East Rochester Karknocker 5K

Last night Mike and I ran the Karknocker 5K in East Rochester. The race started at 7pm and it was a stifling 91 degrees out, but there were water stops at every mile and a lot of the neighbors were out spraying runners with their sprinklers and hoses. I finished in 21:54 (54th out of 225) which isn't my fastest time, but not bad given the heat. I'm consistently faster now than I was in high school or college, but I'd still love to run a 5K in under 20 minutes someday because it's the goal I never managed to achieve when I was younger. I did win a medal for placing 3rd in my age group, continuing my lucky streak of 5K and 10K races this summer. Most of all, I'm so proud of Mike for finishing his first race ever in 32:00!

The heat started to get to me during the race. My mouth was dry and my stomach was a little queasy. I kept thinking about how much I wanted to stop, so I had to tell myself that each step was bringing me closer to the finish. And closer to the next sprinkler! I still haven't mastered the art of drinking from a paper cup while running, but I did learn that if I look down while running through a sprinkler, my sunglasses won't get all wet and I will still be able to see.

Bright and early this morning, Eric, Shooter and I did a long run. Even though we started at 7am, it was already in the 80's, but we got in a good 11 miles. I think the combination of a fast paced 5K race and then a long run only 12 hours later is good training for my legs. I guess we'll find out come marathon time.

Lyric of the moment: "Ooh ooh ooh I'm on fire..."