5 Mile Pumpkin Run!

Well, tomorrow is the Pumpkin Run which is a 5 mile race.  I've not ever done a 5 mile race so it should be fun.  I feel like I've gotten plenty of training with the half marathons I've ran within the last month.  I know with the 5 miler it will be more speed.  I figure I'll probably do it in 40 minutes or so.  I'd like to be in the 30's though.  We'll see!

I did some yoga for runners this evening.  I've not really done much of stretching in a long time, well since a boot camp cross training class I took over the summer.  I have a lot of cross training and stretching to do.  Just the little bit of stretching I did tonight felt really good and I feel looser.

Well, I'll be back to post about how the race goes in the morning!

POST PUMPKIN 5 MILE RUN

I WAS A LITTLE UNSURE HOW THIS RACE WAS GOING TO GO.  I HADN'T RUN A 5 MILE RACE AND KNEW IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT THAN THE 5K RUN WHICH IS ONLY 3.1 MILES.  I HAD WROTE IN MY JOURNAL THE NIGHT BEFORE THAT I WOULD PROBABLY RUN 40 MINUTES...

THE PUMPIN RUN WENT WELL, BETTER THAN I THOUGHT.  IT WAS COLD, THE COLDEST RACE I HAD RUN SO FAR.  I WAS ASKING A FEW PEOPLE HOW THE COURSE WAS.  THEY SAID HILLY.  I THOUGHT, "GREAT!"  I DON'T LIKE HILLS, ESPECIALLY SINCE I HADN'T REALLY TRAINED ON HILLS.  I HAD DONE A FEW HILL RUNS HERE AND THERE, BUT THAT WAS IT.  THE RACE STARTED AT MCCLELLUND PARK WHICH WAS BEAUTIFUL.  I HADN'T BEEN TO THAT PARK BEFORE.  THE TREES WERE COLORFUL AND I'M THINKING TO MYSELF THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO GO OUT THERE SOMETIME AND TAKE PICTURES.  ANYWAYS, BACK TO THE RACE.  WE GOT LINED UP ON THE STARTING LINE.  THEY WENT OVER RACE RULES AND ALL THAT.  THE GUN FIRED AND OFF WE WENT!  I TOOK OUT HARD TRYING TO GET A GOOD START.  I'M RUNNING ALONG AND THEN THE FIRST ROLLING HILL ABOUT AT THE HALF MILE POINT.  WE THEN COME TO AN INTERSECTION, TURING LEFT AND UP A LONG INCLINE HILL AT ABOUT THE 1.5 MILE POINT MAYBE.  WE THEN GOT TO SUNSET SUBDIVISION AND I KNEW WHERE I WAS BECAUSE I HAVE FRIENDS WHO LIVE THERE.  THERE WERE SOME NEIGHBORHOOD PEOPLE WITH THEIR CHAIRS ON THE ENTRANCE TO THEIR SUBDIVISION.  THEY WERE CHEERING FOR US.  THAT WAS NICE.  AT ABOUT THE 2.5 MILE POINT THE RUNNERS ARE HEADED BACK AND HERE YOU CAN SEE EVERYONE WHO IS AHEAD OF YOU.  I'M TRYING TO LOOK FOR LADIES WHO MIGHT BE IN MY AGE GROUP.  EVERYONE SEEMED TO BE YOUNGER THAN ME SO THAT WAS A GOOD SIGN, LOL!  ACTUALLY, THERE WERE ONLY TWO GIRLS AHEAD OF ME AND THEY ARE TWO THAT I KNOW.  I KEPT THE SPEED I WAS AT UNTIL THE LAST MILE.  THOSE HILLS HAD KILLED ME AND IT FELT LIKE MY FEET WERE BARELY COMING OFF THE GROUND AND THERE WAS ONE FINAL HILL AHEAD OF ME, WELL, TWO!  ONE OF THE VOLUNTEERS HAD TOLD ME I WAS THE THIRD FEMALE.  I SAW A LADY BEHIND ME AND WAS HOPING SHE DIDN'T CATCH ME AND PASS ME UP.  SHE LOOKED TO BE IN MY AGE GROUP.  I WAS TRYING NOT TO PANT TOO LOUD GIVING AWAY THAT I WAS ALMOST OUT OF GAS, LOL!  SO, I GET UP THAT HILL AND TURN RIGHT AS I'M ON MY FINAL STRETCH AND DOWN THE HILL I WENT AND THEN ONE LAST HILL.  I JUST PUMPED MY ARMS AS HARD AS I COULD AND ONCE I SAW THE FINISH LINE I JUST STARTED PUMPING MY ARMS AND I WOULD FINISH WITHOUT ANYONE PASSING ME BEFORE THE FINISH LINE.  MY TIME WAS 39:52.20 WITH A 7:58 PACE.  I GOT THIRD OVERALL FEMALE, 1ST IN MY AGE GROUP AND I WAS HAPPY!  I MIGHT RUN THE RACE AGAIN NEXT YEAR.

http://actnowracing.com/images/stories/Pumpkin_Run_Overall_Results.pdf



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