2nd 5K of the season

All the training the previous two weeks, all the heartache and frustration, it all was dedicated to today, my 2nd 5K ever, my 2nd 5K of the season, and what I hoped would be a good race and make me feel like I am a true athlete again. I had 2 goals for this one: Do not stop running and finish with a better time than my last race, which was like 35 something.

Woke up very groggy from lack of sleep (unconventional workout last night). T and I got dressed and she cooked us some breakfast of Egg Beaters, turkey sausage, and oatmeal. I also downed some water and Gatorade. Then we left for downtown. On the way, I talked to my mom, which just put me in a pissed off mood.

Got there with plenty of warm up time. Theresa went to the bathroom while I grabbed some safety pins. We then warmed up properly. A very light jog towards the sunlight then lots of stretching, which was good given that it was ass cold outside.

I downed a small Powerade, then we hit the bathrooms once more and made our way towards the front. A little pep talk for each other, some good lucks, and a couple I love yous and we were gone. The race started at 8:15 am but I didn't cross the starting line until about 8:18. From there, the cluster that is the start occurred. I saw T run to the right, and I took an opening to the left. I then found it wide open and settled into a pretty quick pace. At mile one, I determined I was doing 8 minute miles, so I scaled it back. Around a mile and a half, I got a small cramp in my side but was determined to run this entire race. I found myself being able to control my pace a lot better and was very relaxed.

At mile 2, I knew I could push myself to finish this race in a respectable time. When we turned towards Coors Field I saw the finish line and broke into a hard run, but still had the warning track to do (oops!) I picked it up on the warning track and after that sprinted the rest of the way, crossing the finish line at 31:28. I waited for my beautiful girlfriend to finish, who finished a few minutes after me. I was very proud of her.

Delicious bagels, slushies, bananas, and for me a hot dog followed the race. I am completely hooked on this!