Mini Goal- 5k- Complete!

Miles Run Today: 2

Life has gotten busy recently so I haven't been able to write much.  The good news is that I have managed to keep running.  And the even better news is that last Sunday I reached my first distance goal, a 5k, and enjoyed it very much.

Saturday afternoon I had actually begun to panic a bit when I confirmed the race start time (8:00 in the morning) and began calculating what time I would need to wake up in order to change, eat, feed Mara, drive to the Zoo (where the race started), pick up my race packet, and warm up.  My husband spoke the words that were in the back of my head, "Well, you picked this race so that if you could not make it it would still be a worthwhile donation...", giving me an easy escape route.  I quickly asserted that I would still run, I had to run the race, I just needed to make it work.  This was all just so much easier without kids!  (And therein lies the plot...)

I set my alarm for 6:25 on Sunday morning with my clothes (a couple of options), shoes, post race clothing (in case the family met me for fun in the zoo afterwards), hat, wallet, and keys all ready to go on the couch and kitchen table.  My plan was to wake up, dress, eat, and at the very last minute I would feed Mara, hand her to Tom and race out the door (pun intended!).  I went to bed early, more anxious about all the logistics than the actual run.

Sunday morning I woke up at 3:00 and thought it surprisingly pleasant that Mara had not woken up to eat.  I woke up at 4:00 thinking that if she didn't wake soon then she might not be ready to eat when I needed her to at 7:00.  I woke up at 4:30, 5:00, 5:30, and 6 ish... all to no sounds of Mara!  How wonderful, my daughter slept all night!  But I was now more than a little uncomfortable from not nursing her and my plans were a bit skewed.  I got out of bed when my alarm went off and spent extra time pumping milk for Mara so I would be less full.  Then I went up and half dressed, but couldn't get completely dressed because I still needed to wake her up to nurse.  I was so uncomfortable from going all night that I didn't even want to deal with my tops yet.  So, a little earlier than planned, I tiptoed into Mara's room.  She was still sleeping as I gently lifted her out of bed and fed her and remained out cold as I put her back into her bed and tiptoed back out.  Amazing.

With a few words to a still sleeping husband and a minute in the living room to finish dressing, I grabbed hot water in a travel mug and a granola bar and ran to the car.  I was mostly on time.

Once on the road I relaxed.  I had escaped and could now just go enjoy the race!  There was quite a bit of congestion getting into the zoo parking lot, but I figured that even if I missed the race start I could follow the walkers and slower runners.  I parked, ran to the packet pick up and back to my car (my warm up) and then lined up in front of the start at 7:56, just in time for an impressive singing of the national anthem.

And then we were off!  It was a beautiful morning for a run- the sky was clear and bright and it was a very comfortable temperature.  I had dressed a little too warmly (I know better, but hate to be cold at the start) and had my extra layer tied around my waist.  I love the people watching at races- trying to imagine everyone's stories and experiences.  It was bittersweet noticing the race shirts from my favorite races that I missed in the last calendar year.

But I'm back!  At the first mile marker I noticed I'd run a 9 something mile.  In my short training runs, I've been running somewhere between 10:30/11 minute miles so I really needed to slow down.  I let everyone run past.  The course was really pretty- through a lovely neighborhood with beautiful old houses and thoughtful gardens and yards.  At the second mile, I was at 18 minutes... so I hadn't managed to slow down.  Oh well, I figured and just wanted to keep it up.  The final mile was a bit less pretty and we had to run uphill and on old, concrete sidewalk.  If there was a tough part of the race, this was it.  But sooner than I was ready for, there was a turn into the zoo.  Lots of spectators lined the finish chute and I ran it in with a proud grin.  I was more than satisfied with my finish time of 28:40 which is only three and a half minutes slower than my fastest 5k time.  Not bad, Mama!

My only regret is that I had texted Tom that the parking lots were full (because they were) so that he wouldn't bring the kids down.  He followed my advice and I was really sad to see so many other kids there without having my own to celebrate with me.  Next time, we'll do it as a group!

Speaking of next time- I am now reflecting and re-evaluating.  I was considering doing a 10k for Halloween, but I still haven't made my knee/hip exercises a part of my routine and I'm concerned about pushing farther without them.  I'll decide what my next goal is in the next week.

Thanks for cheerleading, keep it coming!