You GOAL, Girl: an update

So, this morning, I ran my first race.  


It was windy.
It was cold.


It was FUN!!

My personal goal was to finish the race, running the entire thing.  If I'm honest, that goal wasn't really a goal at all, seeing as how I've been running over 4 miles per run for several weeks now.   


So, me being me (too many adjectives/descriptors could be placed here!) I decided that I wanted to finish in under 31:00 minutes.  Ten minute miles.  Though I'd only run that fast once.  A little trickier goal, huh?

I get up this morning, and can hear the wind howling.  And begin to rethink the "under 31:00 minutes" idea.  The wind along the Gulf of Mexico can be brutal.  (Just ask Ivan or Katrina!)  And, you never know if that's going to be a headwind, a tailwind (my fave), or a side wind that does you no good at all.


Goal-wise, I was again back at "just finish."

We took off. 
Ran.
Ran some more.
Ran while the wind pushed us around.
And took hats off.
And made hair into Medusa wigs.
And we ran some more.

And, for me, it was tough.  Tougher than I thought it should/would be.  I was confused.  I can do 4+ fairly easily, and so I had no idea why it was so hard.  
"Did I eat correctly?"
"Am I tired?"
"Where is the stinkin' finish line?"


And then, I saw it...
And the clock above it...


FINISH
28:40

Lemme repeat that just in case you didn't get that:

FINISH
28:40!!

I was running as fast as the wind blows!  (You gotta say that with a Forrest Gump accent!)

Goal met, and a new PR!  


So now I'm asking myself...
"Can you really have a PR on a "small" race such as this one?"  (My answer is a resounding YES!)
"When can I race again?"  (Next month:  St. Patty's Day race)
"Why didn't I do this sooner?"  (Uh, hello?  Anyone there?  [crickets chirping]  I am definitely my hardest critic, the one with the most doubts in myself...)

BEST.  COACH.  EVER!

Get out there!
Get moving!
It's SO totally worth it!!
And feel free to say about me, "And from then on, wherever she was going, SHE WAS RUNNING!" (again with the Forrest Gump!)


(My goal for this year is to run 4 races.  I can see that goal was way, way too low!)