Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Race Recap: Race for the Cure 5K

Just a little 5K, but this one deserves a Race Recap because I believe in it so much... and this year was pretty special.  I officially registered for the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in December, and started fundraising in January to fight breast cancer.

Why breast cancer?
It is a widespread and random disease, striking women and men of all ages and races. It is the most prevalent cancer in the world today, with about 1.3 million people diagnosed on a yearly basis. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, and at this time, there is no cure.  When I was only a toddler, I lost my grandmother Lillian Wucki to the disease.  My Aunt Irene also battled breast cancer, and is one of the lucky survivors today due to early detection and treatment.


Thus a little program called Cupcakes4Cure was born out of my love of baking sweet treats.  Each year from January through May, I donate all the net proceeds from my cupcake/cake orders to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Memorial.  The first year, we raised $535.  This year, I'm proud to say we doubled that amount.  I say "we" because this is truly a family effort!


So after all that baking comes RACE DAY!  The forecast on Friday night looked bleak.  Rain thunderstorms were predicted from early morning throughout the day.  I said a little prayer... "Grandma, if you have any pull up there, a little help with the weather would be appreciated."  I wonder how many others did the same because we awoke to the most beautiful perfect spring morning!  Sun shining in ideal running temps.


After a group stretch, a survivors' parade and lots of honorable speeches and accolades, the races kicks off with a silent start.  The 5K race has numerous waves... chip-timed women start first, followed by competitive men 10 minutes later, then the Family Run/Walk, and ends with the 1 mile walkers.


With a half marathon the weekend before, I didn't run one mile all week!  Needless to say, I was excited and ready to RUN!  I took off and clocked my first mile at 8:42. 
My dad got a good picture of me at the start.
It's a bit blurry... but I like to think that's because I was flying by so fast!


Mile two was roughly 9:07.  This course has its share of hillwork, but through some pretty neighborhoods.  I picked the pace back up as I turned the final stretch along Isabella.  Along the final stretch, the male winner passed me... and I gave him a big shout out.  Last year, the lead male passed me at about mile 1.75.  This year, it took until mile 2.5 for him to catch me!  Yeah, that's progress!


I was easy to spot in my pink Team Sparkle skirt!  See me coming up the hill?


Bringing it in the last .1 of a 5K.
I finished in 27:43, missing my goal of a sub-27, but I kinda underestimated the hills on this course.  It averages out to a 8:53 pace, which is pretty good for me and hills.  I grabbed #109 out of 514 competitive women runners. (The official results have my bib # swapped with someone else who finished #20, but I know what's right.)  

The overall women's winner finished in 18:01.  Holy crap, that's fast!  Kudos to my good friend Cathy, who finished #5 overall with a time of 20:34.  I knew she was quick, but I had no idea she was lightening!

My hubby battled through knee pain and finished in 33:03.

I'm super proud of my mom who finished her very first 5K.  
She did a fast walk/run method that earned her a time around 45 minutes.
Best of all, she's already talking about doing another!

 Victory celebration with my friend Bekah, who also finished her first 5K!



It was a super fun morning, but more importantly for a really important cause.  Whenever I found the hills difficult, I touched my bib to remember the women I was running for.  I am so blessed to be in good health and vow never to take that for granted.



Keep On Running...




22 comments:

  1. I absolutely love Komen for the Cure races! My fave 5k by far. The experience is an amazing one. Kudos to you and your family for the fundraising!! You look fab! Way to "sparkle!" I wore the pink Team Sparkle Traveling skirt in my last Komen 5k.

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  2. How fun. And congrats to your Mom and Friend on their first 5 k! And kudos to your Husband for running with a sore knee.

    The pics are great!

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  3. Nice fundraising! That purple tree in the background of your pics is amazing, and steals the show. Nice job after a hard half marathon.

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  4. what an awesome race recap and great time!!
    and major kudos to your mom!!

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  5. What a great recap! That race deserved it! Love your fundraising idea cupcakes 4cure a brilliant idea.

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  6. Wow that looks like SO much fun and GREAT JOB!!! This wasn't the same Race for the Cure that fitness Model Jamie Eason just did was it? (you know she's my idol ha ha)! Btw..I have those same pants & p.s. I have your bumper sticker on my truck EEEE!!!

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  7. Love your pink skirt.. and your pink shoes! What a great race! :)

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  8. Well isn't this a new PR??

    Congratulations on a super fast race!
    I did my first RLRF workout today. 7 miles of speedwork. It was so hard!

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  9. Great job! And you looked super cute! :)

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  10. This looks like an awesome time :D Love your outfit, but your smile is what really makes it shine :)

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  11. Yay! This sounds like a great day!

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  12. How great! I love your sparkle skirt :) I love that you ran the Susan Komen race... my mom is a two-time survivor, but her sister, unfortunately, wasn't.

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  13. What a great race! You looked super cute!

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  14. Great race for everyone! I am so happy your Mom liked it so much, racing is addicting!!! Thanks for running for a great cause.

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  15. Nice job! You looked like you were having lots of fun. I love your shirt (and Sparkle Skirt!)

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  16. Nice race report! It was great weather for the day.

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  17. Congratulations Jess! Great job with the fundraising....it isn't easy but it is when it is a cause that means a lot to you. I love running for charity - just makes every step along the way so more meaningful. Glad the weather turned out to be so nice - a lot of angels looking out for all of you.

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  18. Great job battling those hills! You are just too cute in all of your pink gear.

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  19. Love the pictures, and great time on that 5K!

    I'm a big believer in positive thinking for the weather...that, and harnessing the power of my first grade class...I swear, whenever I have them hope hard for good weather, it happens! :)

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  20. fun race, great work!

    I run the Susan G Komen CT Race for the cure every year. Mines only a couple weeks away, and I'm super excited!

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  21. Great job on the race and fundraising Jess! Thanks for the shout out on my finish.

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  22. Congrats! sub 9 pace for a 5K is nothing to sneeze at!! Especially if the course was hilly. Those are the worst!

    BTW - 5K race reports are some of my fav.

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