Personal Record :)

I cannot believe that it has been almost a week and I am only getting here to write about my 5k race now. Last Saturday, February 26th, I had a 5k race. It was called the Hope and Harmony 5k and it was benefiting cancer patients.My goal for this race was to beat 30 minutes, which I did twice during my training. Almost a year ago I ran a 5k race in just over 34 minutes, so just to beat that would have been cool.
Anyway, long story short, I totally blew my last time and my fastest training time out of the water! My fastest 5k training time was 00:29:40 ... I ran the race in 00:23:44!!! Can you believe that?! I ran three 7.5 minute miles in a row. I have never ran a mile in less than 9 minutes before. I guess the training has been paying off and determination has a lot to answer for!

L-R: Travis, Lisa, Amanda and Myself before the race.

We had perfect running weather. It had rained all night long and stopped just about two hours before the race started, so the air felt clear and crisp. It was a little chilly though, so layers were necessary. Feeling pretty confident I stood near the beginning of the pack with plans to stay upfront as much as possible.
In the first mile quite a few people passed me, but having trained quite a bit, I knew my pace and stuck with it, even though I felt like I was being left behind. I just had to stay in my zone. My friend Pam, who I have been running with, told me that when it starts getting psychologically tough (around mile two), just focus on passing one person at a time, and to count every person that you pass. I did exactly that.
Around mile two, a lot of people that had passed me started walking. Having kept my pace, I didn't need to walk. So I started counting all the people I passed to keep my mind off of my tiring body. I passed a total of 14 people before I was just keeping up with the people running the same pace as myself. By the time that happened I was in my groove and there was no longer a need for distraction.
I remember only one person that I was keeping up with. It was a male runner probably in his 40's. I only remember him because of his lime green shoes hahaha.
I remember rounding the last corner and thinking, "What? I'm finished?? Noway!" I couldn't believe that I had completed the race already. I crossed the finish line and suddenly felt exhausted, but the runners high set in almost immediately and I felt great.

Getting ready to cross the finish line.

My finishers Medal

I was a great race to start off my year. I have plans for a 10k race on March 26th and a 10 mile race on May 14th. So I am upping my miles slowly and Pam is sticking right by my side  :)
Onwards and Upwards my Fellow runners!
Keep Running  :)