#6 of 13 in 2013

Well, it's been two weeks since I posted an update of any kind! There has been lots of activity in our house on the running front!! 

Personally, I have taken the 2 week break that was suggested to help my leg heal. It's not been fun to go from super active to nothing. It's been a battle physically and mentally. I tried to keep up with my upper body workouts. I found it very hard to go to the gym and not get in any cardio via the treadmill, the bike or the elliptical. This may seem trivial and childish to some but for me it was a struggle. I rely on my workouts, specifically running as a stress reliever. Simply stated I have struggled with it, end of story :-). 

Feb 25th was the Trailblazer 5K supporting a local school in our area. I was not able to run this particular race due to my leg needing a little more recovery time. Thankfully Riley ran the 5K along with several of our running friends while Scott and I waited for him at the finish line.  He completed his 2nd 5K with a time of 28:17 coming in 2 minutes after his running partner! Two of the other moms, Tonya and Laura, in our group ran a portion of the course with Riley and I think they all enjoyed the later part of the run together! At least it looks like it from this photo: 

Needless to say we were all ecstatic to learn that Riley had finished 2nd in his age group and 28th out of 128. Keeping him interested in running isn't going to be a problem! 

March 2nd was the Thomasville Baptist Road 10/5K. Back in January I had this race on the calendar and planned to run the 10K; however, given this would be the "test" run for the leg I decided to register for the 5K instead. That proved to be a smart decision! Scott and I were joined by numerous friends from the Fellowship Run for God, the Badass Army and the Tallahassee Moms Run This Town groups! I enjoy going to races where we have a large group hanging out before the race. It adds an element of encouragement through friendship that is so vital to all of us. 

One a side note, the TRBC 5K is a special one for me. March 2011 all I could run was 1 mile fun run, this past weekend I ran the 5K. The one mile then was exhausting but I had done it at the request of Riley. Saturday the only person missing was Riley. Pictures speak louder than words or so they say! Take a look at 2011! 

TRBC 1 Mile - March 2011

TRBC 5K - March 2013

I was very nervous prior to the race. I was not sure how my leg would hold up. I enjoyed the distraction of chatting with all our friends leading up to the start. I enjoyed talking with Tonya during the first mile or so of the race until we got to the 10/5K split and off she went to complete her first 10K. Around mile 2 of this extremely hilly course I started feeling some discomfort in the leg; however, I knew if I stopped I wouldn't finish. I kept going! I was able to high five and encourage several other friends including Logan, Becca, Gina and Crystal who were all completing their first 5K. I am so proud of their accomplishment! I even got to high five my husband who was a good bit in front of all of us - Go Scooter!! I rounded the corner of the church parking lot and heard the little voice on my Nike running program say "Congrats, you've run your fastest 5K ever!". I was pumped!! I had ran the entire 3.1 miles (or 3.45 according to Nike) with no stopping and finished with only a small amount of pain discomfort in my leg. After a quick celebration with my husband at the finish line I went back to snap photos of everyone else coming down to the finish. I take the role as encourager very seriously and I wanted to be there for each of them. Our group had several PR's and first timers, it was great to see them meet their various goals! We celebrated in style with each finisher! I'm a proud friend still today just thinking of all the hard work that everyone put in and hearing all the excitement in their voices. 

As for my time, well that's a "sore subject" - HA! My Nike running program said it was 30:11 - the fastest ever; however, the TRBC folks only took the clock times which said the official time 33:18. That means I came in 78th out of 255. When you factor in the GPS issues with the Nike program as opposed to the official GPS that tracked the length of the course and it all makes sense. I am happy that I stayed within my usual "official" time after very little working out for 2 weeks! I rejoice in the fact that I ran the whole thing without stopping and I can walk with no pain today. I rejoiced as I crossed the finish line and I continue to praise God for blessing me through running! 

Here's a few pictures from the race of Saturday: 

BA Army and Run for God

 

Love races that include my family! 

Tonya and I - YAY on her first 10K!

My girl, Crystal, rocked out her first 5K!!!

We didn't even plan to match this time! 

Great minds think alike! 

TRBC 5K brings me to the 6th race toward my goal of 13! My goal has been forced to be scaled back a tad, meaning that I have to include some 5K's rather than only running 10K's and Half Marathons. I am aiming to add one more Half Marathon into the schedule before the heat of summer hits us. 

Next up for our group is the Shamrock Scurry 5K on Saturday March 9th!! I'm crossing my fingers that the Scurry will be the first family 5K for Scott and I to run "with" Riley. This is sure to be a great story so be on the look out for a race update next week!