lessons learned.

On Saturday I ran 6 or 7 miles (a little confusion there) with my team at Furman and then that night I ran in the Candlelight 5K run. So in all I totaled at least 9 miles that day. I definitely paid the price for it the next day. I ended up with shin splints on Sunday and Monday. They weren't too terribly bad and with a little TLC, lots of ice and advil, I'm pretty much back to normal today. So my first lesson learned from Saturday was not to overdo it. Although 3 miles doesn't sound like a lot compared to what I have been running, it's a long 3 miles if you ran 6 miles earlier in the day.

My overall time in the 5k was just under 30 minutes. 28:56 to be exact. Although I would have liked to have hit more at the 28 minute mark, considering the circumstances, it wasn't bad. It was a tough course for me. About 2 miles of it was entirely uphill. I thought I was good at conquering hills, but this one beat me up. Every time I got to a small crest I realized I still had 2 miles to go uphill. I heard every one around me cursing because they all realized the same thing that was going through my head. I'm glad I wasn't the only one fighting that hill. I really enjoyed the race, but sure wish I hadn't been so fatigued because I would have enjoyed it that much more.

My second lesson learned on Saturday is to run hills. Long hills. Not the sort hills that I tend to run in downtown Greenville, but long ones like the ones I will encounter in San Francisco. I don't want to get there and feel overwhelmed by the hills (especially the one at mile 6, that's a doozy). I want to feel confident and healthy to tackle them without any problem.

Third lesson. Get as close to the starting line as possible without being run over at the start. There were close to 1800 people running in this race Saturday night. I just kinda jumped into the pack not really caring where I started out. That was a mistake. I ended up behind a lot of slower paced people and had to shimmy my way around them on the narrow course. Not that this took a lot off of my awesome 29:56 time, but it was a little frustrating to have to speed up and slow down for people. There was even this one tall lanky girl trying to get around everyone and I was trying to follow her through the open spots. But she kept starting and stopping and jumping from side to side. It was almost like she was dancing. It was quite amusing, but equally annoying because apparently she had no peripheral vision and kept "dancing" into my running path.

I really enjoy races and the atmosphere. Although the competitive side of me wants to be faster and stronger, it's also nice to just get out and enjoy the festivities. I got to see a few amazing men run some 4:58 miles to finish the race in 15:17. Unbelievable! It was also nice to participate in a race with my cousin Christian and a few of his friends. Although I didn't get to see him before the race, I enjoyed the company after the race. He finished in an amazing 27:31 minutes. Way to go Christian!

As for my fundraising... I still need your support! I am hoping to reach at least $2000 by July 14. That's 3 whole weeks for you to get your donations in! This goes to a great cause and one that is especially important to me. So start saving your pennies! Any amount donated will be greatly appreciated! Check it out here... http://pages.teamintraining.org/sc/nikesf08/lmerkt.