New Traditions and PRs

Yesterday marked a new tradition (hopefully). I ran the Colorado Springs Turkey Trot. This was a test to see if the speed and strength work I've been doing has paid off and to enjoy the energy and good vibes that are found at road races.

The race didn't start until 9am, so I ate breakfast, walked the dogs, took my husband to work, did yoga and ran a half mile warm up before leaving for the race.

The nice thing about 5Ks (and I've forgotten this after doing marathons for so long) is that parking is a breeze. With marathons, roads are often blocked off for miles and you have to park so far away from where you want to be. I was able to park at a grocery store and walk less than a quarter of a mile to the starting line. Perfect ;)

Turkey costumes and funny turkey related signs were abundant on the way to the course. There was a mixture of participants and different areas of the starting line were roped off for people with strollers, people who planned to walk, 10+ mile pace, 8-9 mile pace, and 6-7 mile pace (I was wondering and also heard others asking where the 7-8 mile pace group was - it just didn't exist!). Everyone had a part to play.

Once the national anthem was sung, the different pace groups were released. Since my race pace for a 5K is roughly 7:30, I stayed towards the front part of the 8-9 pace group as we started off.

The first mile was completely uphill.

It was a gradual, unforgiving climb, one that left you gasping for air. My only thought when I reached the top (besides "I can't breath") was that "thank god I get to go downhill now."

During the last mile, when it got really tough, I thought about my husband who had to work all day on Thanksgiving and would have loved to have been outside. I thought about my mom, who has had two knee surgeries and use to run a little when we were younger (I just recently found this out). I thought about my late mother in law, who lost the ability to walk during the last two years of her life. I thought about my niece, who just ran her first 5K last month and is so enthusiastic about running. And of course, I thought about my sole sisters. I didn't get to the finish line alone.

And just like that, it was over.

My actual 5K PR is 22:48 (I looked it up). That was in Rogers, AR - 4,667 feet difference in elevation. So I'm considering this my new 5K PR at high elevation ;) This next year I'm going to try shorter, faster distances. A marathon is not on my radar (for right now) and I think I'm going to like it. With marathons - it was a mental toughness that you had to develop to push away the darkness when all you want to do was give up and go home. With a 5K, it's a quick, slightly painful push that gets you where you need to be and I think I'm going to like it. :)

XOXO

KS