On Friday I ran in one of my favorite races, the Sunest 5k in Lake In The Hills. This one wasn't for charity, although 3.1 miles will go toward my efforts this month and will allow me to put $1.50 in the jar. This one is more of a milestone race for me. I started running it several years ago when we moved out to Lake In The Hills and each year brought with new challenges.
In 2006 I ran it in 21 min. flat. That was before kids and I think marks my personal record for 5k race.
In 2007, I had just had Madelyn 3 months prior to the race and ran it in 22:04. Not my best, but since I had only started running again 5 weeks before the race, I was still happy with my time. I had a great sense of pride when I walked up to the stroller with my 3 month old in it after taking my age division.
In 2008, I had just quit my job to stay home with my daughter and we had been trying to get pregnant. I had taken a pregnancy test once already, but it was negative. For some reason as I was getting ready for the race, I grabbed the second pregnancy test out of the 2-pack and took it. Positive. I literally left the house 5 minutes later and ran the race in 21:37. I was very concerned to run in my "delicate condition." Not that I hadn't run for the last 5 weeks, but the intensity of the race pace combined with the thought of my offspring being jostled about made me nervous. Still, not a bad time for a knocked up lady!
In 2009, I had 2 kids waiting for me at the end of the race. This time I had been running about 10 weeks leading up to the race since I had Colin. I wanted to beat my PR of 21:00, but my body just wasn't quite up to the challenge yet and ran it in 21:21.
This year, no excuses. No post-partum recovery to overcome, no taking pregnancy tests before the race (not that I would have any reason to!) and I've been training hard all summer.
The results? 21:14. I was the third woman, 37 overall and won my age group. One thing I didn't take into account was then wind the last 3/4 mile was against the wind and it was tough. I almost threw up at the end. Because this race is in the evening, I often struggle with whether or not to eat dinner before. I am like an old blue hair and enjoy an "Early Bird Special" kind of dinner. I could eat at 4 pm if I could...and sometimes do! So, waiting until 8 pm for dinner just doesn't work for me. I ate dinner at 4:30, but I think maybe I ate too much? Luckily my stomach didn't embarrass me and I was able to avoid tossing my turkey burger for all of Lake In The Hills to see.
I hate to say that I am disappointed in my time, but I am. So, despite my new-found focus for running for charity, I still have my competitive edge. I still know how to put a game face on and will enjoy the adrenaline rush of race day. It is still part of the whole running experience that got me here in the first place so I will never let it go.
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