PR by 29 Seconds

My Belleville Bicentennial Race Report

I didn't want to aim for a PR and not be able to do it, so I set some realistic goals. It was 73 degrees at race time, which is warmer than it has been. And the sun was very warm and in our eyes for the first half of the race. And Belleville has some rough hills!

The start of the race was uphill:

I started to run. The first mile was 9:42, and I thought, "That's pretty good. I should try to keep it up."  Then the second mile was 9:42, and I thought, "I could PR!" And the third mile,  I was pretty much thinking, "Run, run, run!"



 After I turned around at the halfway point (where there was a gnome or something but I wasn't coordinated to snap his picture and turn around at the same time), at least the sun was at my back. And all those uphills turned into downhills. And look! I was in front of all these people coming the other way! Of course, there's still a guy pushing a stroller in front of me!

 The best part is, there was a parade after the run, so the route was lined with spectators! Some of them were good spectators and clapped for us. Some of them just sat there. The whole parade route smelled like food--BBQ and popcorn and pizza! At the end, they had pizza and sandwiches and all kinds of goodies. Great job, Belleville! And look! We got a medal!

My final time was 31:29, which is faster than my last race, and also faster than my best race! And closer to my goal of a sub-30-minute 5k!