It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started running the Heart Run 5K. Ten years ago when I first moved here, the Heart Run was the second run I signed up for, but unfortunately they had to cancel the race because of a blizzard. Yes, in the middle of April. What do you expect–it’s Alaska!
I never signed up for the race again until after Cullen was born when he was 6 months old. I’ve run it every year since, and it continues to be a premier race for Anchorage. I posted this picture of my race outfit on Instagram the night before and apparently everyone thought I was crazy for wearing shorts and a tank. I think the temperature was around 40*F, and I was definitely okay wearing this. My hands got a little chilly during the race, but it was only a 5K.
Overall, the race went really well. I really couldn’t have asked for much more from my body. I tried to hold back at the start a little, maintain my effort on the uphill, and not let my pace drop during mile 3 when I’m especially tired. I wouldn’t say this is a super fast course as there are some sharper turns, one medium-sized hill, and an area of no-man’s-land where it is hard to keep pushing. I knew I wasn’t in PR shape (My PR is 18:30.), but I was happy to be ahead of where I was last year at this time.
I also can’t complain about my very even splits.
Splits – 6:07, 6:06, 6:06
Heart Run 5K Results
Finish time – 19:04
Average pace – 6:08
Women’s place – 7th
Age group place – 3rd
The competition was really hot this year. Last year I was over 45 seconds slower and 4th place for the women. This year I ran much faster and was 6th place for the women. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know most of the elite/competitive women here in Anchorage, but I only knew one person in front of me. It looks like it is going to be a fast summer of running!
I am mostly happy with my performance. I did think breaking 19 minutes would be a bit of a stretch, so I was happy I came so close. I really wanted to beat my time from last year, so I was happy I did that by 47 seconds. I was hoping to place a little higher, but that’s the thing–you just never know who is going to show up on race day. If I can continue on the upward trend, I should be able to set some new PRs this summer!
So thankful these two guys were there to cheer for me and support me!
Way to nail those even splits – that’s fantastic! I also think your outfit was perfect for 40*, although I probably would have started in gloves then thrown them off (in related news, I just bought a bunch of gloves on clearance for 50 cents to wear in races!).
Thanks! I didn’t even know they were that close until I was writing this blog post. Ha! I like a lot of layers for easy, training runs but not when I need to run fast. 😉