King Tiger 5k, PR, and 3rd Place

I'd been itching to run a 5k.

The last race I ran was the Shamrock 4 Miler in March and the next race I signed up for is in August. So to fill the gap, I had been searching for a 5k to run. I heard about an upcoming race that was surprisingly inexpensive to enter on June 3rd, so it was perfect timing.

Before I sign-up for a race, I check the prior year race results. I'm always curious to know how many people ran last year and what the competition looked like. I consider myself a pretty average runner and tend to compete with myself more than others when running. But I still get a rush from a good race. 

When I checked the results from last year's King Tiger 5k, I realized I had a good chance of placing in my age group. I was excited and motivated to push even harder. 

I was feeling pretty good on Saturday morning, despite not falling asleep until late on Friday night (thanks pre-race jitters). The race started at 7:30am and the weather was perfect.

When the gun went off, I was ready to run my best race. I have the tendency to take off too fast during the first mile and this race was no exception. But since it's only 3.1 miles, I pushed through it. And it paid off.

After a pretty brutal hill right after the 2 mile mark, I kicked it in to the finish line.

I finished the race in 25 minutes and 54 seconds (8:21 minute pace). Although I haven't run a 5k in a while and I don't remember my high school cross country times, I would definitely say this was a PR for me. I was very happy when I crossed the finish line and saw my time.

I was even happier when during the awards ceremony, I won third place in my age group! I've never placed in a race before and it felt amazing. 

I run for health, both mental and physical. And I train to be better than I was yesterday. Running isn' about winning or placing in a race, but it does make a wonderful past time that much more enjoyable. 

This past Saturday I learned that constant improvement, at any age, can lead to great things. 

What races have you run lately or are you planning to run?