Resolution Run 5k

Race day!

I got a very early start to this gloriously painful day. 

This was my third 5k, and the first time I haven't had pre race nervousness. My last 5k was 2 months ago with a time of 35:51. I know I've improved alot since then and wanted to get back out there and test my mettle. I was excited and ready to run.

This was the Resolution Run 5k at Savannah Rapids Park. It's a very pretty place with plenty of places to walk and have picnics. The weather was pretty perfect today - not too hot to be miserable when running, but not too cold to be freezing after your run. Heck, I wore short sleeves and short running shorts today and it worked out nicely. The shorts aren't really flattering on me just yet, and chafe a little, but all in due time. 

My goal here was to get under 30 minutes. The last few runs I've done have been about 31 minutes per 3 miles.

So here we were! There weren't a ton of people at this race, but enough for it to be fun. All different types of people showed up, as this was a new years resolution style event. We rallied up and started the race at 9, and I took off. I didn't really have a gauge of how fast I was running, I just know that my mantra for the past month has been "Push Myself", and that's exactly what I did. This was a hard run for me. I was towards the front of the pack, really looking to keep a good pace. I kept on passing people, and it motivated me to keep pushing hard. They had mile markers, so I glanced at my watch when I hit the 1 mile mark. 8:23 ... my jaw pretty much dropped right there. I have NEVER run this fast EVER. I slowed down a tiny bit at that point, I didn't want to burn myself out!!! Got to the halfway point. Took a 30 second walk break halfway through, then kept pushing. Fast enough to challenged me, but slow enough to avoid completely hitting the wall and sabotaging my race. The last half of the run was so freaking hard. I kept telling myself not to walk, just make sure I keep on running. It's only 3 miles. I can rest at the end, right? I eventually ended up taking a quick 10 second walk and another 20. Then, after what felt like the longest run of my life, the finish!

27:17

I am freaking astounded by this time.

I went into this thing hoping to get under 30 minutes, or as close as possible. My time was better than I could have possibly imagined. Also, it's an all time record for me. My fastest mile ever ever EVER was about 9:30 in high school. My pace here was about 8:48 per mile. That's... insane. And as my husband pointed out, I have cut almost 10 minutes off my last 5k time. 

In spite of being absolutely exhausted after this race, I was pretty damn proud of myself. 

A member of the staff told me there were 200 or more people at this race. I finished 50th, so I'm at least in the top 25%. I outran alot of people who looked like they were in much better shape than me - let's face it, I do not have a runner's body yet. No awards for me, but 50th out of 200+ people? I'll take it!

They had an insane amount of free food. They had Panera cheddar bagels! 

And I got a shirt - one of the nice dry fit ones, so I can actually wear it when I run and not be soaked afterward. Yay!

This was a good race. I did far better than I could have hoped. It's definitely going to set the standard for my future races... the next of which being next weekend. Bring it on!