Yesterday I ran the Frosty 5K. This race was for a child welfare agency that I used to work for. In fact my first job out of college was as a caseworker for that agency. I feel I learned a lot working there and wanted to give back. On Friday I went to a local running store and picked up my packet. I was in need of new shoes so got a pair as well. They are probably the least costly pair I have bought since they were on clearance and the store has a program that allows you to earn store credit. Between my husband and I we had earned $25 in credit which I put towards the shoes.
It was going to be a cold morning for a run. I got to the starting area about half an hour before race time. This was going to be a pretty small race compared to others I have been in so wasn't to concerned about finding a place to park. As I sat in my car with the heater going I saw some of the other participants warming up. Immediately I felt out of place. There appeared to be quite a few "elite" runners signed up. Which made sense because who else signs up to do a race in 14 degree temperatures. My goal for every race I do is to finish, improve my time and not get last. This time I thought I might get 2 out of 3 due to the other runners I saw. I am also still trying to figure out what to wear on cold run days. Today I decided on a long sleeve tech shirt, short sleeve tech shirt, leggings, a pair of sweat pants, fleece jackets and my tiara bondi band. At the start I saw people in shorts, t-shirts, those are usually the "serious"runners who are only going to be outside for 15 minutes or so and won't feel the cold.
The gun went off and away we went. I felt good and the crowd really helped to push me even as several people passed me. At the first mile my run app told me I was going at a 10:37 pace which is fast for me. This was also the time when I saw the first group of runners heading back towards the finish line. Anyway the course was nice, fairly level and ran along the riverfront. I finished the race with a time of 34:38, I was happy with this as it gave me a new personal record and I wanted to finish in less than 35 minutes. The company that did the registration even put it on my facebook page so my friends and family could see. My husband knew my average place before I did. However, I was not finished running for the day. On my half marathon training schedule I was supposed to do a 10 k race. I had decided after I finished the race I would go to the post race party for a little bit and then go back out and finish 3 miles. Only thing I didn't count on was how sore I would feel after pushing it for the real race. I did manage to squeak out the last 3 but not without pain and suffering. I spent a lot of time limping when I got home and sitting with my feet on a bag of frozen vegetables.
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