8K Race for Hope

My running has been so sporadic lately that I had no expectations for this race.  I knew that I wanted to run it, but I also knew that I was going into this race a little out of shape.  Mathis signed up as well, and my new running friend, Kim, was there too!

The start time was pretty late, and I was worried it was going to be hot.  Fortunately it was still pretty cloudy at 10:00 when we started, but it was also somewhat humid.  I started running with Kim, and we did well the first few miles.

Mile 1 -- 9:37
Mile 2 -- 9:28

By mile 3 I was NOT feeling it.  I'm not sure if I was dehydrated, out of shape, or some combination of the two.  I started feeling chilled (even though I was really hot), and I just didn't feel good.  Running always takes a certain amount from me, but this was more than my usual fatigue.  I told Kim to keep going, but she was so great to stay by my side.  We walked a few times, and she shared her water with me since there were only two stops along the route.

Mile 3 -- 10:12
Mile 4 -- 11:07

We ran along some streets in Blacksburg and also along the Huckleberry Trail.  It wasn't quite as hilly as I had feared, but there were still a few good inclines along the way.  By the end of the race I was really huffing and puffing.  I am so glad I had someone to run with -- I know I would have done a lot more walking without the motivation of running alongside Kim.

Last .87 -- 9:38

My Garmin came up a little short of the 8K mark, but I'm not too concerned about it.  I was definitely glad to cross that finish line.  We came in right on 50:00, and this is actually two minutes faster than my previous 8K time.  For the way that I felt during the race I'm actually very pleased with my time.  In fact, I'm just happy to have crossed the finish line. :)  I know that I need to get back into shape, and I'm ready to do it.  I love running, and I especially love the feeling of running races.

After the race we grabbed some water, a little food and waited around to watch the other runners finish.  They held a raffle, and I won!!!  I won one night's stay plus breakfast for two at the Blacksburg Hilton Garden Inn.  Mathis and I were so excited to have won this prize!!!  We're thinking of using it sometime around the holidays... maybe New Year's or something.  Winning a door prize was definitely a fun perk of running the race!  I also really like the shirts...

Mathis and I grabbed brunch with Kim and Hannah at Gillie's after the race, and it was sooooo good!  I definitely love this part of running -- getting to splurge on food afterwards. :)  It was also a fun way to continue hanging out together.

Running this race was definitely good for me -- I haven't run a race since May, and it was great to get back out there! I'm excited to get back into the swing of things and sign up for some other fun Fall races.  

Miles: 8K (5ish)
Time: 50 minutes

Miles this Week: 10
Miles this Month: 32