September 12th was the 'Bottomline Race for a Cause 5k' - I did this race last year (you can read the write-up here!)
I love that the 5k is held where I work, and more than that, I love that the proceeds go towards a local charity. This year, the proceeds went towards Families First. The course is fairly flat, with the exception of a steady slight uphill at mile 2.
Going into the race, I wasn't sure what to expect- I had been doing some speed work, but nothing consistent. Last year, I had run the course in 22:50, I was really hoping to be close or below this number, but wasn't going to be too hard on myself if I was slower than this because of the heat, and for not being in the middle of marathon training.
The morning of the race, Neil and I met Nicole, Karla and Lenny at Bottomline. My parents met up with us to watch Max. I didn't get to warm-up very much at all, I think I did maybe a quarter of a mile!
We lined up to run, and were off by 9:07. I forgot to start my Garmin, and didn't realize my error until around 1/2 mile into the run. Up ahead, I could see Karla as the first place woman, Nicole in second and me in third! Visions of finishing 3rd next to two of my good friends filled my head until a girl blew by me and I became the 4th woman. I could still see the three of them, but there was no way I could speed up and maintain a consistent pace for the rest of the race.
By the second mile, and after making it up the slight hill, I was really tired and started wondering why I ever do 5ks! To me, they feel harder than any other type of run or race! My lungs were burning, and I felt super overheated. By the time I got to the 3rd mile, I knew I could push it as much as possible for the last 10th of a mile and then I would be done! When I turned the corner into the BT parking lot, I saw that the clock had just turned 22:20 minutes- I knew I was going to PR! I ran as fast as I could for the last little stretch, and came through in exactly 22:40! A 10 second PR!
Karla won for overall women, Nicole was the 3rd woman and I was the 4th woman! Karla got to go home with a brand new FitBit!
Anyways, next time I write I will catch up on Reach the Beach!!!
