Good Life Race 5K today - I hit my goal of under 20:00 with a 19:58!
I warmed up a mile about an hour before, then walked a mile with the family to the event. I realized a had left my watch at home, so I ran with one kid in the stroller back home. That was probably .5 mile at 7:00 min pace. After a busy time trying to get my family settled, I finally went out for some strides about 4 minutes before the start time. I was just getting back from my 4th stride when the gun went off - and I was still 60 meters away from the start! I jogged into the group and crossed the start line with the slow(er than me) peeps.
I dodged and zigged and zagged a lot for the first mile. I'm pretty sure I lost 3-5 seconds due to slowing down and waiting and getting cut off. Maybe more. I hit 6:30 at the mile marker, or 3 seconds slower than planned. Overall, I felt fine and didn't feel any tiredness.
In the second mile, I kept pushing myself on. I had planned some motivating phrases for each mile. This mile's word was "light," as in, stay light on your feet, light steps. There was a tiny hill about 70 meters long that hit me a bit. At the mile 2 marker, I was feeling it - the legs were starting to feel heavy and I was hoping it would be over. Mile 2 time: 6:27. I was back on pace.
In the third mile, I felt like quitting. I really have forgotten what it's like to run fast, to run to exhaustion, full effort. In HS and college, this was a weekly feeling, but in the last 5 years, it only comes 1 to 2 times a year. My legs were screaming and I couldn't wait to be done. My phrase was "power" so I could power through the pain. There was a tiny downhill at about 2.75 that evens out the course from that tiny uphill. I was so glad it was near the end. I tried my best to fly down it. The finish line looked way too far away. Mile 3 time: 6:23.
The small crowd helped me push it in to the finish line. I was dead at the finish line - so exhausted.
I'm super happy to hit my goal. Despite the pure evil I felt for the last half mile, it was also worth all the miles and early mornings.
Mile Splits: 6:30, 6:27, 6:23, :38 (6:20 pace) = 19:58.
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