Twin Cities 5K

I should probably credit my workplace's participation in the Corporate Challenge for the Twin Cities 5K for motivating me to keep running.  I already taken the first step towards becoming a runner again by blocking time off on my calendar and actually going out for a run.  I think I ran for ten minutes that first run since I had had a baby and walked the rest.  A few torturous runs later I had built myself up to running for 20 minutes - with a break at the halfway point.  So when a co-worker e-mailed the office to recruit everyone for our company team for the Twin Cities 5K, I signed up that day.  Even when I went for weeks without running because it was too hot to run mid-day during the scorching summer we had, being signed up for the race motivated me to pick up my training where I left off when the weather cooled down.  And even when I felt frustrated that I never managed to run more than twice a week, I was out again the following week.

Although it was 80+ degrees earlier this week, when I woke up this morning, the sun struggled to peak out of the clouds on a 38-degree morning.  That's a Minnesota fall for you.  I dug through the duffle bag of winter sports clothing I store in the back of a closet and pulled out long underwear, gloves, a headband and a pair of running tights I prayed would still fit.  (Thank goodness they stretch.)  Chris stayed home with the kids and I jumped in the car and made my way to the Capitol grounds, where the race would start and then worked its way uphill towards Summit Avenue.

Amidst the two thousand people at the starting line, I stood with my colleagues and teammates and waited for the starting gun to go off.  Our team consisted of marathon runners, those who were getting back into running after years-long hiatuses and those who in their 40s and 50s were running their first race.  I quickly lost them when the race started as many of them sped ahead with the fast runners.  I, on the other hand, have taken the motto of my dad's old running club, the Tortuga Golden Striders, to heart.  Start slowly, then ease off.   

The incline up Summit Avenue was steeper and longer than I remembered from running the race five years ago, but the thrill of competition was still the same.  I paced myself well and was tired when I finished, but felt great.  That was the runner's high I was looking for!  I finished in 30:38, which was about a minute and a half or two minutes slower than the last time I ran the Twin Cities 5K, but still a minute faster than the race for state employees I participated in two weeks ago.   

The race hasn't been over for more than a few hours and I'm already wondering how I'm going to stay motivated to keep active during the colder months.  It might be time to wax my cross country skis, sign up for the City of Lakes Loppet and end another sport's racing hiatus.