Jaws Youth Fund Fitness Festival 5k race report.

Ah, vacation. Perfect time for a 5k race!

Yep, I'm away this week, basking in the sun (and lots of it!) at the Jersey shore. And on Sunday -- a hazy, hot, humid morning -- my friends (and vacation and running buddies) and I ran the Jaws Youth Fund Fitness Festival 5k. For Janis and Bridget, this was their second 5k and it marked their first in New Jersey. Two races, two states. I wonder if that'll be a trend . . .

The night before the race, Bridget, Janis and I talked about race goals. I had none other than to run the race with them. But they both wanted to run faster than they had at the Freihofer's Run for Women. So we talked times and settled on finishing in under 30 minutes. Janis had run her first 5k in just over 31 minutes and Bridget in just under 33 so it was a reachable goal.

Here we are before the race:

Bridget, me, Janis

The race started at 9, which seemed like it would be the perfect time for a summer race. But the weather was already super sunny and steamy by 8 and there was no shade whatsoever on the course so we pretty much dripped with sweat the whole race.

The race started with a goofy mascot race, and all 400 or so runners hanging around getting hotter, waiting for the gun to go off. I'm telling you, we were dripping before we even took our first step. Once we did, though, we settled into a nice pace. With the 30 minute goal in mind, I decided to keep the pace right around 9:35, which would give us a little wiggle room. I knew with the heat that it could be difficult but I also knew that the course was flat so I figured that would balance out the heat. And it did.

I have to say, it was great to run with my pals! Of course, I was slightly obsessive about checking my Garmin to make sure we were on pace but, other than that, it was fun. Here we are just past the half-way point:

Bridget, Janis, me -- happy runners!

Our husbands and kids were able to walk to the main street to cheer for us and it was a real treat to see them. Conal even got into the action, giving the runners the high-five:

I felt like we were all running strong through the whole race. With just about a half mile to go, Bridget took a quick walk break and Janis and I continued on. She ran tough, sprinting the last bit and finished in 29:34. I was right behind her in 29:35 and Bridget crossed the line in 30:37.

Awesome, right? I mean, second race ever and they pulled off 2 minute or so PRs! Yay! I couldn't have been prouder of my running mama pals!

After the race, we chowed down on some fresh berries and walked a mile back to the vacation house. It was a good cooldown and just an overall nice time for the three of us.

Since the race, we've been lying about on the beach and just fully enjoying our time away. Oh, and doing a little running. We ran on the beach on Tuesday and plan to go later today, although I think we're going to opt for the roads this time since the sand seemed to kick our butts!

Hope you're all having a great week!

~ Felice

PS: I have a $50 gift card giveaway going on over here. Don't miss it!