Mount Harmon 5k

I ran the Mount Harmon Earth Day 5k yesterday and in an attempt to be succinct I thought I would tell you about it in list form.

Oh, and here is a picture. You know, for proof.

1. This is the 1st 5k I have ever run on grass. It was hard.
2. I was the 17th overall finisher out of 114 peeps.  I was the 4th female (this put me on the leaderboard) and 2nd in my AG.
3. My time was 27:14.  I know that time seems horrible (for me) but like I said the race was hard. Really hard.
4. I haven’t run a 5k in that slow of a time (for me) since I had to take a year hiatus from running because of my jaw issues.
5. There were a lot of hills.  I think there were also a lot of switchbacks.  I think that is what they are called.  In any case, the course went up and down- a lot.
6. It was raining and I didn’t hate it.  In fact, it really didn’t bother me at all. Can’t blame my time on that.
7. Bill was 3rd overall!!! His time was in the 23s.  This is what I used for frame of reference to feel better about my time.  His is usually much faster.
8. I am determined to return next year and have a better time.
9. This race made me question wearing a garmin.  At 1.60 miles I looked at my watch and knew my time would be not anywhere near where I wanted.  I felt deflated and might have pushed harder not having this information.

In summary, this 5k was a hard one.  The hardest 5k I have ever run happens to also be my 1st 5k. It was at Brandywine State Creek Park and had two very large hills.  Mount Harmon is a very close 2nd.

A big part of starting  this blog is to help me get some perspective on running and life in general, to see where I can improve.  This requires me to be honest with myself.

So, what has been going on with my running?

Well, I haven’t really been doing any speedwork and it shows.  In addition, my regular treadmill pace has fallen way off.  Not sure how I let this happen but it did. Turns out I kinda like to not feel like I am dying when I run.

I have recently started running outside more and  I plan to continue to do so.  I am running outside at a conservative pace to allow my body to become accustomed to using different muscles and a harder surface, or so I am telling myself.

I also plan to start my “season” of 5ks.  I have a goal time I want to at least get close to, if not beat.  I am hoping simply running a lot of 5ks will help me get faster.

Bill-please comment below and speak to how hard this 5k was so I feel better about myself.  Thanks 😉