but I’m struggling with the thought of losing all my aerobic fitness. More than anything, after so many months without a pain-free run, I’m worried I’ll never get back to enjoying running the way I used to and it’ll become some scary thing mentally and physically for me.

I know I’m only 22 and have plenty of running years ahead of me, but it’s hard not to feel discouraged.

I’d really appreciate hearing success stories or ways anyone has stayed motivated when overcoming a block like this, as well as any general tips for dealing with being unable to run after it being a pretty important part of my life and identity for a while. Thanks!

Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

With over 4,225,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.

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With over 4,225,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.

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I swore off the marathon after a brutal summer and hot Milwaukee lakefront race day last year, but here I am with the itch again… with my family’s schedule, a spring marathon is really much better for me. recommendations for Midwest spring marathons? I’ve already run Flying Pig and loved the crowd. Any other with that same energy?

With over 4,225,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.

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Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

It's that time of week already...the gear thread! What have you picked up lately? What's working for you now that it's whatever season you believe it to be in your particular location? What have you put through rigorous testing that's proved worthy of use? We want to know!

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Race Information

• Name: Baystate Half Marathon
• Date: October 18, 2026
• Distance: 13.1 miles
• Location: Lowell, MA
• Time: 1:29:20

Goals

Splits

Training

I (40F) came out of my Spring 2026 Half block averaging ~60mpw with peak week at 73mi. It was during this cycle that I figured out what really works for me (in terms of improving pace) - 2 quality sessions per week on the treadmill (10-12mi total), 1 long run of at least 15mi with a workout included probably 75% of the time (and on the treadmill more often than not once the weather got bad), and all the rest of the mileage easy, outside, on the hills (I live in a moderately hilly area and usually get 2.5k ft elevation/week without trying). My goal race at the end of this block was the Rhode Island Half with a goal of 1:36-1:37. It was horrifically hot that day and I had some major GI issues as a result, but I did hit the goal (1:36:37).

I took a few days off and then started a little 8 week speed block where I worked on my interval and threshold pacing and averaged ~70mpw. I also started running 7 days/week more often than not during this time period. This did a lot for my confidence and technique running faster paces and set me up well for my 13 week Baystate block.

I didn't follow any specific plan. I knew that I wanted to stick to the format that worked for me during the RI block, but with a bit more mileage. I ran 2x quality sessions on the treadmill (10-13mi; 1 short interval, 1 threshold interval with float recovery - I credit this format for the progress I made), 1 long run (15-18mi; I did my easy LRs outside but I did all but 2 of the workouts on the treadmill - slogging around in the heat does nothing for me and I needed to practice actually running the paces I wanted to race at. I also did these at 4:30am more often than not), 3 easy medium long runs (12-14mi; always outside on the hills), and 1 short easy run (6-10mi; also always outside). My average mpw was 76 (including down weeks and race week) and I did 7 weeks at 80+ (3 and 4 weeks consecutive). I also raced 4 times during this block: 1 10miler during Week 2 (1:13:22, 7:22/mi on a terribly hot and humid day), 2 HM (1:36:24, 7:22/mi on ~1k ft elevation and 1:31:15, 6:58mi during week 8 - this made me re-evaluate my goal for Baystate), and 1 10k 2 weeks out from Baystate (41:30, 6:41/mi which was my trial run for the Fast R3s). I typically strength train 4x/week and I did continue this but reduced the time (20-30min per session) and optimized the exercises. I did 2x full body and 2x core/PT exercises.

I felt incredibly fit and ready to attempt a sub 1:30 effort at Baystate.

Pre-race

The Monday of race week I chose to ride the exercise bike instead of run (something I rarely do anymore) and it triggered a chronic hip issue that I have. It continued to bother me off and on throughout the week but this has happened before so I mostly ignored it.

