The week leading up to the race was a rather stressful one for me. Our schedule was busier than normal and my husband was out of town, etc, etc. I was not able to get any major workouts done the whole week!
I did get to swim with the girls from the neighborhood on Saturday. A full hour swimming is exhausting and little frustrating since I am still learning a lot.
Sunday morning (race day) I woke up every hour starting at 3 a.m. I always think I am going to sleep in and miss the race. I had a quick breakfast: whole wheat tortilla with raw unsalted almond butter, reduced sugar organic apricot preserve, and a big glass of water.
After breakfast I got dressed and debated if I should drive, bike or jog to the race... The start line was only a couple blocks away probably about 1.5 miles. I decided to jog over to the race. I was smiling the whole way there in amazement that I could just jog to the race start line from my new home.
When I left the house the family was still fast asleep. As we lined up at the start line I felt a little sad I didn't get to see them before the race started. Little did I know they had made it to the race but I couldn't see them with all the crowds--for some reason being 5'2" doesn't give you a birds eye view.
I felt strong running, my legs were well rested from my week off! I didn't check my pace or anything because I wasn't planning on running fast. When I hit the first mile there was a person calling out times my first mile was timed at 8 something!! So then I just got silly and challenged myself to keep the same pace and not slow down.
I love running with a group of people. I don't ever get the chance to do this on a normal basis, but it's fun to all of a sudden hear your cadence match someone beside you. It's encouraging and the rhythm can be hypnotic. When I reached the last turn my husband and kiddos were there cheering me on, it gave me just the boost I needed to sprint the last bit to the finish line.
It was a great race and I beat my PB record! I was able to shave 1 minute and 52 sec off my last 5k and 77 sec off my pace. This race was fun and enjoyable I can't wait for the next one!
Race Stats:
Official time: 27:01
Official pace: 8:42
Overall age: 8th
