Minneapolis-Star-Tribune-runningkellometers

Alternative title: The PR that wasn't.

When I first met with Coach Britt a few weeks ago, we talked my goal races. The Jim Gibbons was on my radar as well as the RNR Chicago Half Marathon. Throughout my training, although I had 2 goals, my mental focus remained on my half marathon. When the Jim Gibbons race was approaching I thought a PR would come "easy" based on my training. Note: No 5k PR is ever easy.

Race day came and since the start was at 6:25pm, I had all day to be nervous about the weather, the course, and other things one is worried about during a 5k. After work was over (which felt like forever), I headed over to the blogger meet up spot with Amanda and Maggie. At the meet up spot, Lauren and Britt came out to cheer us on even though they weren't running the race. What fun blogger friends that just come out to watch you run! :)

L to R: Susan, Amanda, Maggie, Lauren, Britt, me

After the photo we headed towards the start. I did a few quick warm up laps behind the porta potties with Maggie before the race to try to get the heartbeat going. When the gun went off I was really focused on not going out too fast. The plan was to keep the first mile at 7:20. When my Garmin hit 1 mile, I was right on Target. At mile 2 I decided to pick it up. That probably wasn't the best idea and I probably should have tried to keep it around 7:20. I saw Britt at the turnaround which was really motivating. I waved and she snapped a pic of me going by.

I really like this photo. I feel I look how I felt at this point--strong and fast. My mile 2 split was 7:15. I continued to pass people that had originally flew past me in the beginning so that felt good, but I felt myself slowing down. I had my watch on average pace (not lap pace) so I don't think I really realized how slow I was going. I thought I had this PR in the bag. When I got towards the end and saw the clock, I thought there had to be a mistake. My average pace on my Garmin was equating to a PR?! I tried to kick it out at the end, but it was too late. Mile 3 was clocked at 7:32. As we all know, Garmins are not an exact tool. The reason why I thought I had a PR was that my average pace was below my PR pace. The distance on my watch was 3.14 which probably accounted for the weaving and wide course lanes. (Note: I should pay closer attention to tangents in 5ks.) My final official time was 23:02. Not a PR but close. Special thanks to Lauren who was near the finish line, cheering us through the final stretch.

The more I think about the race, I can't be disappointed in myself. I gave it a good try and it just wasn't my day. This wasn't my race (this time). That is the great thing about 5ks, there will always be more. I know I have a PR in these legs... Now it is time to refocus my energy and mentality into the RNR Half Marathon. The more I think about it, I feel this is where my heart has been all along. RNR, I'm coming for you!

The race course itself was a nice out and back. There was some gravel so it seemed a bit dusty the first mile when the super speedy folks were literally leaving u's in their dust. I loved that they had race-day packet pickup so I didn't have to stress about trying to get to whatever random downtown location days before the race. They changed the shirts this year to offer a dryfit gender specific option, but the shirts were kind of boxy and not very fitted/flattering. They were still better than a unisex shirt though. 1 post-race beer was included with our entry and we had a choice of Summer Shandy or Miller Lite. Hello Summer Shandy! To me, it was the obvious choice. They had a live band playing some fun tunes and some folks even brought a blanket to sit and hang out for awhile. It was a fun race and definitely family friendly. I continue to recommend this race as I think it is well run, well organized, and for a good cause.

Hanging out with the FNRC post-race L to R: Me, Amanda, Wayne, Susan, Tony, Maggie

Now it is time to have some fun at the Warrior Dash this weekend! :) I'm ready to get covered in mud on a 90 degree day.

I have been running on empty the past few days. I didn't get enough sleep on the bachelorette party weekend, I worked crazy hours on Monday, and I had a day trip to Memphis on Tuesday. By yesterday, I was dying and having trouble keeping my head up at my desk come 3pm. I had speedwork on the schedule for later in the evening and I talked to my coach and we made some adjustments. The workout was mile repeats which I hadn't done before. I love a challenge and I'm surprised what I can do in workouts when I aim for a loftier pace goal than I would have even tried without the help of my coach. And then when I try it, it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I'm getting excited for some of the upcoming goal races to REALLY see what I can do when I have the confidence and training to push my body farther than it has ever gone before. Get ready PR! I'm coming for you!

I officially signed up for the Jim Gibbons 5k today. It is the first 5k I ever did, back in 2006. Here is a small excerpt from my embarrassing old college LiveJournal (to anyone interested in reading that pile of garbage, it is "friends only," sorry... not really).

June 15, 2006
i am running a 5k today for lukemia research. its the first 5k i've done in years, if ever. i am running it with amanda so it should be fun. if this works out, i might do these more often. 

Who knew I'd become so addicted only a few short years later? I think of what my life was then and what it is now and so much has changed! As kind of a trip down memory lane, I've made this race one of my goal races for the year. I'm excited to push the pace and aim for that 5k PR that I know I can achieve! It is on Thursday, June 14 at 6:30 in the city and quite a few of my fellow blogger friends are doing it too. I know there is an Active Advantage discount if you're a member, so you should sign up too! We are going to probably do a meetup too before and after the race. If you're looking for a reason to signup, last time I did it, there was free beer post-race. Just saying....!!!

Do you often think about your first race (outside of high school athletics)? What distance was it and how long ago? I don't have any photos from back then, otherwise I would post it! Instead, I'll leave you with a photo from my first Shamrock Shuffle 8k, 9 months after my first ever 5k. I think this race was kind of a door-opener to other races for me. I had friends that were running it, I had graduated college, I was ready to start my life as an adult.

I'm the one in the middle, bib #19463, giving the camera the stink eye

Now... Let's talk about some things about this photo that make me giggle. I don't even know what shorts those are. Those gym shoes are totally from high school and 4+ years old (and the sports bra is probably from high school too--yikes). I love that I'm wearing my bib over my boobs. Why wear a sweet UIC shirt if no one can see the logo? Also, I think that MP3 play I'm using can only hold about 15 songs on it. (Thankfully it was a short race.) Despite all these things, I still ran a 47:34 (9:34) with no pain. Ah to be young again. Haha. Do you have photos from an early race? How have you changed since then?