Race Recap: 2024 Hotcake Hustle 5k
Alright, kicking off 2024 with a baseline 5k race.
It's been about 4 weeks since the Dallas Marathon 🏆 and I haven't trained much since then, just some easy runs here and there. While I'm certainly still carrying fitness from that marathon training block, I also know I've lost a chunk of fitness over this recovery period. So this baseline test let's me know exactly where I am right now and adjust my training accordingly.
The Results:
- 18:29 - 3.1mi (ish)
- 1st Overall Woman
- 7th Overall
- Strava
- Race Results (bib 667)
The Gear
the race
Race got off to a rough start 😬. My body immediately decided it was not thrilled about running fast. There wasn't anything in particular other than a general thought of "ugh this feels hard" 😟. So I spent most of that first mile trying to relax into the pace and make it feel easy.
Thankfully, around mile two my body started to get with the program and things felt good. Leg's were definitely feeling ok, but I was conscious that I was breathing harder than I would have liked by this point. I continued to just focus on staying relaxed and staying on the rhythm of the race.
At the start of mile 3 I think I was feeling my best, and that translated to me dropping the hammer 🔨 a bit.... and also a bit (a lot) too early. I made it maybe 400m before I started to pay for that poor decision.
The rest of the race was pretty much just hanging on. Hands down the limiting factor in this race was my inability to pull enough oxygen through the last mile of that race.
the data
The official results clock me at 18:29, but myself and many of the other uploads I've seen on Strava all show this race being short by anywhere from .04-.02mi. For my records I've decided to stick with my watch time so that my data is consistent with previous baseline tests. My watch said I averaged 6:02 pace which would be closer to a 18:40 5k.
lap breakdown
| Mile | Pace | GAP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6:07 | 6:07 |
| 2 | 5:59 | 5:59 |
| 3 | 5:59 | 5:59 |
baseline comparison
Below is a comparison of this same race from last year, my most recent baseline test, and today's baseline test.
| Date | Race | Seconds Per Mile | Avg. Stryd Power | Avg. Garmin Power | Power/Weight | Garmin Est. VO2 | Strava Fitness Score | VDOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/07/2023 | Hotcake Hustle 5k | 402 | 231 | -- | 4.09 | 49 | 30 | 48 |
| 08/18/2023 | Dallas AMPT Hot Trot 5k | 349 | 265 | 349 | 4.68 | 57 | 79 | 56 |
| 01/06/2024 | Hotcake Hustle 5k | 362 | 251 | 337 | 4.49 | 57 | 60 | 54 |
next steps
- The first part of this year will be returning to focusing on the 5k and developing more speed ⏩ in that distance.
- I plan to continue experimenting with Jack Daniels VDOT and will use this baseline test to establish my training paces for the next couple weeks.
- Last year during this time I used Jack Daniels Red Intermediate training plan, but this year I'll be trying out one of his 5k specific plans targeting 40-50miles per week.
- Next check-in race will be in 5ish weeks.
See you then!