In this, part 6 of this series, WRS host and producer Cherie Louise Turner shares how she set a new time milestone, getting 10 seconds closer to her goal of breaking 20 minutes in the 5k, and how this ushered in a time of focusing on training.

At the close of the previous episode, Cherie was addressing some 5k and racing burnout, but she also knew she was fit and ready for a great performance. So, she took advantage of a local flat, fast race and let it rip. Race magic was in full effect.

Post-race, it was time to regroup and focus on training. Cherie also decided to freshen things up and set her sites on some longer races, with a 5 miler and 10k on the schedule for August. In training, Cherie was focused on getting pacing dialed in, and not relying on the watch. She's begun to recognize and feel the freedom this brings to her running and racing.

Cherie continues to fully enjoy the process of getting faster and racing better. To wrap up the episode, coming off of some solid weeks of training, Cherie notes the need to balance hard work with rest, especially to keep injuries at bay. And, she is looking forward to getting back to racing.

In June of 2023, Women's Running Stories host and producer Cherie Turner closed the chapter on running longer distance races (at least for now), like marathons and ultras, and turned her attention to the 5k. Her goal: break 20 minutes in the 5km. Cherie is currently 54 years old and she has never dipped under 20 minutes at this distance. The closest she's ever gotten was back over a decade ago, when she ran 20:19.

This update spans late May to late July 2024. Part 1 of this series concluded with Cherie setting a baseline time of 21:10 on August 30. Part 2 ended with Cherie learning more about how to train well and some of the lessons she's continuing to work on. In part 3, Cherie discusses how she experienced a non-running injury that took her out of structured training and workouts for 8 weeks but ended up being a healthy reset. Part 4 traces Cherie's return to training and racing, and how she realizes the need to address race anxiety and develop belief in herself. It's not a prerequisite to this episode to listen to the previous episodes in this series, but they do provide valuable details and context.

In part 5, Cherie shares that she is focused on getting away from being so reliant on the GPS watch and committing to learn how to run and pace by feel. Cherie also addressed race anxiety and confidence and how these are challenges that take time to overcome. The journey is not linear. And she got into how expectation can lead to frustration and burnout, and how applying the well-known advice of breaking a big goal into smaller pieces is really important.

Find the series here.

Come along for the journey.

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iTunes/Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/womens-running-stories/id1495427631

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4F8Hr2RysbV4fdwNhiMAXc?si=1c5e18155b4b44fa

Music Credits

Cormac O'Regan, of Playtoh

penguinmusic, via Pixabay

Coma-Media, via Pixabay

Rockot, via Pixabay

RoyaltyFreeMusic, via Pixabay

SergePavkinMusic, via Pixabay

Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories

Over 50, Sub 20, 5k Project Instagram account: @over50sub20_5k_project

WRS Instagram: @womensrunningstories

Facebook: facebook.com/WomensRunningStories

Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/444164966663627

Website: womensrunningstories.com

Email host Cherie: [email protected]

Women's Running Stories is a proud member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/

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