We hit the road racing circuit this morning by participating in a local 5K. It was my first race in a year and a half with virtually no speedwork at all.   I was literally sweet talked into doing this a few weeks ago because my back has been a problem now for many months and racing is not at the top of my list right now. 

When I got up at pre-dawn this morning, and very cold I should add,  I groaned  and warned my husband I wouldn't be able to fully race this because my back will not allow me to go too fast.  He said he thought I'd do better than I thought I'd do. 

And I did after popping a few Advils an hour before the race.  While I'm not where I would like to be I still put in a respectable 8:18 a mile for a 25:43 time and won my age group by more than three minutes.  I also was pleasantly surprised to have beaten many of the other age groups including the younger ones, although not the next age group up.  That lady beat me my a good minute and a half and may be my competition next year.  My mouth literally fell open when I saw the posted results.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  My race was more of a tempo run than a race.  It's just what I needed to jump start me.

That made my morning tho.   While my back didn't hurt much it was pretty stiff feeling and I felt I was being somewhat overly cautious especially in the beginning when I could feel the most pain.  About halfway in the race I think the endorphins kicked in and I wasn't feeling any pain at all, just some stiffness. 

It was cold.  When we left it was 38 degrees and we were probably running with the temps in the 40's as the sun came up.  I stripped off my outerwear just before I jumped in line wearing only shorts and a long sleeve tee.  My bare legs were freezing until they shot off that gun.  Some were running with full gear on and I know how that can not only drag you down but you eventually get hot even when the temps are that cold.  I was fine once I got running. 

Normally speaking being in good shape and all I'd be hoping to post a sub 24 minute 5K.  I think the back problem has taken some motivation from me as well as it's been a chore lately to get out running on a regular basis.  On top of that I've added a few extra pounds.  It's like a domino effect and I'm thinking this race is just what I needed.   So now I've got my base time to work on and hopefully my next race will be at least a sub 25 time.  If only I could get my back straightened out I think I could do this. 

So I spent the afternoon with a heating pad on my back and it feels pretty good right now.   If only I could figure out how to wear a heating pad and run at the same time I'd be golden!