Chloe 5k

 

I think this is the fourth year for the Chloe 5k. Sanctuary Columbus Church (where we used to attend) supports the organization Chloe, Inc. which "is committed to empowering teen moms to become self-sufficient, resilient, and adaptable; preventing and breaking cycles of poverty through education and safe haven in our community." I couldn't participate the first two years because of other races. Last year, I was just getting back to walking after my accident and could only do the 1 mile walk. This year, I was super excited that I could FINALLY run the 5k!

 

The 5k was held in Gahanna at Creekside (a course I'm very familiar with). It's an out and back on road and paved trail with a gradual incline and a couple of short hills. The weather was SO MUCH BETTER than the Field of Heroes 5k last week. The temp was higher and the sun was making itself known, but the humidity didn't feel very high.

 

My goal for this race was to run better than last week (23:06). Otherwise, I would certainly whine and complain.

 

**********

It was a beautiful sunny day at Creekside!

 

As we lined up to start, I heard the lead bike man ask these two guys up front if they were running 17 minutes. When they replied "yes," I felt as if I needed to create a little space between us! I mean, holy crap!! My goal, just like last week, was to stay as close to 7 minutes as I could for the first mile and just see how I felt. I actually felt really good the first mile. We went up a very slight incline, took a sharp turn, then down the decline (definitely more decline than incline for this segment...but we got to look forward to that being an incline on the way back!). My legs were feeling really good and my breathing wasn't that awful. I even caught up to the first place lady. Mile 1 clocked in at [7:07], and, in that moment, I felt like I could hold that pace for the rest of the race.

The future of running.

 

I knew the next mile would be more difficult, though. It had a couple of hills, the mid-race turn around, and the hills again. Now, these hills aren't awful. On an easy run day, they'd be nothing. On a 5k race day, they could potentially be enough to slow you down JUST a few seconds. I did a fairly good job with them. Even my race partner commented during our cool down that they didn't seem to phase me. I loved that compliment! Mile 2 ended up being [7:21]. At this point, my legs were still ok...not good, but ok. Unfortunately, I was starting to have some breathing issues! Ugh. Last week after the 5k, I thought it was just because of the horrible humidity. Later in the week, I had a really good speed workout and my breathing was great. I felt relaxed and never really struggled to breathe (granted, it was low to mid 50s and minimal humidity). What was going on with me?!

James doing the Kids Fun Run.

 

The first part of mile 3 was flat followed by the long incline (the one that was a pretty good decline in mile 1) and slight decline to round the corner to the finish. I tried to ignore the difficulty I was having and just finish the last mile. I trucked up the incline with purpose, rounded the sharp turn, and just felt blah. My last mile was awful!! I just didn't have the desire to finish strong. My legs were feeling it just a bit, but I needed air! LOL. As we rounded the corner to the final stretch, I noticed my watch read "2.92" miles. I knew that the course would be short when I saw that. I was slightly frustrated at first but decided it didn't matter since it wouldn't be a PR for me. Mile 3 was [7:35]....huge barf. I really have no idea what happened that mile. I didn't feel like I was running that slow, but obviously I was!

 

When I saw the clock as I crossed the finish line, I knew I still ran better than last week even though the course was short. It was just a tad better, but a few seconds is still better when it comes to a 5k! My official time:

 

22:13.

 

5th overall, 2nd female. Such a small race this year!

It never happened if the Garmin doesn't prove it!

 

 

I will not complain about that. I did better than last week, and I know I have more in me! If anything, it's huge motivation to keep working hard! I really enjoyed having my racing partner, Rachel, on the course with me. You never know who will show up on race day, and I'm glad she did. She kept me motivated when it got tough and helped me to that goal. I couldn't quite catch her at the end!

Picture with the champion! [ME, Rachel]

 

I'm not registered for anymore 5k's, but I know what I'll be doing after the kids go to bed.

My winnings! Fleet Feet card of an amount that's unknown, Duchess gift card, and a 2nd place medal!