Better than a PR

I ran my first 5k by myself this weekend.

Well, not completely by myself. As in, there were 3 other girls and a couple that ran it as well partially upon my request.

But, it was the first time I ran it without making a pact to run with whomever was with me until the very end. No matter how fast or slow the other was, we were finishing together.

This was hard thing for me to do given that I do the 5ks not for any time goals, but rather as a social means of making me get up most mornings to run. Besides, it's nearly impossible to lose if you're running together. Being someone rather performance oriented, I'm always thinking about the win-lose component...even if we claim not to be keeping score.

That being said, as we started off the 5k, I stuck with as many of the people I knew as I could.

One I'd run with before. One I didn't think trained at all and probably wouldn't have the stamina to go very long. And one, well...let's just say I didn't say.

When the one I'd been most inclined to stick with the race stopped to fix her pony-tail, I kept my pace. And pace I did. Eventually, I caught up with the one (and passed) I thought didn't train (phew).

And so I continued. Just me, the road, the finish line, and the other hundreds of strangers.

I ran. I ran. I walked. I ran. I walked. I ran and ran. And then I came around what I thought was the last corner...and I booked it. Running like the wind. Mentally pushing me to go just a tiny bit faster. Came upon the 3 mile marker (a little exhausted with the idea that the end wasn't where I thought it was) and went a little faster. I tried to remember just how much longer than 3 miles a 5k was. I tried to think about all the things I'd read in my running magazine about form and the mental strategy of 5ks.

I crossed the finish line strong, pushed to my limit, but proud.

I can't tell you if it was a personal record (PR) cause I don't usually pay any attention or remember the number terribly long. But I can tell you I finished 5 minutes before the first next friend crossed the line.

But the thing that stands out about this race was more that I did it for me. There was no running partner. There was no cheerleader (i.e., PC waiting for me at the end). Just the feeling that I knew I could run this fast and finish this strong. That I was strong. And that, my friends, was better than any PR or any winning.