5K Summer Series, #5 FINAL

There are 5 races in the summer series.  The worst race is dropped.  For me, this was race #4 since I missed it due to the triathlon.  I also had that bad race for race #2.  Those two races balanced out my two wins - and I was tried for first place for the series.

If I won this race, I would win the series.
If I lost this race, I would come in second.

Historically, I do not perform well under pressure.
I tried to convince myself that second place was still very good, but I could not shake off something my elite runner friend/mentor said a few months ago:  Second place is the first loser.  It sounds harsh.
But it is also true.

The night before the race I was watching the Olympics' Mens 5K Final.  It is interesting watching track events because they run directly next to their competition for most of the entire race.  I usually have no idea where my competition is unless they pass me.  In the spirit of the Olympics, I decided to try something new.

On the start line, I saw the girl who was racing me for first place.  She is a nice girl, I like her.  I stood next to her and said, "I am going to run with you today."
Her response?  "Bring it."  It made me like her even more!
We friendly chatted until it was time to race.

These 5Ks always have a fast start.  And this was no exception.
I knew right away that this was not a sustainable race pace so I let myself fall behind.

But by Mile 1, I had caught up. I heard my Garmin beep - I had it set to auto-lap every mile.   I did not look at it.  There really is very little to gain by looking at the Garmin - unless it is the perfect number, it can send you into a mental tailspin.

Mile 2 included a large uphill.  Hill running is my forte and it did not faze me.

At the turn around, I realize I had a substantial lead.  Now, I just had to to sustain it on the downhill.

The downhill was relatively easy. My Garmin beeped again.

Mile 3 rehashed the rolling hills in the beginning.  At this point, I became uncomfortable.

For some reason, the balls of my feet were burning.  Perhaps my shoes were too big but this did not happen at my last race?  My stomach also started to feel alarmingly unsettled.

The nice thing about the last mile is that you can remind yourself: It's the last mile.

Anything is tolerable for just one mile.

I was relieved when the Garmin beeped at Mile 3 but the finish still seemed far away.  I believe this course was closer to 3.2 miles than 3.1.  My feet and stomach were begging for the finish line.

When I asked my Dad (post-race) if it looked like I was running fast, he said no.

But when I turned the corner and saw the clock, I did sprint the last the few steps.

Chip time = 19:10,
Gun time = 19:13.
Mile 1 = 5:58                     
Mile 2 =  6:10
Mile 3 = 5:56
.21 = 1:35 (because I forgot to stop my watch for about 1 minute.)

In 90 + degree weather, I am proud of this performance - it was good enough to win the series.

It was also good enough for another gold medal to bring home to Brenna.  She immediately put it on and did her poses.

I promise I am not priming her for Toddlers and Tiaras.  She developed these poses completely on her own.

She is simply a natural in front of the camera.  Here she is a week earlier:

I also promise that I did not pick out that outfit.  She also did that completely on her own.