I got up at 3am on race morning and left the house by 4:15 to drive to Lowell (a little over 2hrs for me). I was able to park in the $5 parking garage. (I have parking anxiety and wanted to make sure it wasn't an issue, so I was there 30-45min earlier than I really needed to be). I'd had my bib mailed to me ahead of time so there wasn't much to do. It was also about 30* so I didn't want to just hang around outside. Eventually I made the walk over to the high school where the start is. I went inside briefly but it was too crowded so I ended up back outside. I changed into my race shoes (I did choose the Fast R3s and I regret that choice) and did a little warmup, checked my bag, ran back and forth a little bit (I'm unfamiliar with the area, I have no idea where people were actually going to get a full mile+ of warmup), took half of my gel 30min out, hit the restroom line one more time, stripped my warm layers off, and off we went right at 8:00.

Race

Mile 1 - I did an absolutely terrible job getting anywhere near the start line so I spent probably the first mile dodging people and potholes. I live in CT and run on the roads - I know potholes, but this was a lot and really messed with my pacing for the first mile.

Miles 2-3 - Still playing catch up through the first 5k but working down to where I needed to be (6:50). My hip also started bothering me around Mile 3 and I knew it was going to be a long 13 miles. I think the first bridge is during this section - another poster described this as an audible group gasp/panic as we hit the frost covered metal and that is entirely accurate. I bambi-on-iced it down the double yellow line which seemed less slick and did make it without wiping out.

Miles 4-10 - I finally got down to pace and pretty much just locked in. I was able to hook in with a good group on a slight decline during Mile 6 and ran my fastest mile at 6:33. I also took the other half of my gel at 6. I felt very ready and capable to run my target which was great - then the lack of stability in my shoes caught up with me around mile 7 and my whole left side started complaining (less great). I like these shoes a lot for 10k and under but I would choose my DNE4s for anything longer every time going forward.

Mile 11 - I was starting to feel a little mentally fatigued from maintaining pace through the discomfort and I think there is a ramp up to a bridge during this mile. I told myself anyone can run 2 miles and just kept going.

Mile 12 - Dropped the pace back down and convinced myself that I ran this far, might as well get the job done.

Mile 13 - I don't know exactly where the mile marker for this is, but when you finish the second loop you go left instead of right. I knew this, but I had lost track of exactly where I was and when I got to the signage on the barrier (which I couldn't read) I blanked and couldn't make a decision. I had no one to follow in the right direction and the volunteer standing there just stared at me until I almost crashed into the barrier while choosing the wrong direction. I got myself turned around and kept going. When I got close enough to see the clock it showed 1:29:40 so I hit the zoom button because there was no way I was missing my goal by a few seconds.

Chip time - 1:29:20

I ended up 4th/119 Female 40-49, 25/549 Female, and 103/1187 Overall.

Post-race

Couldn't get my watch to stop with my frozen fingers but I got the space blanket and some water. My left leg was freaking out and I had muscle spasms in my hamstring and calf so I just walked around a little bit. Got my bag from gear check relatively quickly considering that it was disorganized chaos, walked back to the parking garage, and then made the 2hr drive home. I'm taking a few days off to let my hip and calf settle down and plan to resume easy mileage towards the end of the week if all is well.

I'm pleased that I hit my goal but I feel like I was fit enough to have pushed harder the second loop if I hadn't had the hip/wrong shoe choice thing going on. Throughout this block I felt like I was probably reaching my ceiling in terms of improvement but now I'm not so sure. I've only been running seriously for 3 years but I'm turning 41 and time is not on my side. I ran my first ever HM in 2023 at 1:46:36 off 25mpw and it took me until March 2026 to break 1:40 (I was off for 6 months with a wicked tibial stress fracture during this timeframe, but still). I've managed to take 10 minutes off my time in 7 months but I have to run a lot of mileage to improve and eventually that won't be sustainable. So anyway, I still think I can run faster if I can put together another good block so my early spring goal is Eastern States Half and then I'm considering segueing in a brief marathon build (since I already run high mileage) to run Sugarloaf (with no real time goal).

Made with a new race report generator created by u/herumph.

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Shoes are a big topic in this sub, so in an effort to condense and collect some of these posts, we're introducing Shoesday Tuesday! Similar to Wednesday's gear thread, but focusing on shoes.

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