5K Races

We headed down to the beach and my friend ran a half marathon while I ran a 5K. I have posted on here about my goal of trying to break 22min for a while. Anyway, we took our families to stay for a long weekend on the beach and ran a race while we were there. She did awesome for her first half marathon and well, here's a recap of my 5K...

JF starts her half at 7:10, I watch her start and then head of too warm up (5K is suppose to start at 7:40). I run a little, go to the car, change into my racing flats and job back towards the stop, making a pit stop at the bathroom. I come up round 7:27 by my watch and notice a bunch of people going through the start with blue bibs on, the same color I had on. I thought this seemed weird, because the 10K was suppose to start at 7:20. So, I ask someone on the side which race this is and they tell me the 5K. I asked if they were sure, he says I think so. I girl standing next to him is wearing a blue bib and doesn't seem like she is going, so I ask her and she says its the 10K. The two of them have a brief back and forth about which one it is.

I then ask someone as they are crossing the start (at this point we are at the back with the walkers) what race they are doing and they tell me 5K. Whaaaaaat! No way. My GPS was still searching, there was no timing mat at the beginning, and I didn't even know what to do at this point. Well I started, but don't know when I started, didn't even have a guess since my watch didn't have a time on it and I just ran, hard, but not all out. I was just frustrated. By the time I turned on my GPS to check my there wasn't much left, but it clocked my last 1.26 miles in 7:08 pace. Whatever.

I was already planning on running the This Race Blows 5K June 1st benefiting the cyctic fibrosis foundation. It is run at 6pm at night (means HOT) and it is a crazy hilly course. Finishing uphill too. Total of 5 good hills over 3.1 miles does not leave much flat. I told myself I would run hard and run what I could and whatever happened happened, but I had not goals of breaking 22 min at the race given the course and the temperature.

What do you know...I won the race in 21:19. My GPS did say it was only 3.05 miles, but even if I tack on 20-25 seconds, I'm still under that 22! I was pretty much in shock. Mile splits were not even at all...6:35, 7:03, 7:18. I was dying at the end and up the last hill which is the steepest, but I finished and won and my friend who only started running a year ago had an amazing PR and was second.

I don't know whats up next. Except for the fact that I signed up for a marathon next March. :)