A 2-Mile PR and Some Festive Socks

On Thursday night, I ran a small 2-mile race that was just about 30 minutes from home - the Dalton St. Patrick's Day 2-Miler. And, uh...I really don't know how to make a post out of a 2-mile race. I ran hard, and it was over quickly. The end.

I guess I'll elaborate, because otherwise there really is no point to this blog, is there?

It was a weird race time - 6:30 p.m. I had a pretty regular day of work beforehand, and ate normally but avoided veggies for the day, just in case. Then I pestered my husband and made him get up, go outside and take a series of pictures to prove that I dressed up for a race. He loved it. He really loves when I make him take pictures of me for the Internet. It's his favorite pastime.

I got to the race, registered on the spot and met a friend of mine to run the course as a warm-up. I think we ran the two miles at about a 10:30 pace, taking it really easy, but we did throw in a few 10-second strides at a faster pace.

The race takes place at a local church and is really family-friendly, which means that there are a lot of kids. Luckily, they made a big deal about only letting people who could run 2 miles UNDER 15 minutes at the front, which stopped some of the younger kids from getting caught up in the start and making things too chaotic. (For the record, I didn't join the speedy folks at the front, despite *spoiler alter* eventually finishing under 15 minutes).

At the start, I had my eye on a lady who typically finishes ahead of me and tried to stick with her. The first mile was 7:04, which made me so excited, because part of it was uphill. Clearly that wore me out, because even with the corresponding downhill on the second mile I slowed right down. It was hard. I was out of breath. But it was awesome.

Photo Courtesy of the Photographers at the Local High School

Final time: 14:54, 1st place in my age group, 5th woman overall (7:27 pace)

Yep, I'll take that. I had a goal of 15 minutes for this race, and I got there with a few seconds to spare. It took me a couple of minutes to breathe properly afterwards, which I think means I worked for that time. Isn't that the best case scenario? Wanting to die during the race but feeling amazing after the fact? Perfect.

Of course, scooping up some bling was fun too. Loved that part a little bit.

My friend Julie and I and our AG medals

Anyone else run a St. Patrick's Day race this weekend?
I know a few people who were in Atlanta for the Publix half and full, which I ran last year (the half!) 

Just a heads up...I had someone email me about running a race this with IT band pain, which is a valid question! I understand that I am treading a fine line between resting, strengthening the area and maintaining my running fitness. I feel lucky that I have almost no pain as long as I foam roll before a run and warm-up properly, but that isn't the same for everyone!