FSU Autism 5K - Sub30, did I make it?

Back in January I set a goal of trying to reach sub - 30 in a 5K, for my non-runner friends that means under 30 minutes. Then I had a little set back in my running thanks to the ol' IT Band so my goal has been a tad delayed. I watched as several of my friends joined the "Sub 30 Club" and I was starting to feel a little defeated. I just kept working hard in the gym to rehab the leg. I knew I was not going to give up. I knew if I stay focused on my goal, even during my break periods it would eventually happen.

I have been running a 5K every Saturday for the past few weeks. March 2nd was the TRBC 5K where I finished in 33:18. That was the first race back from my injury and the first race I ran the whole time without stopping. Next was the Shamrock Scurry 5K on March 9th where I finished in 30:52. Oh so close to my goal! The following weekend was the Doggie Dash 5K where I came in at the 30:10 time marker. That one hurt! The fact that I was 10 seconds from getting my goal simply cut me to the core. I was happy with my run but very disappointed that I let the goal slip away! 

The FSU Autism 5K was held March 30th, this was a last minute decision. I was not planning to race again until the Springtime Tallahassee 5K on April 6th. Once I realized that most of the girls were running I decided to join them. This happens often for me, peer pressure gets me every time, hehe! Saturday was a beautiful morning in North Florida. We all met at the Southwood YMCA and snapped our usual pre-race photos. I love that everyone says "if Mitzi is around, there will be photos". It makes me smile to think they might actually appreciate this part of my personality!! There were 273 registered for the 5K. We thought that was pretty good considering it was Easter weekend, etc.. Our group made our way to the start to be up front. This wasn't a chipped race and we all knew we needed to be up front for accurate timing. I was nervous but didn't share that with any of them. I was trying to enjoy the morning but all I wanted was to get the race over with and know I made the GOAL.. URGH! 

A sweet young lady gave us the countdown.. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - GO! Off we went! The first .5 miles I had cell phone issues, not the best at the beginning of a race. I finally got it to work right and zipped it into the back pocket of my skirt, relief! I focused on my pace and breathing. The weather was absolutely perfect for a run. I could see two of my running buddies in front of me and I made sure to keep them in sight. We encountered one large hill where I caught up with one of my girls. Jennifer and I ran the rest of the race together. We laughed and encouraged each other the next 1.5 miles. Once I knew we were close the finish I glanced at my watch... 26 something.. O.M.Goodness. The goal was in sight for us both! The finish line was uphill, not pleasant, I pushed hard. Jennifer pushed hard just a step or two behind me. It was awesome to see my husband, my BRB and 3 of our running friends jumping up and down at the finish. I crossed the finish line; however, I never looked at the clock, I was in pain! (stupid leg, another post for another day) The last push up the hill took all I had in me. As I knelt down my BRB came over with the biggest smile saying "You did it, You beat 30!".  Another told me "get up, you did it!" What they wanted me to see was not only did I beat 30 but I had beaten it by more than any of us expected. My official time was 28:51, a photo finish thanks to my husband's handy work with a camera! 

What a moment! Yes, I met my goal but I do not want this to be about me. I want people to realize that through faith anything is possible! We all set goals every day and let them slip away without a second thought. I set this goal and prayed over it for months! It was special to me meet this goal over Easter weekend, the most important weekend of our Christian lives. Our risen savior gave up everything so that I could have the chance to run, to workout, to pray openly, to live a life full of blessings. I ran this race wearing "Run for God" shirt and I immediately praised him for giving me the ability to run on Saturday. I blessed and I am thankful! 

The "what a moment" feeling continued into the evening as we all realized after the official results were posted that most of our group had finished in the top of all our age groups! We took the 1-4 spots in the 35 age group and the top 2 spots in the 3o age group. We even had a young lady with us who finished 3rd overall for females! It is always amazing to spend time with such awesome friends; however, it's icing on the cake to find out we all did so well. The Run for God group, The Moms Run This Town group, and The Badass Babes have all been additional blessing my life lately. 

As always, here's a few photos from the FSU Autism 5K 

The Finish! WOOHOO! 

My BRB

Run for God  - Love these girls! 

Awesome Friends! 

I apologize for such a lengthy post, maybe I am still in the "what a moment" mode! HA!