I needed a run today; I'm feeling really tired (a casualty of deciding to make your own Halloween costumes), overwhelmed and out of sorts. I haven't run since Saturday and I figured that a good run might do this girl some good. It did.
I was going to head out at lunch, but never quite made it, so I stopped on the way home from work and did a quick 2.35 miler. It was quite chilly (did we just skip fall and head right into winter??) and getting dark, but I'm glad I went. The beginning part of my run was really gorgeous; the sky was overcast and the leaves were so gorgeous against the dark sky. However, it started getting darker and there were a lot of deer along the trail (I'm not a fan) so I took my keys out to jingle them a bit and scare the deer away. I felt like I was pretty aware of my surroundings, but I guess I had my podcast on a bit too loud. A fellow runner snuck up behind me and said "on your right" and scared the bejesus out of me. I didn't hear him approach and he was about 2 feet behind me. I'm sure I jumped a few feet in the air and I know I yelled out loud. Yes, thank you for alerting me that you were on my right, buddy. Maybe next time you could pass me on the correct side and announce your presence before you are on top of me. It got my heart rate going for sure.
As I mentioned on Monday, we had a really good trip to my alma mater over the weekend. It brought back a lot of great memories and it was great to show the boys a part of their Mama's young adult life. One of the Homecoming activities was a family 5K Run/Walk. It was a fairly inexpensive race, which was nice, and we got a pretty sweet shirt for the occasion. It was a small race and while I was running for fun and not for time necessarily, I knew I wanted to try for a sub-40:00 race and I didn't want to be last.
I knew I was in for an interesting race, though, when the woman came on the bullhorn and said "Welcome to the 28th annual Bulldog 5K. We'd like to welcome back our track and cross-country alumni." Oh crap. In case you are wondering, I am not a part of that group. Thoughts running through my head at that point included: Please don't let me be last. Ok, well I might be able to beat those people over there. Oh good, I think those women in the back said they were going to walk.
The race started and those folks in the front of the pack took off. More power to you, track and cross-country alumni. I pushed a little hard in the beginning, but I knew I couldn't keep up so I resigned myself to the fact that I needed to stay in the back of the pack. This was my first race where the roads weren't closed, but luckily they had student volunteers on the cross streets directing traffic. I was very appreciative of the fact that these students were out in the cold (it was like 35 degrees at the start of the race, brr!) bright and early on a Saturday morning and I made sure to thank each student when I came to the cross streets. 13 years prior, this grumpy gal was startled awake on a Saturday morning by the marching bands in the Homecoming parade and was not a happy camper (funnily enough, my roommate remembered this vividly, so I really must have made a stink about it.) so I appreciated very much the fact that those students were helping with the race.
I was in the back of the race nearly the entire time, but I was enjoying the run through town and seeing how it had changed. I was also listening, appropriately enough, to a cold-weather running themed podcast, which helped since it was so bitingly cold during the race. I ran the entire race, even up the hills (and there were quite a few of them) and was proud of myself for doing so given the fact that I was getting over being sick and it was so cold and windy for the race. I ended up passing 3 ladies before the finish, so I was selfishly glad not to finish last. As I came to the last 1/4 mile, I saw Mom and the boys, so Nick ran the last little bit of the race with me, which was so sweet!
I wanted to finish under 40 minutes and my Run4Good app said I finished in 40:31, but I also forgot to turn it off right at the finish line. I saw the posted race results on-line and I finished 101 out of 107 (I'll take it; I wasn't last) and my official finish time was 39:56! I am so excited to have a sub-40:00 5K! PR for this girl!
I had hoped to do a little more sewing tonight (my costume and Nick's are finished, but I still have Matt's and Jack's to finish), but I feel like sleep is calling my name.
What is the smallest race you have participated in? What is the coldest weather you have run in?
"The more I run, the more I love my body. Not because it's perfect, far from it. But because with every mile, it's proving to me that I am capable of more than I ever thought possible"
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