Race Reviews (yes TWO of them)

So not only am I back, I'm BACK with a vengeance! I decided that I'd start the fall season out with a 5K bang and run two consecutive 5Ks: The LaVergne Parks and Recreation Night Owl Howl (NOH) and the East Nashville Tomato 5K.

The NOH was my very first evening event, except for last year's Ragnar Relay which was a bit different. NOH is held less than a mile from my house and is a road race that runs along a major thoroughfare through my town. I hadn't planned on racing it because I was running the race on Saturday with a date (yes, folks, I'm DATING again!) and I didn't want to embarrass myself. However, when the gun went off, the adrenaline fired up and I bolted. Any chance of negative splits was crushed by my enthusiastic start! I finished the first mile in roughly 8 minutes, which is the fastest I've ran a mile since high school. My overall time was 29:44 which is a PR by ONE second from my old one! I will definitely do this race again! It was so neat running with local folks at night, complete with glow gear :) The finish line was awesome because I could see the glowing time lights for about the last half mile, which was enough encouragement to pick up the pace and get my sorry butt across the finish line.

The Tomato 5K on Saturday morning was kind of nerve wracking for several reasons. (1) I had just PRed the night before meaning my quads were crying! (2) This course was NOT flat and was quite hilly. AND (3) I was running the race with a date! My date and I have been seeing each other for a few weeks so it wasn't our first time out but it was our first time running together AND my first time running with a partner ever. It was a little intimidating but he assured me he wasn't a super fast runner and that we would finish it together. There were A LOT of people at this race (around 1200 altogether) and it wound through some pretty narrow streets but all-in-all, we rocked it. I thought I would have to walk the last mile because my quads were burning so badly from the previous run and all of the godforsaken hills but, alas, I put on my big girl panties and made it across the finish line with a NEW PR of 29:31!!! Woot! :)

The next race on my list is the Run Chickin' Run 10K at the beginning of September so I have plenty of time to relax my aching legs and prepare for what I hope will be a new 10K PR. Then is off to marathon training and a lot of miles.