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...