I feel good!

This morning I drove to the Race for Pace in chilly temps, some gusts of wind, and a drizzle. Fortunately, the rain stopped about 30 minutes before the race started, and you could even almost make out the sun behind some clouds. But the wind did blow off and on.

I ended up wearing the Superman shirt and cape with a long-sleeved pink Under Armour shirt underneath (it clashed, but I figured the pink made it more Supergirlish). I wore navy leggins/tight-like capris with gray shorts with teal borders over the leggins. It was a look, let me tell you. I had a windbreaker on, but I decided just before the gun went off, that I did not need it, so I tied it around my waist.

This was the first 5k I had run with an iphone playing music. I think it helped. I was singing (mouthing the words) for first mile or so. Eventually that ended. I also started off smiling, because I felt good. Maybe it was the Superman shirt or cape...

My family was supposed to be waiting near the end of the race, just before the final (awful!) hill, but they actually got there just before the race started, so I got to see them during my first minute too. That was great. If they had not been on the other side of the road, I would have thrown them my windbreaker, since it was serving no purpose.

Throughout the race, I tried to run a little faster down the hills to try to make up for how slowly I run uphill. I am 95 percent sure I can walk up a hill faster than I can run, but I refuse to walk.

When I got to the halfway point, I checked the time and was shocked to see it was only 9:13 (the race started right on time at 9 a.m.). I knew there was no way I could ran back as fast, but at that moment, I was pretty sure I could run the race in 30 minutes, maybe less. That really helped propel me.

The final 1/2 mile (maybe even less than that, but I felt like a mile) was brutal, up the biggest hill. My family was not at the bottom, but I figured they were just close to the top.

Even though my pace was super slow, I saw that it was 9:25, so I figured surely I could make it up the hill in five minutes. Seeing my family within a minute or two helped, and I pushed as much as I could, considering I was running faster than I normally do during my weekly runs.

When I reached the top, I only had to run down the driveway, which is probably a couple hundred feet. I had almost nothing left to give, but I could see the clock at just over 28 minutes, so I ran (which was more like a fast jog).

I ended up finishing in about 29:21. I was smiling (and panting, and sweating, and could barely walk).

But I had a good race. I am really proud of myself.

And, almost best of all, I got a medal for first place in my group.

Yeah, SuperGirl. As a friend on Facebook said, it must have been the cape.

Did I say the Flash? I meant Superman(girl)

It turns out that Target sells Superman shirts with a small cape attached to the back. I found this in the men's department yesterday, so of course, I had to buy one. Just in case.

Here is this little gem.

When I ran this afternoon, which will be my final run before the race, I started off, as I typically do, feeling good. And, just as typical, within a couple of minutes, I wondered how I will ever run 30 minutes. During the first 10 minutes, I often wonder how I will hit 15 or 20 minutes.

Eventually, I got through it, and inevitably, I felt decent enough to make the 30 minutes (I am often propelled by a good song on the iPhone). I am guessing I ran about 2.8 miles. But I know I did run about 1.4 miles in just under 14 minutes, so I am satisfied with that. I am still somewhat disturbed by the fact that every time I run up this crazy steep hill in my neighborhood, that my heart rate hits 180 bpm. My heart rate has always gone high when I ran up hills. But 180 bpm in your 20s seems less scary than in your 40s.

In any event, I am still torn about what will happen next week at the race. Most of me just wants to wear that caped beauty and have fun. But a tiny part of me wants to see how I can really do.

I have six days to figure it out.

Getting ready for the Race for Pace

The Race for Pace is now less than two weeks away. I have been running once a week for the past month (I think!). When I ran a week ago, I timed myself at various points along the run, but I was not sure how far each point was, so that was kind of pointless. Well, I know the distance from my house to one point and back is about 1.4 miles. But I had timed myself from my house to that point and then back to my street (not quite to my house), and I kept going. I did that in 12 minutes. Which meant that I ran about 1.2 to 1.3 miles in 12 minutes. So not bad.

Yesterday, while at my mom's, I ran a route around her neighborhood and into a nearby one. I stopped my timer when I got back to her house, at just over 21:29 seconds. I ran around her cul-de-sac for another 10 minutes. Early that afternoon, I decided to drive the distance. It turns out I ran 2.1 miles. So I ran just over a 10:30 mile. Even better than last week. And, did I mention that it was about 45 degrees?!

Knowing that, a big part of me really wants to do the 5k in 33 minutes. If I am being really honest, I want to do it in just over 31 minutes. But not likely.

We will just have to wait and see.

Oh, and I have decided to go as the Flash. Sort of. I bought a red shirt, and I will put a lightening bolt on it. Should be fun/interesting. And ironic, because I am so not the Flash when it comes to running.