Dr. Dave Hale about running!

10 for 10 races and Podium Finishes

Race Recap Run for Her Life 5K

And what a race it was. That moment when the stars align perfectly, your race gear is dialed in, nutrition is top off, energy level is overflowing, and your mental focus is laser tuned.

With my self created dabockle Saturday morning at the hilly Woodlands 5K, I knew I need to use the time until the 7pm start of the Run for Her Life 5K to readjust fire and get serious. 

My new Nike Epic React shoes were working exactly like my buds at the NIKE Lab said they would. My legs were staying fresh and feeling like they had endless spring in them. Check that off the list of things to not have to worry about.

Next was the SportsFreq Endurance disks I've been trying for the past 2 weeks. Last week I whittled off about 2 mins. from my previous weeks race time. This week, they provided an overdose of energy that I realized after 2 miles that I needed to reel that in, as I was running way over my power zone. End result after my morning race was a 25 min race time that left me embarased. 

Once I got back home, washed up and ate, I decided to keep the SportsFreq disks on until after my 7pm race. So, I hit the sack for a 3hr nap before I had too eat my power oatmeal at 4pm then head to the race.

Once at the race site, I was amazed at the hundreds of people who were there. I knew many of them would be walkers so that did not bother me. After picking up my number I headed back to my van for a little mental imagery work. It does not take much for me to know that everything is dialed in for a perfect race. The only thing that can mess me up at this point is not focusing on my Stryd power zone numbers during the race and allowing myself to run like a race hourse. 

So, as Angus MacCloud my training parter and I warmed up, I continually said out loud "Lock in 290 Dave." 290 is the power zone number I needed to maintain during the race to hit my target finish time. 

Fast forward to the race start. 

There we go, about 200 yards of flat road, a quick right turn, then about 1.3 miles of downhill. Once I was half a mile into the race, I checked my numbers on my Suunto watch and saw I was right on target. Not knowing if it was my mental prep work, my SportsFreq focus disk or both, but my mind was surely dialed in to maintain my zone. 

The hardest part of the start of any race is feeling that effortless flow when you feel as though you can maintain an inhuman pace for the whole race. However, what typically happens is that after a mile you hit the wall and either your legs are burning from lactic acid buildup or your lungs feel like they are ready to blow up when your adrenaline levels level off. 

In my case, with the use of the SportsFreq disks and drinking PerformElite, my legs felt great. Once I hit the mid-race turnaround point I felt great, but knew the 2nd half of the course was mostly uphill. Because I had held back and stayed in my power zone the first half of the race, I had plenty in my tank to get me through the 2nd half.

My goal was to start pushing my pace and focus on my heart rate to keep not allowing it to move over to the right side of my peak level. What happened was that I felt no sense of energy loss or lactic acid buildup, but did experience what felt like a bungee cord pulling me along the course. 

Funny thing is, this was exactly what I envisioned during my mental prep work. 

Once I hit the top of the hill, it was a right turn down a gravel trail to another turnaround point, then strait to the finish line. Once I hit that trail it was pedal to the metal and I decided to let happen what was meant to happen.

I must have passed a good 15 to 20 runner's and ended up crossing the line at 20:54, 4th overall and 1st in my Age Group. This time was a new post-stroke PR since I ran 22:40 in December at a Myrtle Beach race. It also marked a new and even bested a 6 year PR. 

Seeing that my goal for the year is to run sub 20 Minute, I think the addition of the SportsFreq disks, PerformElite, and Nike Epic React shoes are all game changers. 

Let's see what next weekend brings...l?????♂?

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