13 Days To Marathon

5k race in 24:30 then 5.5 miles in 52 minutes.

My friend Karrie organized a 5k race to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. She worked hard and coordinated a great race. Here's the group of friends who ran:

This was my first time to run a 5k (3.1 miles), but not my first time to participate in a 5k. A few years ago I walked/jogged a 5k with Mel and Aunt Kaye. I pushed my girls in a stroller. We would have been among the last to finish if it weren't for a sprint at the end to make sure a pack of grandmas didn't beat us.

My very first experience with a 5k was around age 12. My friend told me he was going to the race the next day and asked if I wanted to come. Big mistake. I remember being so, so far behind the group that I soon lost track of any other runners. The course wasn't very well marked and I had no idea where I was going. I eventually found my way to the finish line. I may have been the last one to finish.

Thankfully this one went a little better. A few minutes into the race I realized I was in third place behind Matthew and Liz. I didn't want to look behind me for fear that the rest of the pack was on my tail and would breeze by me any second.

A frightening thing happened after the first mile. I had no idea how it was happening, but I realized that my lungs were quickly filling with molten lava. I could not seem to get air in and my chest was burning. Fire. Ouch. Lava. Suffocate. Want to cry.

Eventually I looked back and saw that I was still holding my ground in third place. There was one guy not too far away and I was afraid he'd make a break for it. I was so surprised when I turned a corner about 1/2 mile from the finish and realized he wouldn't be able to catch me.

Granted, this was not a huge race. There weren't thousands of people running. But the excitement of finishing a race in third place felt like a big accomplishment. My time for Mile One was 7:52, Mile Two was 8:30, and Mile Three was 8:06. Among the prizes were a sweet water bottle and pedometer.

After the race I ran another 5.5 miles to complete my 8.5 mile long run for the week. Needless to say, I was pretty tired and the 5.5 wasn't too fun. I was so hungry. I just kept thinking about how I wanted to eat me some flapjacks or McGriddles.

I'm going to tone it down over the next two weeks until the St. George Marathon to give my body a chance to rest up and get rid of soreness. I will also eat me some McGriddles.

"Racing teaches us to challenge ourelves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it's all about." ~ PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian