Mission Complete

Well, I finished my 15-K - and my hip feels great! :D

Pre-race pic: (excuse my pasty self and my weird eyes...I think they look different colors or one looks really large. Hmmm.)
I'd never raced in pants before, but when I found out it was 40 degrees this morning, pants it was. I also had to chug-a-lug this guy before I got out of my car. No vodka was added, that I can assure you.

I know, I know....aspartame, yuck yuck yuck. But, it's kind of a ritual of mine to have one before each race and before my long runs. I really feel like they make me run faster...maybe it is just in my head? Either way, it's my one guilty pleasure and I'm stickin' to it!

I started out my first mile a little fast for me (8:00), but I was all amped up (see above pic) and really didn't want to slow down. My pride takes over during a race, and I really have to force myself to slow down. It's hard to do because who likes it when people pass them, ya know?

I picked 3 girls to 'follow' in the beginning, but they all took off between miles 3 and 5. Lucky for me, I found a hot firefighter (or a cute guy just wearing a firefighter t-shirt, either way, it works for me here) and followed him to mile 8. I told myself I was going to pick it up during the last mile, and I sprinted the last 0.3 miles of the race. And guess who I passed? 2 of the 3 girls from the beginning. It made me feel a lot better knowing that I'd saved my energy for the end. I did feel like I was going to puke for a second, which I actually thought was funny because I just commented on Kelly's blog that I am not a post-race puker. I think God was just testing me?

Here are my official stats:

time: 1:15:14
pace: 8:06

It feels SO good to have met my goal!!! This whole day I've been a bit euphoric, because not only 6 months ago I couldn't even run one mile because of my hip. So for any of you who are injured, have been injured, or will get injured in the future: don't ever give up hope that you can get back out there! It sounds incredibly cheesy, but so many people tried to get me to give up running. It is such a passion of mine, though, and I was determined to hit the pavement again. I'm starting to sound like a serious after-school special, so I will stop. :-)

I hope you all had a wonderful Saturday!