Happy Independence Day everyone! Today I participated in a “Fun Run” put on by the association where my parents live. My parents bought our “cottage” (it is more like a second home) when I was in middle school, and I’ve had many summer memories here. I lived here while I was going to school at Central Michigan University, and my parents moved up here full time when they retired. My running adventures started in college, so I have done a lot of training up here, and have even done another 5k (The Little Foot) here.
Today’s race all about having fun! The race was not officially timed. My nephew decided to run the race and my husband and brother-in-law walked it. I ran today, not aiming for a personal best necessarily, but to have a good time. Well… I ended up getting both!
I started the race conflicted. What did I want to accomplish today? Did I want to run a whole race without stopping to see how I would do now that I have been training more and training differently? Or did I want to stick to my run/walk pattern that has proven to be the most effective for me? I started off thinking I would just run the whole thing. But of course I started off fast. In fact, I finished the first mile in under 10 minutes. That in itself is a personal record for me! After the first mile I decided to go back to my run/walk patterns. I definitely slowed down… the course was hilly in the beginning, but under shade, which helped. But after the first mile we were out of the shade more often and the temperature was heating up. I was listening to music this time (I haven’t listened to music the last couple of races I have done) and had made a playlist with songs all 160 BPM to keep me going. My running intervals averaged just over 10 minutes per mile and my walking intervals were all under 15 minutes per mile. I tried not to get excited as I watched my time, even though I was slowing down, I knew I was well within reach of a personal best time.
The race had the one feature I really hate… a SUPER long last stretch. Where you can see the finish for about a quarter mile before you get there, and you really want to sprint, but if you’re like me you know there’s no way you can maintain a sprint for that long. I made the last curve and saw my family. They were watching a runner ahead of me finishing with her dog. I don’t think they were expecting me that soon… I waved to them and they cheered me on towards the finish! I pushed through to the end and as I crossed the finish line the guy “timing” the race announced “35 minutes”. I looked down at my phone and stopped my GPS tracker which read 3.16 miles in 34:41, absolutely another personal best!!! :) Of course this race isn’t “official”, but it’s okay, and it is going in the books!
My new official 5k rankings…
- Canadian Lakes 5k Fun Run (July 4, 2015) 34:41, 11:10 min/mile pace
- St. Mary’s Bee Healthy for Life (June 27, 2015) 34:52, 11:14 min/mile pace
- Race 4 a Reason (October 26, 2008) 35:22, 11:23 min/mile pace
My next race is a month away. I will be doing another “Fun Run” but this time it is a color run! And then after that… THE CRIM!!!
RD on the Run 
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