Race Report: Cool Summer Mornings 5K #2

Yesterday was an amazing day. We were up at 5 am, and didn't get home and in bed until midnight, but it was so worth it.

The day started with a 5K in Clermont that I didn't even want to run. I figured I'd do awful, and I had tummy issues in the morning, but I somehow didn't feel pressured and I did much better than I expected. I missed a PR by a mere 30 seconds and placed 3rd in my age group! Considering this course includes a few hills at the start, and it was hot as hell, I am really pleased with my effort.

Stats:

• age group: 3/9
• female: 25/49
• overall: 51/85
• time: 32:47 @ 10:33
• splits: 10:43 - 10:21 - 10:51 - 8:08 (.1 in 46s)

It was a small race, but there were 9 in my age group, so I'm excited that I beat 6 other people. I ran using 3:1 intervals for the most part, and walked up the 2 hills at the start. I walked extra during the last mile because of a side stitch, so I didn't run negative splits. I ran 1 mile to warm up before the start, which I finished with 10 minutes to spare and do a few stretches. That really helped. I'm doing this race again in 3 weeks; maybe I can do it in under 32 minutes.

I ran another mile to cool down, refueled, then I cheered on Jason at the spring triathlon. The 5k started at 7, and the tri at 7:45, which worked out great; he could cheer me on as I passed the finish line before the 2nd turn around, and I was done with plenty of time to see him exit the water. He did amazing.

After we showered and ate, we checked out the sale at David's World while we still had Dad's truck. Jason bought a new touring bike and I finally got a pair of cycling sandals, another grocery bag pannier and rear rack for my road bike. I'm hoping to alternate between the comfort bike and road bike when commuting to work. We'll see how that goes.

We had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes then went to Universal Studios to see Counting Crows. We bought annual passes, so we didn't feel rushed and we'll be back very soon to check out the Harry Potter World. While we waited for the concert to start, we rode ET and saw a hilarious taping of two Family Feud episodes hosted by Steve Harvey.

I just love it when all the stars align to create the perfect day. I slept like a baby and then went to the Cycling Savvy Bike Handling class this morning. I'll post more about that later. We're planning to go back to Universal Studios on Wednesday, check out Harry Potter World, spend the day at the park, then see Weird Al in concert! I can't wait!