I have a lot of other things to be thankful for this year as well. Instead of boring everyone with a long list of things I'm just going to say thank you to my family, friends, and running community for being there all the time no matter what!
On to the fun stuff! Races, of course! I've been meaning to get around to writing about the last couple races we've done but I keep getting side tracked. I guess taking full time college courses while working full time will do that to you!
So the (awesome!) synopsis of what Team Brunazzi has been up to! (And if you didn't know, you can now find Team Brunazzi on FaceBook!)
The week after Savannah was a race I really enjoyed last year (it was my first age group award!), the Marshall Mangler 8k Trail Race. Last year was its first year and I ran around 1:03. This year I ran a 56:55 despite my legs still being dead and set a course PR. I was very happy with that and even happier that my husband took third in his age group!
The next weekend we ran the Fight for Life 5k in Apollo, PA. I ran a new PR of 26:23 and took first in my age group (that's only the second time I've done that!). My husband ran it in 23:05 and took second in his age group. A man who told me he was 70 years old finished less than a minute behind me. I really hope I'm still running (and fast!) when I'm 70!
Finally (well for now), we decided to do a Turkey Trot for Thanksgiving. We planned to do it as a family but both kids have had minor colds and we didn't want them to get worse so just Shane and I went this time. I told myself it was just for fun but as soon as the gun went off I couldn't hold back! I decided to just charge ahead and see what happened.
It was a 3.2 mile, two loop course so I felt great anticipation as I approached the clock after the first loop. I told myself I would be happy with anything under 14 minutes. I looked up and passed the clock at 12:37 for the first 1.6 miles! I did some quick math and realized that I had a small chance of meeting my sub-25 minute goal ahead of schedule! I pushed myself to keep the pace and fought to pick off as many people as I could on the second loop.
I battled an older (than me) woman for most of the last mile. She would catch up to me and that would fuel me to pick up the pace again. We did this for the whole time until the last little bit when she finally fell back. I caught sight of a woman I hadn't noticed in the crowds who looked to be in my age group (24-33, weird huh?) and I tried my hardest to catch her. My breathing was ragged, my legs were burning, and my throat was on fire in the chilly air. Finally we rounded the last bend and I could see the clock just hitting 25 minutes! I couldn't believe I had missed my sub-25 by only seconds but I refused to dwell on it. I pushed to the finish line where I was forced to slow a little because of a bottleneck into the shoot.
My official time was 25:36! Shane ran a 22:18 which is his second fastest 5k ever.
On this Thanksgiving Team Brunazzi has a lot to be thankful for. Not the least of which is our ability to run and our ability to inspire others! That woman who leap-frogged me the whole last mile? She ran a PR too because she used me as a target! She thanked me when she finished and then congratulated me on my own PR.
Today I am thankful for the running community that has surrounded me and lifted my spirits while I battled for each and every improvement. I'm thankful to be able to run and I'm thankful that I have a family and friends that support my running. It hasn't been the easiest journey but nobody said it would be. It has, however, been worth it!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Be safe out there and remember to thank those who support you and inspire you!
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