It was a good race with some hurdles

Last night was my first chipped race ever.  The Torchlight 5K in downtown Minneapolis.  The problem  is that it was packed! There was a twins game, the race, and a parade.  This made for having to arrive very early and just hang around.

To top it off it is a nighttime race.  I have figured out how to run for the morning races so far and it is much easier than nighttime races.  I couldn't figure out my food and water for the day and I think I was a bit dehydrated during the run.

I usually have a really rough start about the first mile and a half but last night was a new torture for the first half mile.  I am not sure why but my calves both cramped up on me.  I pushed through it and manage to work it out and finish with a decent time (32:24) and I was really happy with my splits (10:28 pace).  There has been a lot going on lately and the stress of about ten other things didn't help with the run.  What did help was that I had created a playlist just for this run so that I would know when I hit 32 minutes.

It is kind of sobering to see the results and realize you finished 2,645 out of 4,530 people.  My time overall was about 30 seconds more than the Color Run but I blame this on the calf cramps and it being a night race.

I did have a slight epiphany this morning about running/racing and why I like it so much now. Before I was always workings so I felt really accomplished most days.  These days I don't have that. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and I cherish THEIR accomplishments.  But I need something of my own to strive for.  This is where racing comes in.  I feel like I am breaking barriers I never knew about for myself. I never would have considered running before in my life and now I am constantly challenging myself.  Each time I see my times go down I get that feeling of accomplishment and how to improve for next time. I do know I need to work on hills and sprints.

Here is to finding my next race.