Last Sunday I participated in the Flower Show 5k. To be honest, I signed up for the race because there was a promise of “flower cannons” at every mile. I had no idea what that meant, and it intrigued me! The weather was beautiful, so I chose to take advantage of it. The race started at 8:30 am which was perfect for me. I was going to do a workout over the weekend, but the race looked fun, so I hopped into it.
My husband and I arrived at 7:30, warmed up around the Schuylkill River and headed to the start. We saw a few friends doing their long run during our warmup but other than that, the warm-up was uneventful. At 8:30, the race was off. They threw a few flower pedals, and that was the extent of the “flower cannon”. To be honest, I was disappointed.
During the first mile, I found myself as the second woman to a friend of mine. I trailed about 15 seconds behind. The course was out and back directly next to the highway. I hit the first mile in 5:52.
During the second mile, I was surprised I maintained my speed. In the last few faster 5ks, my first mile is below 6 minutes and the second is not. I passed a few males. At the halfway point I began catching the first place woman. After we turned around several racers running the opposite direction cheered us on. I hit the second mile in 5:57.
Since I had done a mini workout the day before, my goal was to run under 19 minutes for the race. After the turnaround, I realized I was close to my PR from last month. I had not expected to feel that good!
During the third mile, I caught the first woman. I gave all of my energy, and we rounded a final loop where I saw the clock was in the low 17s. I still had .2 to go and hit the third mile shortly after in 5:52. Staring at a clock for nearly a quarter of a mile is rough.
I watched as my husband crossed the finish line. There was one other male in between us as well as a nearby cyclist. By the time I looked up, I realized I got to run through and “break” a mini tape. I quickly rose my hands and ran right through. It was a blur. I crossed the finish in 18:13 by both gun and chip time.
Afterward, they gave me a bouquet of flowers and the overall winners took a photo together. It was awesome that both my husband were part of that. He was second male overall and got a bouquet as well. We cooled down around the Schuylkill and headed home after.
Thoughts:
- I was not expecting to PR in February at all. I had a hard training week before which made the PR more surprising.
- Reflecting on the last ten months, I’ve made a 2-minute improvement from my baseline fitness. It’s hard to believe the first 5k I ran in early May was a 20:20.
- It’s nice to see my fitness coming together. I’m 14 seconds from breaking into the 17 range, but a 14-second improvement is a long way to go for any race distance. I’m happy to see how far my fitness has come, and I know I still have more to go.
Questions for you:
When was the last time you surprised yourself
Have you ever been to a flower show or expo?