Reflection on My Most Recent Evening Race

It’s been a minute since I’ve run an evening race and believe that the last one that I ran before this one was in the summer of 2017 (not including any XC races that I’ve run as part of a school team). Back in 2017, l was undergoing physical therapy treatment for my knee, hamstring, & also undergoing treatment for Lyme disease. I was also struggling with the mental stress of returning to my desired running intensity while also trying to not overexert myself & set myself further back.

On top of my physical ailments in 2017, I remember the weather conditions being unpleasantly hot and humid. Last Friday evening, the weather was certainly nice, but because I hadn’t run an evening race in almost 8 years (excluding school), I had completely forgotten about it; I had already hit a run & a relatively intense weight session earlier in the day before remembering. Additionally, while I thought that I had enough time to digest my lunch, supposedly “fuel” for the race, I still went in feeling “too full” even after a couple of hours after eating. During and after the race, both my stomach and my body hurt (fortunately resolving on its own a few hours later).

I did make it through both races healthy & injury-free, fortunately. I also still placed very high in both races, which is always nice, although I don’t believe I ran a sub 20 5k back in the 2017 race.

From all this I’ve learned that I much prefer morning races since it’s easier to race fasted and in cooler temperatures, particularly during the summer months. I also feel as though I start the day off on the right note by getting it done in the morning. I’ve also learned that the repeated tendency to win or place high is definitely a good personal source of pride for me, but having the ability to run or race CONSISTENTLY, SAFELY, HAPPILY, & IN GOOD HEALTH over several years is much more important to me.