My 5K Running Goal & A Practically Perfect Saturday

This past weekend was nearly perfect, especially Saturday. I had registered for a 5k road race (my first in over a year) that was an hour from home, which meant waking up the entire family much earlier than normal for a Saturday morning. The sky was gorgeously blue and the sun was beautiful and warm, making for perfect race weather. I chose this particular race because it benefited the Maine Special Olympics, which is a cause very close to my heart since my favorite Special Olympian happens to be someone I gave birth to over 20 years ago. As we drove the hour to the race location I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach, but I learned a long time ago that you can’t trick your body. If you’re nervous you’re nervous and that’s all there is to it, but then again I’ve always believed that nervousness is a good thing because it means you care and I care a lot when it comes to my running and the personal goals I’ve set for myself. I had not doubt I could earn myself a new 5k personal record, but I was more anxious about whether I could finally cross a threshold I’ve been working so hard to achieve since making it a goal for myself last summer. While running a 5k in under 30 minutes might be super easy for some and much more challenging for others, it would be a huge accomplishment for me and that was my biggest focus when I stepped up to the start line. I made the decision not to wear my Garmin GPS watch (something I’m kind of regretting now) and just focus on running my own race while listening to my body. There weren’t any clocks on the course, but there were a couple of hills and a bit of trail that most definitely proved a bit challenging. All in all I felt like I was doing well. When I saw the 3-mile marker and knew the finish line was just around the corner I decided to dig deep and run as fast as I could even if my legs weren’t sure what the heck I was thinking and even if it meant collapsing at the end. Then suddenly I spotted the clock. It read 29:53. I dug a little deeper and left everything I had on the pavement, pushing through the discomfort and watching the clock tick closer to 30:00 while pumping my arms as fast as I could.

With my family cheering me on (they knew my goal), I crossed the finish line just as the clock read 30:08. I felt a great deal of pride because I most definitely earned a new PR, improving my time from last year’s 5k by over 6 minutes, but also replaying the race in my head and thinking of all the times I could have run a little faster (or not walked a little on one of the hills). To say I was bummed would be an underestimate. I realize my time isn’t 100% accurate due to there being no mat at the starting line, but I also can’t say for sure if it took me more than 9 seconds to pass across the start (which would mean I netted a sub-30 5K). I’ve decided not to beat myself up about it, though, because I ran a great race for a wonderful cause with my awesome family there to support me. It was most definitely a perfect way to start a Saturday.

Running Goals

Comments

  1. Congrats on your new personal record. That is great. I always have respect for those who race, especially for a good cause. I get winded running up stairs.
    Shauna s. recently posted..Aloha Friday Blog Hop Week 4My Profile

    • Thank you so much, Shauna! Ha! Stairs are definitely a good way to test your fitness…..they definitely kick my butt after a few minutes of running drills on them. 😉

  2. How awesome! You reached your goal and you supported a great cause! Congrats to you!
    Kerri recently posted..The Princess and the Pony Review #Giveaway #PonyTimeMy Profile

  3. That is a great time, congrats! Sounds like a great start to the weekend, and an excellent accomplishment.
    Anne recently posted..Backyard S’mores BarMy Profile

  4. Congratulations on running a 5K! That’s an awesome accomplishment and you should be very proud of yourself!! Way to go!!
    Joanne recently posted..Twitter Hashtags For Bloggers + Business OwnersMy Profile

  5. Congrats on your new record! You go girl!!!
    Ashley @irishred02 recently posted..Applegate Cleaner Wiener Girls Who Grill Giveaway!My Profile

  6. Great time for a 5K! I do not run but I imagine mine would be something like 3 hours 🙂
    Laura funk recently posted..World Week Recap & #SummerThemeWeek Discovery Week!My Profile

    • Thank you so much, Laura! And I bet you could do a 5k much faster than you think…..even if you walked the entire way, it’s still great exercise! 🙂

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