The Mission Inn 5K

I hate my Nike iPod thingy. But more on that later.

The Race: Mission Inn 5K Run- November 13, 2011
I signed up for this one because it was pretty local and looked harmless. I didn't think it would be that crowded. Boy, was I wrong.

The Course:
It started next to the beautiful Mission Inn in Downtown Riverside, circling Fairmount Park, going up a KILLER hill which seemed endless, and ended right back to the Mission Inn. It was a nice course but I wish I anticipated and practiced for the hill that nearly killed me.

The Preps: The night before, I made sure I ate a good amount of carbs. I was lucky that the family party I went to was loaded with a crazy and odd amount of chicken. YAY protein. I know I was only running a 5K, but any excuse to carb load is ok by me. When I get pregnant, that baby is going to be the excuse of why I gained 200 ELL BEE ESSES! It's all about finding good scapegoats and races are good ones!

And then, I needed my mantras. I have two that really keep me going during ALL of my runs. For me, it's all mind over matter and I need all the cliche quotes I could get!

Jillian's quote really put that fire under my ass. I had to remember that the feeling of my lazy muscles activating and screaming for mercy was not a reason to stop. I had to remember that sweat beading down my forehead and stinging me in the eyeball was not a reason to stop. The bugs that flew in my mouth.... not a reason to stop. YAY protein. 

This also kept me going. My ultimate goal is to feel STRONG. I want to feel good about myself for once and I know being healthy and fit will help me feel that way. When I run, I feel like that person I always wanted to be.

It's GO TIME!

I woke up at about 6:00am pumped and ready to rule the world...through a 5K. I know that sounds uber ridic, but I had that fire in me that was ready to show them who's boss. And by them, I mean my scrawny muscles. I ate a little bit of an Odwalla granola bar which was yummy and not at all heavy and also took some energy blasts. These are my FAVORITE!

They taste like candy and really give you that "blast" of energy to keep you from getting comatose on your run. Nothings worse then going lazy legs on your run and bailing out 5 minutes in. I would know...that's how I am during the week. 

Hubby woke up and was nice enough to drive me to the race while whispering sweet nothings and motivation in my ear while I freaked out in the car. When I got there, I picked up my bib, chip, and posed for some snapshots.

Yay for drain covers!

After my photo session with hubs, which was all of 2 snapshots, I searched the crowds for my buddy T! It was nice to run with her again! I miss you T!!  We wiggled our way through the sea of people and waited for the race to start. I was anxious!

And BTW, I remembered to pump my inhaler! YESS!!

It started slow because there were literally a million people...maybe more. Nonetheless, it was a good start. I paced myself, rocked out to The Black Keys, Sleigh Bells, Radiohead, and Florence + the Machine. I used my ipod Nike thing, just like I do during my training and it was nice to hear the lady in my earbuds telling me when I hit each Kilometer.

My former BFF

Let the record show that I do not use the chip like this. I do have a shoe pocket for it.

I was in pretty high spirits because the sun was out, it wasn't raining like I thought it would, the air was cool and crisp, the crowd was pumping me up, and T was running fast which made me push myself to go faster.

It wasn't until the last leg of the race when my spirits started fading. There was a hill I didn't anticipate and my last song on my 5K playlist was starting to play. My ipod told me I completed the 5K, but I wasn't near the finish line yet! I was all in a tizzy and getting sad that my training sessions were being shortchanged. I wasn't training for the right distance apparently.

I felt REALLY weak and wanted to quit, but I had to remember my original goal, which was to run a 5K without stopping. So, I paced myself and remember that I wasn't puking, fainting, or dying...so I had to keep going. I finally saw the finish line...a bug flew in my mouth for added protein....and I saw my mom, dad, and hubby all cheering me on to keep going. It made my heart happy....or was that a mild stroke... I don't know.

When I crossed the finished line, my ipod registered me at running 6.3 Kilometers in 34 minutes, which was a 9:00 pace. I knew right away that wasn't right. My time was 34:17. ::trying to be positive:: That is 4 minutes faster than my last race....I'LL TAKE IT! And I'll take my ipod Nike chip and crush it into the ground! Grrrr!!!

After the race I spent quality time with my family and stuffed my face with this....

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs and Banana Pancakes..... I rewarded myself with food... I am a dog. *Ruff Ruff*