It was my 4th year running in the Tybee Run Fest, a 5 race event on Tybee Island. In 2013, this was my first 10K! (Last year I did the half marathon, and year before the evening 5K).

I love this festival, because it has all the perks of big races (officially measured, chip-timed, excited participants) and none of the downsides (traffic, parking). The number of participants are in the great hundreds, but not in the thousands. It’s just a really well-organized and fun event. And the ability to do all five events for a marathon distance is fantastic.

The 10K was at 7AM and 32F with windchill, but the sunrise was pretty.

Beach

Tybee Island

TH came to cheer me on. He is the best – always running around the course just to wave at me from different spots.

TH and me

My marathon is next week, so I was just running to carry on the tradition. But my PR time was definitely in the back of my mind.

I didn’t bring my watch to time my splits, and Nike+ started going wacky mid-race, which I knew it would. I had a slow first mile with the crowds. My feet felt a little achy, like I tied my shoes too tight. I stopped to re-tie one of them.

The wind was rough and the gusts made me turn my head down.

I remembered running my first 10K here. I remembered looking around mid-race and seeing myself surrounded by men in their 70’s. I wasn’t going that pace today.

I swing my arms too much.

Anyway. I pushed the last couple miles, because I knew I was close to my PR. Really, really close. Like, maybe-if-there-wasn’t-wind close and should-not-have-tied-my-shoes close.

I pushed hard, and I sprinted, but it wasn’t enough.

54:09 — within 7 seconds of my PR!  12th in my division

Still proud of that time, considering I didn’t go into the race to PR and it was so gusty.

And 19 minutes faster than my first 10K in 2013! So, new personal course record! haha