Mary Kay ummm 5k?

Today I raced the Mary Kay 5k.  I could feel speed in my legs yesterday from that great off day!  All Friday I walked around talking about how FASSSST I was going to be on Saturday morning.  I've never been excited about a 5k.  I don't really see the point in going 3.1 miles or running til you puke.  But, I was excited!  I was so excited, I couldn't sleep.  I also have a lot on my mind lately with some exciting changes at my company and distracted by other stuff. 

I went to bed at 9:30 so I could be even FASSSTer (like Kyle Busch).  Then I was up surfing at midnight, again at 2am, and again at 4am.  My daughter left for her cross country meet at 5:45 and I was up.  It was time to go be FASSST!  I was still excited.  I'm not sure where the real me was... the one that couldn't keep up tempo at the track on Tuesday. 

So, at 6:50 I took the new me to go race.  I got to the Mary Kay building and the finish line wasn't even set up.  I had thought the race was at 8am but that was the 1 mile event.  Yes, I did momentarly think of blowing away the little kids with my new found speed.  But, I waited and warmed up for the 5k.

The race went off late.  I couldn't figure out why.  The guy on the stand seemed to like to talk and he talked.  Finally, at 8:45 with the sun up we took off.  Down the hill, up the hill, the course had 3 out and backs on it.  Oddly, this style course mentally served me very well. 

I used Quench gum to avoid stopping for any water.  You don't really need water in a 5k but the mouth gets dry.  Quench solves that problem (but don't swallow it!).  I also must admitt I wore my ipod for the first time in a year (6 songs I needed to get through to hit my goal of 23:59).  The 5k playlist is - The Exit by A Kiss Could be Deathly, Dirty Little Secret by All American Rejects (maybe my favorite song), Faint by Linkin Park (this is where the tempo picks up), Next 2 You by Buckcherry (now we are cruising), Pain by Jimmy Eat World, ...To Be Loved by Papa Roach (at this point if I could breath I would sing), Face Down by The Red Jumpsuite Apparatus and (if you get this far you took too long) Running Down a Dream by Tom Petty.

Last out and back and I'm singing... Is it true what they say, you won't give it a way... tell me what I have to do to be next to you, next to you.  So, I see the finish and my eyes are seeing things.  The first number on the clock is still a 1.  Ok, I felt ... FASSSST but this is crazy.  My PR was a 24:05 from last year.  I finish at 19:34 and I do want to puke as I smile from ear to ear.  Then I hear them.  The other 46 people that finished so far... the course was short.  The 5k was only 2.6 miles!  &%^&%&*!!!  When I did the math it would have been a 23:20 5k.  I was a little disappointed I didn't have an "official" 5k pr.  But, it sure was a lot of fun for those brief few seconds wondering if I just broke 20. 

Guess it shows that positive thinking helps you believe about anything for a while.  I'll still take my time and be happy.  Maybe even slightly motivated to race another marathon, maybe.