Dr. Richard Sarkin 5K Memorial Run and a Personal Best

Today was a picture perfect day for a run. Up until last weekend, I didn't have any upcoming races to run in. I am very picky about which ones I will do- there have to be a lot of people or else I won't do it, the reason being that I am afraid of being last. Yes, I know that seems ridiculous, but as I have mentioned before, I am very very slow. How slow you might ask? Well, I have been tracking my runs since August, and I have done 4 5Ks since then. My times were:

Mississippi Mudd 5K: 43:20 (13:52 per mile). This was my first race since two that I did in June, and it was hot and humid that day. I was feeling pretty much like death after this was over.

Tops 5K: 41:29 (13:18 per mile). Better, but considering the beautiful day, this was still very slow. I felt ok after this race, not as sore as the last one.

Linda Yalem 5K: 38:51 (12:23 per mile). Much much better! I felt good this day and had enough left in the tank to run an 8:58 mile for the last tenth.

And finally today, the Dr. Richard Sarkin Memorial 5K: 35:42 (11:29 per mile) with 8:02 pace for the last tenth. I know I am still slow by normal standards, but I never thought I could run under a 12 minute mile. It was very exciting. I can't come close to what my husband does (finishing the entire thing in 20 minutes... WHAT!) but I am really proud of what I did today. Hopefully my next race will be even better. I have one or two more to go before the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. My original goal for that race was to finish it in under an hour (about a 12 min/mile pace) but I may have to re-evaluate that goal in light of today's performance!