After I've mostly gotten over the BLACKLIGHT RUN DEBACLE, I was not about to give up running.
Well, I've been looking forward to a particular race coming up. Why? I was looking forward to a particular 5k to get a PR! What's a "PR"? It stands for Personal Record.
A Personal Record can be for several things:
Time
Pace
Distance
Miles Accumulated/(week, month, year)
There's several things you could set a PR for.
Well, I had been running long enough (in my mind) & trying to make some progress in my journey. I felt it was time to try to strive for this PR:
Run 3.1 miles in 30 minutes.
I have been so close a couple of times. I've been close on a training run, and even by guesstimate on the Blacklight Run...but wanted it to be official-official!
So, I've been working on running hills.
I've been working on distance.
I've been working on fartleks.
I've been reaching quick spurts of fast paces.
I've been hitting some pretty big inclines & descents.
I've been working on longer distances.
Though I have a super secret formula to a PR (because it's worked before), I will say the final step of the non-mathical equation is the tutu.
When you get a race shirt with your race packet, there are 2 camps on whether to wear the race shirt during the race or not. I am strongly in the camp that you EARN the shirt, so you do NOT wear it during the race...it comes anytime afterward. So, it stirs my creativity as to how I can stand out in a crowd, and still be part of the theme of the race I'm running. I then get my brainy-brain working to come up with an appropriate cosTUTUme to wear! (like some of these ideas HERE)
This 5k I was looking to PR happened today. It was the De-Feet Hunger 5k Run/Walk. It's a 5k race put on by the Heartland District of the Missouri United Methodist Conference to benefit Harvesters as a part of the conference's set day for SERVE 2014. It's an awesome ministry!! You can check it out HERE!
Well, since we are doing this race to benefit this food pantry, and since I didn't want to wear the amazing race shirt yet...I had to think. But I had to make a very quick decision! I thought our church was going to have some shirts done up for our church folks to reflect a theme we are officially unveiling this week...but we are beginning the sales of the shirts this week. So I couldn't work with that shirt like I originally thought.
So...what could I do?
I settled on soup.
Not to eat while thinking...but to actually create a cosTUTUme around the iconic Campbell's Soup label!
I found some shirts out there that I was hoping to get my hands on. It was a no-go. I also wanted to find a Campbell's Soup costume! Halloween is coming & there are stores with costumes out...so I went looking. Since I've seen them in stores before & have seen some online, imagine my disappointment when I couldn't find ANY! I would have no time to order, either! I only had a day by the time I realized I needed to change gears.
Well, I had to rethink some things...I had to pretend I was crafty.
With the Campbell's label still being so simple to this day, I figured it wouldn't be too difficult to recreate!
So...I set out to find a couple tanks &/or camis, think about what fabric paints I already had, and then work from there.
With a red cami I cut off to be worn over a white tank, this is what I came up with:
I stared at an image of a Campbell's Soup label. I tried really hard to even do the lettering as closely as I possibly could.
The gold seal was just going to be plain since I didn't feel comfortable with recreating the picture on it. So, I left it solid & eventually wrote "SERVE" on the top half of the circle & "2014" on the bottom half of the circle with black Sharpie.
I tried seeing what it would look like with the tutu...
I was actually getting pretty excited!!
I also knew it there was going to be a fabulous fall-like chill in the air during race time, so I pulled out some stirrup running leggings I have, along with a long-sleeve running shirt...both in a dark silver. I thought it might do pretty well representing the can.
Here's how it looked on race day!
Oh...you see the black mark on the back of my top in the picture on your right? I added a barcode....
And I went out with several representing members of my church to run/walk this race! And I ran it!
You know what? I felt GOOD! My pace was faster than expected, but I could talk to other runners who might be running beside at the time, or even cheering other people on that were on the other side of the course, whether in front of or behind where I was at. I could thank those volunteers who were helping to block traffic & yelling encouraging words!
And, a large portion of the race was at an ever-so-slight incline. Thank goodness I've been working on hills! It didn't seem like much to me. But I'm sure others were not doing so well with it.
But, nonetheless, I was shocked with myself! I wondered if I was going PR...
Then, once I figured out I was going to MAJORLY get a PR, I crossed the line like any other tutu'd former ballerina/hardcore dancer should:
That's right. With a grand jete'!
Why? Well maybe in my quest to get a 30 minute 5k, this happened:
Yeah...my official time was finishing in 29:19!! I totally SHATTERED the 30 minute thought! Like...by a lot!
When I did my very first 5k, the Park Trot, I couldn't believe I finished in 31:52.
When I did the Firecracker Flight, I knew I'd have a turtled time with a big hill of 35:30.
When I did the Royals Charities 5k, I felt pretty good about my 31:33!
But...look at that time up there!! I thought I might get down to 30 minutes...but had NO idea I would get this!!
What a day!
Not only did I set out to PR, do my necessary formula to try to insure it, but shattered it. Hardcore.
Not only that, my hubby did amazing by finishing 4th overall & getting 2nd in his age division! He got his own PR, too!
Oh...and most of those pics I have were taken my Teen Girl. Why? She came home from college for the weekend in hopes of helping get some pics of our church folks during the race & meal packing afterward. Well...she was actually approached, WHILE we were there, to be the official photographer for the race!! They gave her a press release & she did what she could to snap some pics along the way. She did GREAT!!
Also...Teen Boy was taking his ACT while we were at the race.
And Lil Guy did an awesome job sticking with his big sis during this race stuff!
So, a treat was called for:
Oh yes! Doughnuts & coffee! Pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin latte, regular coffee, apple fritter, warm & fresh glazed doughnuts, cinnamon buns...mmmmmm....yeah....
Don't judge. We'll be heading back this coming Friday for their Talk Like a Pirate Day promotion (past promo HERE)
Later on, I could start feeling my PR setting in: soreness, fatigue, tightness, yet elation!
Worth it! Cuz I PR'd! BOOM! *Mic Drop*
And I should bring up the almost 20 folks from our church who did the run/walk, plus several others who volunteered! A couple during the race, and several more to pack meals afterward!
Oh! Our church can also claim the 1st place finisher for F 10-19, 3rd place finisher F 30-39, 1st AND 2nd place finishers M 40-49! So proud of our group!
More to come...
Stay tuned...
God Bless, AM~Erica
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