Dash Down Greenville 2011

It's been a couple of years since I've run a 5K.  I've been concentrating on half marathons and triathlons lately, and I was really looking forward to running just a 5K to see how fast I could complete it.I was also really looking forward to running a race with my husband.  For this course, my best time was 33:50, and I believe it was the first 5K I ever ran.  The night before, at dinner, my husband and I talked about what my time goals were for this race, and how fast did I feel like I could go. My goal was to average around 8:45 a mile, and finish in under 27 minutes.  On the morning of the race we were up early and spent the morning relaxing in our hotel before jogging a mile to the start. We were lined up at the start line about 30 minutes before the gun went off.  We tried to get close to the front to avoid getting caught in the crowd at the start.  The first mile was mostly spent trying to lose the pack of people we started with, as the crowd thinned out and runners started to slow down. There were cones in the middle of the street, and I almost tripped a couple times trying to get around them.  We really pushed it for miles 1 and 2, and I started to lose a little steam after we ran uphill and started on mile 3.  But George kept pushing and encouraged me to keep up, reminding me that we only had about 1/2 a mile to go. That last half mile was the most painful half mile I've ever run. My pulse was racing, my heart was pounding,  my legs were burning and at  1 point I thought I might hurl.  Then we turned the corner, I saw the finish line and pushed as hard as I could until I crossed the line to recieve a giant hug from George and a "that's how you run a 5K !" I love this race because of the fun atmosphere, the crazy costumes the other runners wear, and watching the St. Patty's parade after. What I loved most on this day was getting to run with George. The moments we spend together in our training and racing are moments I treasure.  It's also amazing to me how far I've come from running my first 5K to now, and I enjoy seeing the progress. That's one of the reasons I love to race, seeing the improvement from season to season.  Official chip time was 25:50.