To celebrate my husband and I decided to run the 5k for Learning in North Park on Sunday. Could it be anymore fitting?! He was hoping to PR while I was hoping to just survive. I can't believe I'm saying this but I am still sore from Oil Creek! It's crazy!
While waiting at the starting line he said he doesn't think I push myself hard enough so I vowed to show him! HAHAHAHA! That always ends well doesn't it?
The Pittsburgh Passion women's pro football team sounded the air horn and I took off like, well, a banshee. I was the first woman overall for the first 400 meters or so. I knew one of the women from other races and knew she could whip me so I let her pass. Then another woman passed and I decided I wanted to hold third place for as long as I could. I managed to hang on until just over a mile in and then there was.... *drum roll*
....a hill. No, not actually the one in the picture but it was big enough to slow me down. I KNOW I should do more hill training to get faster and strengthen my legs but I despise hills. And now I despised this hill more than any other yet because I got passed. Two women overtook me on the hill and another shortly after as I gasped for breath on the downhill to the turn around. I was now running in sixth and thought maybe I could get it together enough to reclaim 5th and have my first ever top-5 finish.
The best laid plans, eh? It wasn't long before I heard footsteps behind me and two college girls who looked like they were hardly working breezed by. I gave it my all to keep up with them as we rounded the bend to the final stretch. My lungs were burning, my muscles were screaming, and my mind was telling me there was no way I was on PR pace and I must be having a bad day. I wanted to quit and walk more than anything but I fought the urge. Every inch in the increasing gap between me and those girls just made me angrier.
I was mad at myself for not being strong enough to stay ahead of them. I was mad at the hill for winning. I was mad at the cold air for burning my throat with every gasp. I heard another set of approaching footsteps and I have never wanted to knock another runner down so much in my life. I hate to admit it but slipping from 8th to 9th was like a kick in the teeth. I was less than .1 mile from the finish line and this woman was passing me and there was nothing I could do about it! AAAAAHHHHHH!
I saw the finish line clock and it read 26:xx. I couldn't believe I had a chance at finishing in under 27 minutes! I dug really deep to push that last hundred yards or so and just eeked it out with a 26:58 finish and a PR! I was 22/96 overall, 9/65 women, and 3/30 in my age group. Crazy that a THIRD of the field was in my age group?! My hubby missed a PR by seconds but he still finished 9th overall and 2nd in his age group.
We collected our medals from the Pittsburgh Passion ladies and shared some reGen with them. I thought that was just so awesome! This sponsorship has just taken me to so many new places! Thanks reGen!
All in all, it was just a great day and now I feel ready to take on the next chapter of my education!
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