Thursday, December 5th I said to my husband, I think I’ll run that 5K on Sunday. It’s close and convenient. Originally we had talked about all going as a family but our oldest had a commitment in the morning so I decided to just go alone. So Friday at 4:00 PM, I registered. Friday at 6:00 PM my oldest spiked a crazy high fever that he would continue to run throughout the weekend and into the next week. With little sleep and Mom guilt I got up and out on Sunday morning for the race. I really had no plan throughout 2019 as to what races I would run, as I found them I signed up if they worked for our schedule. But I had never decided quite so last minute to run a race.

This was the first time I would run a 5K since June. Much had changed since June. In June I had been running for just about three months. I had not yet started to go to the trainer and it was my first race in nearly twenty years. Fast forward to December of 2019. I had been running consistently for nearly ten months. Going to the trainer for five months. Not to mention I had run several longer races. The temperature was also significantly different. As opposed to hot and humid it was quite chilly!!

Off I went, with the promise of “Mommy Snuggles” when I returned. Oh, and yes, he wanted to know if I was going to win this one too. I knew there was a chance I could be first overall female. But I gave my usual response, of trying my best!

The race was run primarily on the campus of the local Jewish Community Center. It was much hiller than I was expecting it to be but it was a good course. There were approximately 150 other runners. At the start I might of been taking inventory of the other women out there that morning and who I thought was in my age category. Race, running is a personal sport and I simply wanted to beat my time from June. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t competitive. Another woman and I went out basically together. Here’s where running is a mental sport. She was slightly ahead of me for the first mile and a half. But I was staying with her, could see her. However, I convinced myself that she was 1) a more seasoned runner and 2) was clearly faster than me. Do I know either of those things for certain…absolutely not. So I pushed on but I also resigned myself to the fact that I couldn’t catch her. Turns out she finished 31 seconds faster than I did. So what’s that 10 seconds a mile. Seemingly not much, but in reality a pretty good amount when you consider the following:

• I had hoped to finish in under 25:00.
• I ran 3 miles the day before in 25:50
• I finished the race in 24:27.
• I finished the June 5K race in 26:57

So rather than focusing on what it would have taken to be first overall female, I focused on:

• The amount of time I took off my time from June…2 minutes and 30 seconds!!
• The fact that I hadn’t run a 24 minute 5K in A LOT OF YEARS!!
• Oh, and I won my age category so my kids still think I won.

In all seriousness, I don’t know if I could have run any faster than the 24:27. That was already shaving a considerable amount of time off my other times. But I do know I got into my own head during the race. Whether that changed the outcome or not I don’t know. I’m still super proud of my finish, had a fun time and rounded out my first running year back with a great race!