#gogirlrun

This morning (7:30/8am) I ran the Go Girl Run of Kansas City 5K with my best friend!

Why?  WHY NOT! :)  One of these reasons was enough for me.

I won/obtained a free entry through my work.

I got to choose my 'donation' to go towards the Susan G. Komen foundation.

The weather was finally not frigid.

The free shirt is awesomely girly.

We got a free etched wine glass (which I think they were pouring protein drinks into after the race).

It was near home.

I needed a workout anyways, right?

A bunch of girls running for a good cause?  Uh, yeah!  Count me in!  :)

'The Go Girl Run was specifically designed to celebrate women, health and fitness, and ultimately support several women-centered charities in the area. '

The packet pick up the day before was easy and not crowded (I got my own and the bestie's).  They had little tents with cute shirts and a 'design your own' shirt station.  If I were running a half marathon, I would have made one.  They were super cute!  My daughter colored on the way there and enjoyed watching everyone at the tents.

Like the last few recent races, I had my clothing and gear set out/ready the night before.  This included:

Sports bra/running underwear (if you have not looked into specialized running underwear - you should)

Longer socks to meet my pants

Running Nike shoes with time chip (orange square) attached

Spandex long pants (it is still chilly in the morning)

Shorts - to cover my booty

Running shirt with my bib (cute pink, right?) pinned on

Sunglasses (these are always great whether it is sunny, windy or raining)

iPhone (obviously) and headphones

Garmin FR 70 and heart rate monitor

Caffeine pill

Headband (to keep the crazy bangs astray)

My pink bracelet in honor of my bestie's mother

The cute cotton shirt they gave us is at the top of at the picture.  :)

Since I had to be there before 7:30am, I set my alarms slightly earlier than last time (while this still seemed like a small race, it was bigger than the last one).

These... were a fail.

I woke up at 6:30am and you do not want to know the first word that came out of my mouth.  (It started with 'f').  I flew out of bed quickly....

I took a Caffeine pill while getting dressed, ate my typical 5K-day banana (half of it) while throwing some powder on my face and ate my half a wheat bagel thin with a smear of almond butter on the drive.

I usually use Shaun T’s Asylum V2 ‘Stretch’ DVD to warm-up/stretch for 30 minutes.  Since starting Body Beast my muscles have been really really sore so this would have helped.  HOWEVER, I had to stretch the major muscles while we were waiting on our race to start since I did not have time at home.  This may have been detrimental to my calf - we will see.

Luckily, the race was about 20-30 minutes behind, which kept me from being late/feeling extremely rushed/find my bestie (even though it took me awhile to park).

The weather was awesome - cloudy and 64-65 degrees!  There was a slight breeze during the run which was a little challenging since the course was out in the 'open-land' (not many buildings to block wind).

We ladies have awesomely bright running wardrobes.

I got a pocket for my shoe (to hold my car key) last night at Gary Gribble's.  Finally - I did not have to hold it in my hand while running!

The half marathon finally started (picture on the left) and Whole Foods catered the end of the event (on the right).  :)  There were also massages/alignment, race results, t-shirts to buy/grab, design your shirt station, etc.

This was my first time running the Go Girl Run 5K and hopefully not my last.  I will compare my times to the last 5K I did not quite 2 weeks ago:

5/5/13 Triumph over Tragedy 5K: 25:13:1 / 8:24 pace (using RunKeeper) / 3.01 miles

Today's chip time: 25:40:84 / 8:18 pace / 3.06 miles!!  I finished 5th in my age group (if I would have finished 1st-4th I would have gotten a medal) and 23rd overall!

FITRADIO and RunKeeper carried me through this run again.  I found that I was skipping songs more often than usual, however.  I forgot to take a picture of my calories burnt, but it was 400 and you can see it here.

I had a heck of a time finding a professional photo of myself but here we go!

Here are my 'end of the race' photos.  :)  I finished, balanced while someone cut off the chip, grabbed a sample of some gluten-free granola bar, water, my wine glass and waited for the bestie on the sidelines (and took her photos).  The sun finally came out!

PERSONAL RECORD SET (if you look at my average page - since this long was slightly longer than the last)!  You know what that means?

The color I originally had my heart set on is apparently out of stock, so I just ordered these from 6PM.com :

I hope they are good running shoes!

I added my bib and completion certificate to the wall o' bibs in my workout room (I have started to consolidate them into frames together).  I have several races in the next few weeks, so this will get better.  :)

Notes about this race:

The hubby and I went to see a movie last night (Pain & Gain) and I did not end up going to sleep until 1:30/2am.  Waking up and getting ready in 15 minutes for a 5K is not my ideal situation.  Do not do that again.

As the half marathoners were starting, a girl next to my bestie and I fainted/passed out/fell to the ground.  I made sure she was not seizing and she was alert and talking shortly after.  Luckily, this race was at a Medical Center so there was aid fast.  :)  She was okay but obviously did not run.

I made a goal to run this race at a 8:30 min/mile pace or better and I would buy myself new running shoes.  DONE!  It was time.

I used a younger girl to keep my pace (she was in front of me the entire time, thus, slightly faster).  She would stop and take a walker-breather every .5 mile or so.  Once, I was running past her and said, 'oh no you don't...you're my pacer, let's go'.  She started running.  :)

Several girls would stop and walk which made it hard to keep pushing myself to run.  Around mile 2 or 3 I was giving myself a pep talk to push harder.

I remembered to pull a headphone out of my ear so I could hear the announcer say my name as I crossed the finish (for the first time ever).  I heard it, raised my arms in the air to cheer, and the annoucer thought it was great (and was happy someone could hear over their personal music).

UGH!  If I had just been one person (in my age group) faster, I would have gotten a medal.  (They gave out awards for the top 1-4 finishers in age groups).  I knew I should have passed those girls... :)  Next time, I am starting at the front.  I had to do some passing at the start and it slowed me down.  ;)

Highlight to being one of the first runners done - no lines for food/massages/chip times/etc.  Although, there was no chocolate milk.  Fail.  :(

Luckily, I have a 'Mother's Day Massage' (60-minute swedish massage and coconut oil hand wrap) scheduled on Thursday.  Thank you hubby!  Between these races and Body Beast - I need it. <3

Afterwards, the bestie, my daughter, my mother, and I went to brunch.  Egg white omelet and pancake?  YES!  My daughter had her 'blues'.

I had to do Body Beast Build: Chest/Tris when I got home because it was on the schedule.  Let's just say I am slightly exhausted.  :)  I upped my weight from Day 1 and worked the arms pretty hard.

Why not do this at night?  I was already sweaty, in workout clothes, the hubby had a couple hours before work, and I knew I would be a tired, worn out, energy-lacking person later.