Kirkwood 5k

Well I did it!  My second official 5k race.  And guess what?  I did SO much better than last year!!  Finish chip time was 33:54...that's 7 1/2 minutes better!  I am happy with my finish time and surprised.  I wasn't sure if I was ready for a 5k since I had only completed 4 weeks of the running school and haven't actually ran 3 miles yet.  But somehow I did it! 

I didn't want to stress about it or over think it.  Just treat it as another run like I run with my group.  At Thursday night's running school we had a speaker talk about nutrition.  She also gave pointers about what to eat before race day and on race day. Drink plenty of water all day, eat a simple dinner like pasta, a salad and some bread.  Don't try anything new and avoid alcohol.  On race day, make sure to eat a light breakfast and drink some water but don't over do it.  So I followed her advice.  I got my race outfit together and made sure to get to bed early. 

I woke up that morning pretty calm but totally changed my mind about my race outfit.  The day before I had bought a new shirt that actually fit (smaller size now yay!) and I had a cute running skirt that I hadn't worn yet.  But while getting ready I kept thinking "don't try anything new".  I know the speaker was talking about food but I started to worry about the running skirt since I hadn't ran in it yet.  And the shirt did fit, but I guess I'm still self conscious since I'm not at my goal weight yet.  So I decided to I wanted to be comfortable and choose a pair of capri's and another shirt...that was two sizes too big! 

I got to the race and registered then had about 45 minutes until the race started.  My husband and son came to cheer me on.  My friend Scott who ran in this race last year, was also running.  Unfortunately, Sarah, who ran with me last year (well she ran past me!) recently moved to CA. 

Race time!  Luckily, it was a nice morning and not too hot.  My first mile I completed in 10:15.  That was probably a little too fast for my pace, but you always run a little faster on race day (so I hear since I've only done two).  My second mile was probably my toughest which is strange since it's been my easiest during our training runs.  About a quarter mile into the second mile I saw my co-worker (and friend) and her daughter cheering me on.  That was so nice!  It's always great having support.  My husband and son kept popping up throughout the course to cheer me on as well.  They used short cuts in the neighborhood.  The second mile has one pretty steep hill - which I did walk up.  I knew I would; but again that's okay.  Halfway through the race I started thinking "I don't think I can do this".  I don't know why those negative thoughts started to creep in.  But I quickly dismissed them going back to thinking "Yes I can.  It's no different than running with your group.  Just a little further". 

The last mile was better.  Although I did find myself wanting to stop and walk for just 15 seconds to catch my breath a few times.  The sun had came out and it was starting to warm up.  The ending of the course was great.  One downhill and then flat until the finish line. When I got close I knew I just have to give it all I had.  And I think I did!  Of course looking back, I wondered if I really needed to stop and walk those few times or if I could have just pushed through it.  Well, I guess you always can look back on anything in life and question if you should have done it differently.

At the end of the day, I was very happy with my results...or success! And you know I'm already looking forward to the next 5k!