UNCC 5K

3.2 down, 36.8 to go!

I woke up to thunder, lightning and pouring rain at 5:30ish this morning. Thinking ... oh goodness ... I *will not* run in the pouring rain. But it was still early, so I dozed off again.

The little one woke me up about 6:30AM. It was cold and misty outside. And I start thinking to myself, oh maybe I didn't think this whole thing through. I bet the only people running a race on a day like today are serious business runners. Not people like me who started (inconsistently)running 5 months ago. In a panic, I think to myself ... OH MY GOSH, I am actually going to finish this race LAST!!

But, I'm not giving up!

Picked up my BFF and amazing accountability partner, Salina. (picture below!) And off we went. Once we got to the race, the excitement hit and I was very happy to be there, although a little cold in the 38 degree mist!

Lined up and at the gunshot we were off! 1/4 mile around the track and then out on a run through the campus of UNCC. Did much better than I thought I would during the 1st mile. Shortly after the beginning of the 2nd mile began a hill...that basically didn't quit till the 3rd mile!!! A few short(TINY) flat stretches and a couple of tiny(MICROSCOPIC) downhills...but really, it was all uphill. That was KILLER! I did walk a little bit there. But, thankfully the last 350 yards or so was flat and the very last bit was a terrific downhill that gave me a huge burst of speed and I finished super fast! During my training runs, I've been focusing on sprinting through the last bit, so that I can sprint through the finish lines...CAUSE, every second counts!!!

Very happy with my results, finished at 34:10 which is an 11 minute mile. And, I wasn't LAST! HAHAHA

My goal will now be to become more consistent with training and shave time off of the next race.

Here's a nice, "no make-up", pre-race photo in the parking garage.....

The beginning....

Is tomorrow! My 1st race in the 40 by 40 challenge is tomorrow morning. A 5K. I'm not as ready, no where near as ready, as I should be. (insert sarcasm) And, the weather is looking marvelous, by the way. AM showers. Actually, it's not that bad...should clear up by 9AM when the race starts and it'll be around 40*.

So, I'd LOVE to finish it with a 11-minute pace. But if I finish under 45 minutes, I'll be happy. Yes, I know those are not amazing, record-breaking stats and it's taken me a bit to come to terms with that. But this is running, in my real-life.

This is just the beginning, so I'll start here and hopefully by spring and early summer with many races under my belt, my times will be amazing!

I'll update tomorrow with my results and maybe a picture. I'm running with my BFF, Salina, so I'll try to get a picture with her too! I'm excited to have a friend doing this with me, so much more fun that way.

Feet don't fail me now..... :)