Goal achieved!

Earlier in the week, I set a "secret" goal to break 40min at the Komen Tyler 5k today... And I did! Well, really I crossed the line right at 39:59. I was flagging a bit at the end, but when I saw the clock (at 39:55) I knew I had to kick it into high gear. My only regret is that I didn't see the clock sooner, because I had a lot of life left in me.

Overall, I am beyond thrilled. The weather was perfect (for me, anyway... My husband hated it!) It was about 64, overcast and humid. I was somewhat concerned about the slickness of the brick streets along the course, but we kept our footing the whole way through. I saw a handful of folks I knew, mostly younger. Some ladies from our church took a picture of my husband and I, so I'll add that to this post when I get it via email.

We ended up exceeding the plan a bit, which resulted in a good first half but a lagging second. Here's the breakdown:

• Ran 10 min (hit mile marker at about 9min50, awesome!)
• Walked 3 min ran 12 (hit mile 2 at about 9min30, so we ran/walked it in about 12min30)
• Walked 3
• Ran 5
• Walked 1 (started flagging after the last of a bunch of hily sections)
• Ran to finish

Total time: 40min

So, in addition to meeting my secret goal I also learned that I am definitely capable of running under 10min mile. Next week, we scale it back a bit to keep me from overextending myself and ruining this whole experiment. In the meantime, here's a picture of our post-race noms (not counting the honey-granola frozen yogurt we snagged at a vendor booth near the finish!)

                               

UPDATE: PICTURES FROM THE RACE

(Left: Me in the red pants, with two ladies from my church. Right: My husband and I, after the race. He's so cute.)