Great race!

I have been looking forward to the race today, but at the same time dreading it. It is known for being a fast course and its true bc everyone pr'd today!!

As you can see from my last post I had a lofty goal! For my half training it says I need to go a 33 min 5k to go a certain time at the half. (So that is part of the reason I wanted to do my 6 min drop. Along with my previous running partner going that so easily!) Although that race isn't for three more weeks, I had hoped I could do it today. But after Thursdays run I realized that wasn't going to happen just yet!

So i changed my goals for today to get a pr and break 37 minutes. Even after I changed my goal I was still really nervous! I am not sure what was causing my nervousness until I talked with my friend Katie. I decided to run with her and Rhonda bc they were close to my speed. Once we had decided that my nerves got better! I think I was afraid to run alone in front of so many people.

The race was huge!! There were close to 200 people, which is big for a local race. There were 2 cross country teams there. One was a local hs team, the other was a college team. So I knew it was going to be a fast race!

I started off and actually started faster than Katie and Rhonda but they were right behind me! My first mile was 11:42 which i was pleased with. I just knew mile 2 had to be just as fast and I was pretty close. A little over 12 for mile 2. Katie and Rhonda passed me somewhere in there. I knew they would catch me! :)

I realized i could possibly even be under 36 if I picked it up for mile 3. I went my fastest mile 11:25. For the last three or four tenths of the 5K, we run into a park and around a track to the finish line. My girl Twila was waiting at the entrance to run the last bit with me. She had already pr'd and finished! As we were rounding the curve she asked if I could sprint the last tenth. I informed her I was sprinting! :) My pace for that last tenth was 10 min something. Definitely sprinting for me!! I thought I was going to throw up but Twila told me to push through and it would go away! It did, and I crossed the finish crushing my previous 5k time by 3 and a half minutes!!

My new 5k time is 35:47!! Couldn't have done it without Twila there pushing me at the end! That 35 was all her! :).

Our next 5k is in three weeks. I am going to work on speed during my short runs and really shoot for that 33 then!