4/13/13
Evergreen Park/SIU Campus
Carbondale, IL
Time: 30:45
After the struggles I had earlier this week, I really had low expectations for this 5k. However, I was thrilled when I woke up with the sun shining and a chill in the air. This girl is a fan of running in the 50's. I know, I know. We are all tired of cold temps and want summer. I love summer. Swimming pools and vacations. Ah, good stuff. I just don't care for running in the heat.
When we got home on Friday, it was Christmas at the Johnson's house: a delivery from Running Warehouse! Yay! Tim and I both ordered some shoes because they were having a fantastic sale. We both ended up with the same kind: Brooks Pure Flow. The morning of the 5k, we decided to go ahead and give them a go.
Our new kicks.
Anyway, back to the race. We got there earlier than anticipated so we had plenty of time for a potty break. In fact, we had time for 2 potty breaks. Mental Note: Maybe skip the coffee next time! :P
Sunshine and blue skies. Great day for running!
We parted ways when it was time to line up. I make a point of not getting in the front since I'm not very fast. The conch shell was blown (unique to this race) and we were off!
The first mile actually flew by for me. I was thinking about my new shoes and how light they felt. The weather was perfect! Cool breeze, but wonderful sunshine. My legs felt great and before I knew it, the fast runners were already heading back to the finish (it's an out and back course). I saw Tim coming along, He was behind this hardcore runner that (I kid you not) was pushing a stroller with THREE little kids in it. I could see that Tim and the other guys around him were determined to pass that dude, but that crazy guy wasn't even sweating! Bananas. As I passed Tim, he gave me a high five and I couldn't help but smile. My husband is pretty darn awesome.
A bit of trouble did hit me at the water station. I suddenly started sneezing. Not the normal two sneezer, but like, 6 or 7 allegery-induced sneezes. My apologies to anyone that may have been in the "snot zone." I stopped, grabbed a cup of water and thanked the guy for blessing me. I gave myself 10 seconds to get my bearings back (i.e.wipe the snot off my face) and got going again.
Despite the attack of the sneezes, I still felt pretty darn great. I wasn't running super fast, but I was pushing myself more than I have been lately and actually ENJOYING the run. I know, shocking considering how cranky I was about running earlier this week. When I turned the curve to see the finish, I felt pretty fantastic.
Almost there!
So, I won't lie. At one point, I thought maybe, just maybe, I would be able to squeak out a PR. Unfortunately, that did not happen, but I still did better at this 5k than I have done in a long time. So, I'll take it.
Overall, this was a successful race for me. I had a great run and because it was the Neighborhood Co-Op 5k, there were FABULOUS snacks after. Homemade blueberry oatmeal muffin? Um, yes please!
Post race smiles!
Oh, and Tim came in 2nd in his age group! He was happy since he hasn't really been working on speed work or anything. He wasn't able to get ahead of the stroller guy, but neither did a lot of other folks! Maybe stroller training is in Tim's future...
My bread winner.
Next week is the River to River Relay. I am not running this (but very nervous about driving a 15 person van!), but I will try to post a mini race report with my pictures, etc.
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