Solo 5k

I did it.

I ran my first 5k post-injury.

And I did it all.by.myself.

I had a run set up with a couple of friends yesterday afternoon. But after I asked to push it up by an hour so I could accommodate my kids want to swim, one of my friends had to bow out. 5 minutes before we were supposed to meet up, I got a text from my other friend and she had to bail due to a friend's surprise visit at her house.

I am glad she didn't give me any time to change my mind (or my clothes) because I had dedicated to go out and was still going even if it were to be a solo run. I had mapped it out, had let the husband know where I planned on running, and had plans to head to the swimming pool afterwards with the family - no way was I backing out now!

I headed out, and as usual, the first 10 minutes were the hardest. I find it usually takes that long for me to find my pace and keep it relatively even. I likely go a bit too fast out of the gates and once I get to that first minute walk, I am able to back off a bit, remind myself this is supposed to be a SLOW LONG RUN, and keep trucking along.

The wind was stronger than I had thought but the route I mapped out for myself was one that took the tour around our old neighbourhood, and it was fun to see how nothing had changed in the last 4 years. Next time, I will have to make sure I run by the old park to see if it has been upgraded yet.

Those last 400 meters (or so), I felt I really needed to push through - I really waned to stop prematurely and that is something I find difficult in races too. I see that (pretend) finish line and just want to stop once it is in sight instead of pounding the pavement until it is behind me.

Things to work on.

All in all, I tracked just a little less than 18 kms this past week - a new record!

Let's see if I can surpass it again this week.