July 4th Defiance River Run 5K

Well, today was the annual Defiance River Run 5K. I don't remember how many of these races I have taken part in, but it's been several years in a row.

I started out expecting my worst time ever. I'm not in nearly as good as shape as I was last year, I have been plagued by so many injuries, and so forth. To top it off, we had a great Aldrich gathering last night, but this morning I had a stomach ache. This is the first time EVER I've run when I had stomach cramps before I even started!

It is a fairly cool morning. I wore my jacket to the race. Usually we walk there, but today Curt and I drove (he always cheers me on at this race). I had walked Ares earlier, so at least I was a little warmed up.

There was a medium size crowd. I tried to start off at a decent pace,not too fast and not to slowly (I tend to start these things too fast and run out of breath). I even slowed down a few times and talked to some friends during the first 1/4 mile or so. But I didn't stop running.

I ended up with not my worst time, and better than the 5K I ran a few weeks back. If I'd been in an age group one or two down (yes a younger age group), I may have taken home a prize. My age group (45-59) has a LOT of fast women runners. I figured out that I came in 4th. My main goal was to finish without having to catch a ride, my second goal was to run the entire way, and my third goal was to make sure I was under 30 minutes and have a better time than the Bullfrog 5K a few weeks ago. I didn't run fast enough for a prize, but I did meet my goals in this race. So I'm happy with my results!

And now I am resolved to work harder on getting back in shape and losing those few pounds to get to what I feel is my prime running weight. Well, I'll start after this weekend -- we have more family events planned! I am on vacation this coming week, so it's a perfect time to get a few more runs in.

There was only one problem. When I got home, Ares took one sniff and he knew I'd been for a run. He gave me such a look -- he was so disappointed that I went without him. I tried to tell him that dogs weren't allowed at this race. A few treats later he was OK.

Gotta run ...