A Personal Record. Woo Hoo!

So I ran a 5K today (The "Musical Madness 5K" to benefit the music programs at Reservoir High School). Amy (co-worker, tri-camp roomie, and training buddy) ran the race, too. I picked her up bright and early (but you have to love that it is light outside at 6am these days). The day was beautiful, but the humidity and temperature increased quickly.

The course was rather hilly, but well-marked with no traffic. It was the first race I have run in a while without a timing chip, but we positioned ourselves near the front of the pack. Starting out, I felt like my heart rate was too high. I had forgotten my watch, so I was feeling a little off in terms of pacing myself. I did my best to slow down and calm down my heart rate. At the halfway point (also the turnaround), I felt pretty good. It was then that I realized there weren't a lot of females in front of me. The out and back format allowed me to cheer for Amy as we passed each other, and for Ed another co-worker (who won an award in his age group).

There was a big hill at about the 2.5 mile mark, but a little girl on the corner was cheering everyone on with metallic pom poms. Coming into the finish, I realized I had some more in the tank and tried to pick things up a bit. When I saw my finish time was 25:06, I was pleasantly surprised. My half marathon/marathon pace was 9:50 minutes per mile, and the 10K I ran on Thanksgiving was 8:50. The race is obviously shorter, but I think a lot of training on the treadmill this winter was good for my speed. When they posted the results, I realized that I had done well, but also that I might be in the top three for my age group. I was totally excited to get a medal and gift card for being in third place among 30-39 year old females. It is probably the only time that will happen (I think they just didn't have a big turnout from my age group), so I will enjoy it. Amy was an awesome supporter, not to mention that she kicked butt on the run.

I don't think I drank quite enough after, because I've had a headache all afternoon, but it was all worth it! Yeah!