Run for Freedom 5K

After a successful Saturday of house chores and a semi-BBQ Saturday night, we woke up early Sunday morning to head to Williamsport for the Run for Freedom 5K. I didn't really know where we were going but figured the town was so small that it wouldn't be an issue. And, it wasn't. We quickly found the park for the 5K and were there plenty, plenty early.

After picking up our t-shirts (this race was great, only $10 which included a shirt), I found the bathrooms (always a must), then went for a quick jog so I could stretch out. Then, we just waited around until start time. Soon, we were off. I offered to stick with my husband, but he doesn't seem to enjoy having me around, so I ran my race and let him run his. He still hates running but seems to be kind of still be interested in trying to stick with it.

I always start slow and towards the back of the pack and spent the first mile passing people while I tried to settle into a pace. A couple minutes in I realized I forgot to start my watch. I always just wear a regular watch at the races, not my Garmin which goes with me everywhere else. So, I had no idea where I was time wise when I hit the first mile. Since I've pretty much just been concentrating on going long and slow, I tried to pick up the pace a little bit since this was a short race. I'm certainly not fast and haven't spent any time so far in my running working on speed. As long as I stick with this, that'll be the plan next year. This year is just all about endurance.

The second mile felt long. I felt like I was staying nice and steady but still kept passing people most of the way. I think I only had one guy pass me, so that felt good. I tried to pick it up at the end because it would've been great for a PR, but I didn't quite make it. Official time was 25:41. I was still happy with the time though because this is definitely faster than anything I've been running during training and also proved to me that the 5K I ran in May at 25:30 wasn't a fluke. I was so thrilled after that one and then I started to doubt myself, thinking maybe the course was really short or something. But, no, I think that's my current pace and really think if I spend some time on working on speed post-marathon I'll be able to pick up the pace! This race was small so after I got home and looked at the results, I realized I finished 2nd out of 17 in my age group. Not bad at all!!!

Hubby did great as well. His time was around 39 minutes so it was the first time under 40 for him...if he sticks with this and gets consistent with it, I know he'd be able to do even better! It was still a great way to spend a Sunday morning on a long weekend and we were both happy we got out there to do it.

The race photos appear messed up. They seem to be missing a huge gap of people including the section I would be in but the photographer took all kinds of photos of me after I was finished and watching for my husband. I was looking through them and kept wondering, why are there so many pictures of me just standing around? Haha!!

Hope everyone had a great 4th. I went for a 10-miler this morning but otherwise, it's been a lot of relaxing. Apparently I was even caught doing this at one point yesterday: