Pints to Pasta: 57:01 wooohoooo!!

WE DID IT!

Thanks to some friendly competition, Mel and I pushed each other to an amazing new PR. I beat last years time by 4:30. My time was 57:01 (a 9:11/mile). On my hand that morning I had written 58:30 in ink.Mel thought I was crazy.

I had a few goals going into this race.

Goal 1) Beat last year 1:01:30.
Goal 2) Break 1 hour.. (59:59 would have been acceptable).
Goal 3) This was a stretch. 58:30.

I almost cried after I finished and I saw my Garmin time. I really pushed myself during the race and I so wanted to slow down - but I didn't. (mostly because Melanie was right there next to me running a sub 9 min/mile beginning at mile 3). It was such an amazing feeling to have blown my goals out of the water and knowing that all my training paid off.

The funniest thing was after the race we talked and realized - she wasn't slowing down because she thought I was setting the pace, and I thought she was setting that pace.. Ha!! I kept telling myself if she could keep it up, so could I. I LOVE having a running buddy push you to levels you didn't think were possible. It was also awesome to see my coach J about a 1/2 mile from the end when I wanted to DIE and he told me just to keep running. Seeing him gave me that extra push I needed to keep going.. then when I saw the clock.. I pushed it a little faster to cross the finish line at 57:01. I am still riding that high.

Another great Pints to Pasta. Well organized (always a wait for potties- but we had more than enough time to visit them not once, not twice - but THREE times). Great beer. Good friends.

(My husband who has a cold, has barely trained, and has a bruised knee finished at 53:32. I am envious of his natural running ability. But baby.. watch out...I'm getting faster!!)

with my hubby on the bus to the starting line...

My girls - pre-race