Firecracker 5K Race Report
Saturday, July 2, 2011 was my very first 5K. That's right, 3 halves under my belt and no 5K. Anyway, this was our little town's 4th of July run. There were 273 participants (runners & walkers) and I finished 116th with a time of 29:47.
The first mile was just kind of tough to get going. There was one hill which I just took at my normal slow & steady pace. That first hill, I passed quite a few people. We looped by our house to a water station at the hospital to get going on mile 2. About mile 2.5 there was another good hill. I was doing ok - I just kept thinking I should be going faster but my pace was normal. Sometimes I think I'm a fast runner - I'm not! Gotta get that through my head! During mile 3 I had a mental breakthrough. I know that I've ran 10 miles more than this, so 3 miles is nothing. I just have to push through! And I did - well.
There were two women I was familiar with running ahead of me and I set a mini-goal to beat them. We probably had just under 1/2 mile to go and I picked up my pace. I passed them and then the last few hundred yards, I sprinted in my own fashion (I really like to finish strong). I probably sprinted faster than I ever had - or it felt that way to me. I was happy with a finish time of 29:47 (although I think my watch said I was under that time but mere seconds).
After catching up with Big A (who pushed the boys and was the 2nd stroller to cross the finish line - the other guy only had 1 kid!) and getting the kids snacks, I went & got my neck worked on by one of the local chiropractors. Oh that was nice! And yes, it was my neck not my legs or other running-related thing. My neck hurts when I run! He said I need it re-aligned.
Anyway, the run was great. They had a wonderful route that included familiar hills that allowed me to pass people who didn't like the hills so much! Yay! The post run had good food and drinks, even a pancake feed (which we didn't attend unfortunately). Great job Run Sabetha!
The first mile was just kind of tough to get going. There was one hill which I just took at my normal slow & steady pace. That first hill, I passed quite a few people. We looped by our house to a water station at the hospital to get going on mile 2. About mile 2.5 there was another good hill. I was doing ok - I just kept thinking I should be going faster but my pace was normal. Sometimes I think I'm a fast runner - I'm not! Gotta get that through my head! During mile 3 I had a mental breakthrough. I know that I've ran 10 miles more than this, so 3 miles is nothing. I just have to push through! And I did - well.
There were two women I was familiar with running ahead of me and I set a mini-goal to beat them. We probably had just under 1/2 mile to go and I picked up my pace. I passed them and then the last few hundred yards, I sprinted in my own fashion (I really like to finish strong). I probably sprinted faster than I ever had - or it felt that way to me. I was happy with a finish time of 29:47 (although I think my watch said I was under that time but mere seconds).
After catching up with Big A (who pushed the boys and was the 2nd stroller to cross the finish line - the other guy only had 1 kid!) and getting the kids snacks, I went & got my neck worked on by one of the local chiropractors. Oh that was nice! And yes, it was my neck not my legs or other running-related thing. My neck hurts when I run! He said I need it re-aligned.
Anyway, the run was great. They had a wonderful route that included familiar hills that allowed me to pass people who didn't like the hills so much! Yay! The post run had good food and drinks, even a pancake feed (which we didn't attend unfortunately). Great job Run Sabetha!
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