37:11 in the Phillies 5K

37 minutes, 11 seconds.

The following paragraph was brought to you by Pessimist Bethany. Pessimist Bethany is a new individual which surfaced once running became a part of Optimistically Cynical Bethany's life. She will hopefully be available for comments for a limited time only:

My goal was to finish the Inaugural Phillies 5k in under 36 minutes. Finishing the race at 37:11 was almost bittersweet. I had to walk a little bit - the first time was just after I passed the first mile marker. I almost passed out at the end of the race from pushing myself over the last quarter mile. And as I crossed the finish line, there was a 37, not a 36.

BUT WE WILL NOT DWELL ON THE NEGATIVE. Man, it took me awhile to get over the bittersweet feeling, but there are so many good things that came out of this 5k.

The following list was brought to you by Optimist Bethany. Also a new individual which surfaced to combat Pessimist Bethany (she will most likely fade after the Broad Street Run as well):

1) First mile time: 11:17!!!
I've NEVER run that fast in my life. I felt like I normally do after running at a 12-minute-mile pace, so I definitely needed to walk for a while to catch my breath. At one point I looked at Ped and gasped "We've run a mile already, right?" to which he told me "Of course! We'll be at the mile and half water table soon." To which I looked up and saw the mile marker about 100 yards ahead of me. He was wrong. So very wrong. It was okay though because of that glorious 11:17 on the screen. (I will also say that was based on gun time. By chip time, I would probably have been at around 11:07.)

2) Average mile time: 12:02!!!
I always forget a 5k is actually 3.1 miles. My goal for 36 minutes was based on my goal for a 12-minute-mile. Since the total race was actually a little over 3 miles, I did meet my goal of 12 minute miles. I don't know why it took so long for my brain to understand this, but this morning was the first time I honestly looked at that time and felt proud.

3) Improved 5k time of 2:35 (2 minutes, 35 seconds). I went from 39:46 to 37:11. Apparently, that's not too bad for 2 months.

4) Another amazing running partner that offered constant encouragement and motivation.
I conned Ped into doing this race with me. When you tell your baseball-obsessed boyfriend in January that all he has to do is run a few miles in March and he would get to walk on the field, get free baseball tickets, and possibly meet Phillies, it's a no-brainer that I would win him over. Ped has been so supportive throughout this whole thing. It hasn't always been in the way that I like, but it's been in a way that was motivating and encouraging. Finishing this race with him was such a wonderful experience. He may not be running Broad Street with me, but I'll be able to picture him next to me.

The race itself was a nice path, but it was frigid. I'm pretty sure everyone who signed up for the race expected spring weather since it was held on March 26, but that was not what we got. The cold was bad enough, but the wind chill was horrendous. The "cool down lap" on the field was actually an hour long line to get your picture taken at home plate. Not all it was promised to be, but I would recommend this race to anyone for next year. It was open to 3,000 runners and sold out within a day. Hopefully next year, they will open it up to a few more people. Ped and I will definitely be on that list.