The Canton Charge 5k

Hi all!! Hope you've been running lots and reaching those fitness goals! I've had a lot of things on my mind lately and have been wanting to blog to get it all out there, so not to waste a moment let me get it started.

First off I competed in the Canton Charge 5k this past weekend. Totally fun, overall very well organized, even if there was one thing that caught me off guard but I'll get to that in a minute. This run was held to celebrate opening day for our city's basketball team. So it was totally all in fun and celebration. Start and finish were at the civic center, which meant we were able to stand indoors in the warm until the start which was very nice! 

The start was pretty uneventful, honestly, and I actually lined up in a great spot because I didn't get stuck behind slower runners or caught in a bottleneck ;) We took a straightforward loop through the city, and I felt light on my feet. I decided not to run with headphones so I could notice more of the architecture...one of the big reasons I love doing some of these races.

It was about the time we started the return part of the loop that I noticed something. They didn't have anyone calling mile split times. Not a huge deal as I just wanted to run a strong race, but odd nonetheless.

I decided I was just going to focus on runners and either stick with them or pass. So one runner at a time I made my way toward the finish.

I crossed the finish line got my medal and made my way to the food. I knew I finished strong so we waited for the awards, alas I didn't place. When the official results were posted, I found I had missed third in my age group by 2 seconds! TWO! My official time was 26:12, a PR, but I'll admit I stewed over that two seconds for a while, lol. 

Which brings me to the next topic rattling around my brain. I've never followed a training plan to PR a 5k. Right now I'm in the process of deciding if that will be my goal for next year, or if I want to up my race distances and qualify for half fanatics instead. I'm still deciding, but one thing I know for sure is December is going to be a light month. Two to three miles a day. That's it. I need to give my legs at least one easy, and I mean easy, month before I launch into half marathon training. After my heartbreaking (for me) 2 second loss I came across this quote, and it helped me to think a little clearer. We won't win every race, but if we learn from our "losses" it's not really a loss, now is it? ;)

My other thought was about the direction of my blog. Mostly about wanting this just to be a place to share. I see so many experts and trainers and people sharing "how to"s and diet plans and the like, and part of my brain thought "Hey, you should do that too!" But truth be told, I'm no dietitian, no expert, no personal trainer (ok, I used to be one but I digress), I'm just a regular woman who has a family a full time job, home responsibilities and a big, huge passion for running. So I really do just want this to be a diary, or a dialogue, or like a chat between friends. I've got plenty to share, but plenty to learn too, so that's how I see my blogging from here on out :)

Finally, some big, huge, exciting news!! You all know I'm a SWEET workout ambassador, well I got the news a few days ago that I have been selected to be a FitFam Ambassador!! I'm so excited I could burst! FitFam's goal is to help encourage people to live a healthy, active lifestyle. They sponsor virtual races and events to help motivate you as well as having a supportive community on Facebook and an amazing site to help you find your next race. I'm looking forward to sharing news about events, and being involved in helping them #movethemission to help everyone live a healthy, active, happy life! 

As a matter of fact, our first virtual challenge is coming up in January and we would love to have you join us! You can run, walk or cycle, and earn some really cool swag in the process ;) not to mention get a jump start on any New Year's resoloutions. Just visit fitfamchallenge.eventbrite.com and enter MOVETHEMISSION10 to receive a 10% discount on your entry. Hope you decide to join in the fun! 

Well, I think that's all for now. I'm off to try and squeeze in some yoga and quilting before dinner, lol, wish me luck. Until next time, run lots and live happy!!

I would like to thank RunCanton Inc and TG Photography for allowing us to download and share race pictures from this wonderful event.