I had this desire to get on the podium, to see if I still could run a 5K at a decent time for my age. You could attribute this to the beautiful weather we had for the race, which was held April 12. It also could be the fact that I simply love being in Murray, Ky., the friendliest town in America.
There is more to the story.
In 2013, I did not race much. I ran in a number of 5Ks and other events, but I wasn't competitive. Much of that had to do with my work. At my previous job, I didn't feel valued nor appreciated. That reflected in my running and confidence. And now as a tenure-track faculty member, I love where I am and what I do, but I have a lot to prove with intellectual contributions. So running simply became an outlet. I ran for fun, and it's important to do that now and then.
My competitive spirit, however, has returned with a resounding roar. I am moving along well in my research, and I am more confident than ever.
My time in the 5K was 27:14, an 8:47 pace, something I have not achieved in some time. It was good enough to net second place, a silver coin, in my age group and rank 20th among females and 50th overall.
These numbers tell me that with consistent training and more focused runs, I can return to the race times in the 25- and 26-minute ranges that I once had.
It felt good to run the race I did! The weather was perfect, with temperatures in the mid-50s at the start. The race course was fair, not too hilly and not too flat. The event was well organized, and I simply loved being around my running friends.
In June, I plan to run an ultra distance at the Run Under the Stars 10-hour endurance event, just to say I can do it. This week, I entered the lottery for the St. George Marathon held the first Saturday in October in Utah. I only have ran in one marathon, and I have been itching to do another one. If I get in, training will begin in the summer. Yes, it will be hot, but I have the summer off from teaching. All these long runs will help my 5K times, too.
Since 2008, running has been important to me. I embraced it every weekend with races, desiring to see how much faster I could run. Eventually, the fire - my competitive drive - began to lose its flame. Thankfully, my inner strength has rekindled, and Saturday's 5K was a long-awaited testament to myself that I can conquer anything. It also was a time to remind myself that for success to happen, I must have faith and stay positive about the challenges that have yet to come.
I am ready for the fire to burn greater and longer. Let the race begin.
