Relay For Life 5K



This past Saturday was the Relay For Life 5K .  Of course my goal for any 5K is to finish in under 30 minutes but to be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this race because lets face it, I didn't train as well as I should have.
These past couple days have been down right HOT and the furthest run I got in was only 2 miles ( and that's all running).  I did longer run/walks but I'm not counting them at this point because some of the walk break were pretty long.

When I arrived at the sport complex it looked sort of overcast and was a bit cool. The weather was perfect for running, I just hoped that it didn't start raining. I got in line for my bib and since I pre-registered I was given a tech shirt.


While I was in line, I over heard a lady say that she wanted a shirt but she had to wait and see if there were any extra left over because she didn't pre-register.  I thought for a quick minute about just giving her MY shirt because I really don't need another race shirt.  But by the time it was my turn to collect my bib and shirt, the lady had left and I didn't see where she went.  I actually quite like the race shirt. Its very generously sized,and says Relay for Life on it.  I decided to keep it so I walked it back to my car.

Since it was pretty early yet and my body wasn't "feeling it", I decided to do a little warm up run. I've NEVER actually done a run before my race.  I ran out of the parking lot and up and down the road out in front of it. I then came back and walked a couple laps around the track.  This is where they had all the Relay For Life festivities set up. They still had luminaries set up around the track in memory of those who were lost to cancer.  My right hip had been bothering me for a few days, so there was that little niggle. And as I walked around the track, my left knee felt as if it needed to crack. Have you have had that feeling where your knee feels real loose and you have to crack it into place?
Photo from our local  Relay For Life Facebook page

We all lined up on the track for the start, but before we began the chair lady of the race spoke about a boy name Brenden,who the race was in memory of. I didn't know him but he attended the local high school here and passed of cancer this past year at the young age of only 15. It was a group of his friends that put this race together. I admit I got a little teary. Then they passed out purple Relay for Life bracelets to all the runners.  Then we were off.

We did a lap around the track before heading out of the complex and into a neighborhood.  These runners were really fast. I tried to keep up but then one by one runners where passing me.  I then thought of what Deborah ( at Confessions of  a Mother Runner ) wrote about on Friday "Just run your own race".  After the first mile I settled into a pace that was comfortable for ME. I had to remember that a majority of the runners who passed me were kids from the high school track team and they were all probably going to finish under 25 minutes.

Because I went out too fast, I was parched. My mouth and throat were SO dry that I was looking forward to the turn around point cus I knew there would be water! Oh, and by the way, by the time the race started there were no clouds and the sun was out in all its glory. It was Hot!

I made it to the turn around point but now things were starting to get a little easier so I decided to just keep pressing on and not stop for water.  I really expected to finish in about 32 minutes but when I circled around the track and was at a point where I could see the clock, I saw that it read 28:xx, that surprised the heck out of me so I kicked it in to high gear and ended up getting my sub 30 finish after all.

It's not a personal best but let me tell you I was pleased as pie! I was on a running high all week because of that unexpected finish time.  There were no age group awards but the Relay team gave out a TON of runner prizes (randomly by drawing bib numbers) including gift certificates to a lot of local places. Sadly I didn't win anything but I was truly happy to just be a part of it all.

Oh, and by the way. Later that day I made the connection as to who this young boy was. Brendan's family (his parents) use to raise Yellow Labradors at their farm.
Belle is on the right, Baylee on the left.
                   That is where we got Belle from.  It really is a small world after all, isn't it?  -M


27 comments:

  1. Well done - you rock! I am just trying to get under 40 minutes.

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  2. Great job on that 3ub-30! I go back and forth on 5K's...at one time, they were such a long distance for me and I struggled bring able to run the entire course without walking. AS I got stronger, I kind of snubbed them because they weren't long enough. Now, I have a new respect for the 5K distance because I've realized it's more of a "sprint" (and I am not especially gifted with speed), so I have the challenge of running "fast" without slowing down.

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    1. I've gotten away from running 5ks because I was focusing on longer distances where it was more about endurance than speed, but now it feel good to get out there and run some shorter distances!

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  3. Great job on the sub-30! It's always nice to have a surprise finish time--faster than you anticipate. I can't remember the last time I ran a 5k.

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  4. Sounds like you made the best out of the race! It's so hard to run fast when it gets so hot in the summer. Congrats on still pulling out a sub-30

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    1. Thanks Julie even though it was hot, I have a feeling the 4th of July race will be much hotter!

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  5. Congratulations on an awesome race!! I'm so excited for you! I'm glad you ran your own race, and enjoyed it!

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    1. Yes, sometimes it's hard to not get caught up in being speedy and instead run a pace that is right for you!

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  6. Oh wow - isn't it funny how connections happen.
    GOOD FOR YOU! Look at you GO!!!!
    I love when a tech shirt has enough room & isn't skin tight. How thoughtful you are to think about giving yours away.
    Relay for Life & those bags always choke me up. Cancer needs to just get its butt kicked. No if ands or buts about it.

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    1. This was my first relay for life event and I loved it!

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  7. Wow, it is a small world! :) Congrats on your sub 30! I am glad you enjoyed your runners high all week. It's a great feeling!

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    1. Thanks Megan! Its always nice to do better than expected.

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  8. Isn't it funny how we feel like we're dogging it but then it turns out we're running a really solid pace?! Congrats on your sub 30! I've only ever been to a RFL walk, and they're always at night and over night! I've never seen a real run. I'm glad you got out there to support a good cause!

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    1. They actually had the walk and the ceremonies the evening before. I believe this was the first year they did the run portion.

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  9. So happy for you and that finish!!! What an accomplishment! And what a cool connection you have to this race and the family behind it.

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    1. Yea, I didn't even recall who the family was at the time. I feel so bad for their loss.

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  10. Nice job on your race M. I have not done a RFL event, but it certainly is a great organization to support. Glad you had such a great day.

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    1. Thank you. I made for a really great day. We had another RFL race a week later on the other side of town and I am sorry I missed it.

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  11. Yup have to run your own race as hard as it might be! Nice job on the finish and for a great cause indeed.

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    1. Thank you! I kept reviewing your blog post in my head while I was running!

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  12. Congratulations and way to push through! Great job on finishing sub-30! I know that feeling of being parched early on, and waiting anxiously for the aid station to approach. Love the connection to Brendan's family and the pups!

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  13. Great job getting your sub30 on a hot summer day!

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  14. Yay Meranda! Great job!! That's awesome that you had such a good race and didn't even realize it while you were running. :) -C

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    1. Thank you. I was quite happy as I was expecting to come in much later and I was totally okay with that!

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