Just What The Chiro Ordered... Maybe

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What I failed to mention in yesterday's post about my new 5K PR is that I blew out my right hamstring at the beginning of the race. This hamstring/glute gives me grief every summer (marathon training time) and it had been acting up on and off for weeks. On Saturday, I'd almost reached the one-mile marker when I felt a big "POP!" at the back of my thigh and behind my knee. 

There was a moment of panic, then for a second I thought maybe the pop had actually released the hamstring because it felt good, then I took another few steps and returned to panic. The hamstring hurt. 

But the beauty of a race is your adrenaline is flowing and your attention is easily diverted. I kept running and it was fine. Until I stopped.

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New PR: PTI 5K On The Runway

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THE RACE

This past Saturday I met my goal of setting a new PR (personal record) in the 5K. I ran the PTI 5K On the Runway, a race literally held on an airport runway. Races don't come any flatter than this one, folks. Add in to that sunny skies and cool temps in the low 60's at the start of the race, and it was the perfect combo. Runners were setting PR's right and left and our hands hurt when we left from high-fiving each other so much. 

My best 5K time was set at this same race last year. Then, I ran a 21:37, which is a 7-minute/mile pace. This year, I wanted under 21 minutes. I trained using my beloved "Run Less, Run Faster" Furman program for a 20:50 race finish. My final time?

20:44.

PSYCHED.

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Oh, Were There Other People At the Race?

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Ahem. Thought I might peek out from behind the wall of self-involvement that is my life and offer a shout-out of congratulations to a few friends who nailed the 5K on Saturday.

Barefoot Josh, after coming off one of the hardest marathons in the country and a half-marathon following that, laid down the law at Saturday's race and ran an 18:56. For those of you who run, you get it. For those who don't, this is in the "Holy Crap Batman!" category of awe. Also some great pictures of the race on his site. 

Iris also set a PR and can no longer claim to be a back-of-the-pack runner. She keeps setting PR's right and left and is getting faster at every race. 

Lots of Blueliners at Saturday's race. I believe Will, Bobby and Michael all set PR's as well. Not sure if my friend Marty set a PR, but he ran a good race. Likewise, my neighbor Royce who is recovering from knee surgery beat his stated goal by 5 minutes. 

And there were several kids out there who killed it. I passed a nine-year-old at the first mile marker and I had to up my tempo to do it. I love their energy!

So apologizes for not offering kudos to all my wonderful running friends in my first post. As always, each and every one of you inspire me in different ways. 

Cheers,

Dena