Walpole Road Races

Yesterday we (Tammy, Meri, Chrissy, Libby and I) ran the Walpole Road Race and oddly enough my time was almost identical to the Butterfly 5K.  Which means that, all course and weather excuses aside, I am simply running 10-15 seconds slower per mile than I used to...and I pushed during this race. 

I felt like I started out strong - good pace but not winded.  I hit the first mile marker in 9:30 seconds.  I was less than thrilled - I like to pass the first mile at between 9:18 and 9:20.  See?  10 seconds.  Then I passed the second mile marker at around 19:15 or so...so mile 2 was 9:45 seconds...hmph.  And really, I felt like I was going at a good little clip.  I finished up in 30 minutes and change.  Now, this course was challenging.  The last half mile or so feels like its pretty much uphill.  Really, you turn a corner and your stomach drops.  I thought I was going to puke running up that hill and all I could think of was finding an orange to regulate my blood sugar.  And the end result was a less then stellar finishing time.

Which leads me to this - So what?

I ran hard and felt that I could not have put in anymore effort - I did not quit and I earned every second of that race result.  I am slightly slower than last year but I am lifting weights more vigorously and I am spending all my free time in the yoga studio.   I am also 15 or so pounds lighter than this time last year.  Which leads me to believe that I may be a slightly slower runner but that I am healthier all around. 

This does not mean I don't want to improve my running times.  My sister-in-law and I are already cooking up big plans (HA!) to increase mileage.  I would like to get back to racing 9:30s.  But I am not going to get so caught up in shaving 45 seconds off my time that I sacrifice my weight training or my yoga.  It is not reasonable to expect to be perfect at everything you do, but trying hard at everything you do is totally reasonable and should be expected.

Congrats to Lib for taking 1st in her division again!!