Chapter 2 page 372 - TR 133 Race Recap

Did you hear it?  Maybe you even felt it a little!  At about 8:45 a.m. EST this morning?  It was a sonic boom - resulting from my AWESOME racing speed!!!!!!!  Oh yeah, there was not just PR set today - NOPE - there was a PR smackdown - a literal crushing of the PR I set a year ago!!!!!!  It was monumental!!!!  It was phenomenal!!!!  It was something that I have never experienced so far in my racing career.

Today's 5K race was shortened to 3 miles due to construction on the proposed course, but even still a 39:46 5K PR at this race in 2010 = about 38:30 3 mile time so  . . .

My 5K Race goal for today:  39:30 would be great and I would be so happy; 39:15 would be beyond awesome; and 39:00 I would be OVER-THE-MOON (granted the race was only 3.0 miles and not 3.l so I had to do some mental math to recalculate these times to match the new distance).

Outcome - DRUM ROLL - are you sitting down - call Ripley's Believe It Or Not!!!!!!

3 mile time today:  35:08  (that's about a 36:15 5K time which is 3:01 faster than my 5K PR)

That's so much faster than I really ever dreamed I could go.  I have to say that the speed training, my running dictator partner, the ipod, the metronome, the 3:1 interval, my mom and her cow bell, some friends along the route, my big mouth encouraging the spectators to cheer, and our awesome race plan (click HERE) all made this awesome performance a reality!

Here are some photos from the BEST RACE OF MY LIFE:

Pre-race optimism  . . PR here I come!!!!

The nails match the shirt as shown in my sneak peak HERE.  Also, I thought "C" & I had discussed "striking a pose" for this photo - umm, "C" - that's not very "strike a pose-ish".  Gotta work on that!!!!

Thanks Holly @ Rustbeltrunner for taking these awesome finish line action photos.  Look at "C's" great form!!!  See the skinny girl to my lifet in the grey t-shirt and blue shorts?  That's "LI" and she deserves such a HUGE thank you!  She came back and ran "C" and I into the finish line - and pushed me past what I certainly thought was my limit!!!  Thanks "LI" . . . I owe you BIG TIME!!!

Again, thanks Holly for the finish line action shots - this is what total concentration and determination looks like!  You can even tell "it's fast" because my pony tail can't even catch up (it's flying behind me, ha!)

Post race screaming like little girls "Do you know what we just did?!?!?!?!"  35:08 OMgoodness!!!!!!!  EEEEKKKKK!!!!!

Bloggy meet up post-race (L to R:  "T", the "A" who writes Another Day in the Life of April; middle is Holly who writes the newly improved Rust Belt Runner; then "C" and myself)

Pre-race bloggy meet up with Holly from Rustbeltrunner.   Thank goodness Holly was paying attention and spotted us- as usual, I was in my own little world doing who knows what!!!!  So glad we could hook up pre & post-race!

Matching your nail polish to your race outfit is what all the cool kids are doing - see!!!  Don't take my word for it - check out Richelle's awesomely patriot nails HERE as further proof!!!

"A" & her mom, also "A" (who is my training partner "C's" good friend . . . small world)

"A", her hubby and personal photographer, and her mom - ahhh!

More family photos

"A" & "T" in their super cute matching pink tanks (BTW "A" & "T" are cousins).

My running mentor "M" and a bike cop who is a bit uncertain as to my intentions by taking this photo (he wasn't suppose to be in the pix, but dang he wouldn't leave "M" alone so . . . in the photo he goes!)

"M" singing karaoke  . . . just kidding, he was thanking the sponsors, but doesn't he look like he's ready to belt out "I will always Love you!"  Ha!  He'd kill me if he actually read this blog and saw this caption.  Seriously - the race was awesome given ALL the construction and tremendously uncooperative city and festival committee and for having nearly 1,000 participants!!!!!  Fantastic job "M"!!!!

I thought the balloon arch was beautiful over the food/award pavilion so I took a photo!

This is one of my prized photos EVER - left is Eric Ade (click HERE to learn more about Eric)  who is my half marathon class teacher and right is "M" my running mentor.  Eric got first in his age group.  Because of the cool looping type route of the race today, we actually got to cheer for him 3 times I think.  He was at the finish (20 minutes later) to cheer "C" and I on.  He even had paid enough attention to my final time to mention it - ahhh, that was VERY kind of him!!!!!  Great job to both of you for an awesome race!  I owe so much to these 2guys!!!!!!!  Thanks for sticking by me during all this craziness I've gotten myself into!

I told "C" that we needed some crazy photos so on our walk back to the car after the food and awards I was screwing off at the bus depot.  That's me  . . the American "Bolt". 

This is "C's" screwing around and her "crazy" pose - umm, we're going to have to have some training on how to be crazier during our poses!!!  Great job today "C" - thanks soooo much for your help in pushing me just enough but not too much that I needed CPR!!!  You are indeed #1!!!!!!

I even got my mom trained for the required "thumbs up" photo!  She rang her cow bell like a champ today.  During one loop, I heard her, but couldn't find her - I searched the crowd so hard - good thing she had her cow bell!!!  It is such an awesome thing to hear when I turned the corner.  Thanks for being my cheerleader !!!!!