Jingle Bell Run 5K race report.

My alarm came too early on Saturday morning. Yes, I was excited and raring to go. But, my little 2-monther has a cold and was up all night coughing, which means I was too. And so when the alarm went off at 7, I felt as if I hadn't slept at all and had to work hard to convince myself to get out of the bed.

I eventually got up, at my customary English muffin with peanut butter, drank a glass of water and a cup of coffee and then debated what to wear. It was cold on Saturday but sunny so I settled on a pair of running pants over a base layer (thin EMS leggings) on the bottom, and a long-sleeve shirt under a fleece on top. In retrospect, I didn't need the leggings but, enh, you live and learn.

I nursed Niall as much as possible and then it was time to go. There was a kids run before the 5K (race report to come!) so we wanted to get to the race early so Conal could run. I'm glad we did . . .

So, OK. The race. We got there, I met up with some awesome strong running mamas and Conal ran his race. Then it was time for me to nurse Niall again -- yes, that was me nursing my baby in the lobby while a bunch of serious runners stretched  out. Yeah, let me say this for pre-race nursing: It's stressful. You're watching the clock (15 minutes to start time!); trying to keep the race bib out of the baby's face while not exposing too much of your own, well, you know; talking to yourself about not starting out too fast; ignoring the curious looks . . . aiy! The pressure!

But I managed the feeding and met back up with my pals. Here we are before the race:

Jen, Bridget, me, Janis

And here we are with Santa. And Darlene.

 

 Janis, Jen, Santa, Bridget, me, Darlene 

(we missed Amanda and Tami for the pic!)

After the requisite photos, we made our way to the starting line and then we were off! As I mentioned in my last post, I had three goals for the race but I really wanted to go after my A goal of finishing under 25:13. So, I took off and weaved through the small crowd at the start, almost tripped over a dog that was running (?!?!) and smacked into a woman who had tripped over said dog's leash . . . and made my way to a clearing where I could run comfortably. 

Oh, look! That's me!

Throughout the first and second miles I passed people and felt good. I was running more or less at the pace I was hoping for and figured I had a good shot at finishing right around 25:13. Because the course winded back and forth through a local park, Owen and the boys were able to cheer for me at a few different locations. That was awesome. The best was that each time I passed Conal, he cheered exuberantly and stuck out his hand to give me a High 5. I loved it!

But even my own personal cheering section wasn't enough to help me maintain my speed through mile 3. Just about as soon as I began the third mile I felt grateful for B and C goals.

I faded. Big time. Where I felt strong in miles 1 and 2, I was just hanging on in mile 3. So much so, that I didn't even have a kick at the end. What's up with that?

I loped to the finish and crossed the line in 25:50, just short of my A goal, but pretty far ahead of my B goal of finishing under 27:11. So . . . not too shabby, all things considered. And, in fact, I felt pretty good with my time and the race overall. 

Race stats:

Mile 1: 7:56

Mile 2: 8:01

Mile 3: 8:24 (?!?)

last .18: 1:29

Finish time: 25:50

Overall place: 40/227

 

Post-race: Jen, Janis, Bridget, me

 

I wanted to run hard and run strong and I did. I wanted to use the race to gauge my fitness and I'm happy to say that 8 weeks after having my baby, I'm feeling fit. I had a hard time in the last mile, sure, but it wasn't terrible, really. I never stopped. And since the race, my body has felt fine -- no lingering muscle soreness (other than my bum foot, but that's just the norm around here), no pelvic discomfort, nothing. So, yay! I'm back!

I didn't achieve my A goal, but that just means that I have something to strive for in my next race. And while I could be disappointed, I'm not. I'm putting this race result in the books as my Masters 5K PR! I hope to shatter that record soon but, for now, it stands.

As a thank you to everyone for rooting me on in my first post-preggo race, here's a little photo for you to ponder over:

I don't even know what was going on there. Maybe he was going for sunburn, windburn AND frostbite? Runners . . . sheesh . . .

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend!

~ Felice

Thanks to Jen for the photos!