After picking up my number (#25 ... with my name on it ...), I hang out with Mark, Alyssa, Emaad and Pam until the race starts. A few minutes before the start, we head outside into the sub-20 degree air. It's freezing and not even my magic tights are keeping me warm! We hear the race director say "GO" and off we go. The first mile flies by, and I'm stunned to see the watch say 7:35. Wow, I'm either going to have a really great run, or I'm going to completely die. The inner voices tell me that I'm going too fast, but I don't care because I'm on a mission. I'm leaving it all outside today. It's going to be a "fly-and-die" kind of day.
Mark passes me around mile 1.25, says that we're going really fast, I nod because I'm past the point of all talking, and he jets off. I try to stay with him, but he's running too fast for me. The second mile is harder than the first ... a 7:52. Ok, that's still respectable! Everything hurts at this point, but somewhere inside I hear the "You can go under 25:00 today!" voice. So I push on and try not to let the pain in my legs get the best of me. Despite my best efforts, it's a true fly and die, as my last mile is an 8:05. I round the corner, and come into the finish. Panting, I try to catch my breath, and realize that I'm finally warm.
My final time: 24:29 (7:53 min/mile average). A full 3 minutes faster than my previous PR. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could ever run that fast. A sub-8 average? That's crazy. Let's compare to this exact same race last year, where I ran a 28:56 (9:18 min/mile). What a difference a year makes, huh?
Mark, the speed demon, comes in as 23:13, probably a PR for him; Emaad and Alyssa, around 27:30, Caren around 30:00, and Pam around 31:00. Great races for everyone! And what a great way to start out the New Year. Check out all the results at: New Years Day 5K
4 comments:
Truly amazing CM. Great job on your PR and leaving it all out there. Feels great doesn't it? Happy New Year and keep it up!
Great job CM-- I am really happy for you-- It's a great way to start the New Year.
congrats, CM! --- and of course, you will be even faster in a few months if you keep training as hard (and not getting injured!) as you have been ... speedwork DOES make a huge difference, esp. in the shorter distances ... ^z
Thanks everyone!
Absolutely a great run, and you're right Caren, it feels great.
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