This is the second year I've run this race. My goal was to break 30 minutes, but I knew that would be a stretch for me, because there's a long, gradual hill that kills me. Running with: DH, DS 13, DD 10, and running partner (Martha). DS 15 was not allowed to run it since he's in the middle of outdoor track season. Wearing (based on DD's opinion): bright pink Under Armour tech shirt, brand new black Nike shorts, Asics GT-2120 (233 miles or so on them), hair pulled back with brand new pink enamel scrunchie from Talbot's. Weather: 51 degrees and WINDY. Waiting around before the race was hard. I didn't want to get there too late, because parking can be a problem. Martha and I warmed up for a mile 25 minutes before the race, though, and that helped. DS 13 was grumpy, so I was worried about how he would do. DD 10 was hoping to beat DH. We couldn't figure out where the starting line was exactly, so we just followed the mob. It was more crowded than last year! When the gun went off, we shuffled along slowly. I saw some cones marking the start line, so I pushed the start button on my Garmin. It's not like I'm a passing machine, but I still found it hard to maneuver with all the people. We started up towards the front of the pack, but people were already WALKING. It got annoying trying to dodge around all the walkers - I wish they would start at the back. My 1-mile split was 9:36, which was under the 9:40 I needed. Then we got to the hill, though, and I slowed right down. I have to figure out how to push harder during races. My two-mile split was 10:00. At the 2.25-mile point, I heard, "Go, Teresa! Good job!" It was Blaine (Run to Win), who was volunteering in the race. His encouragement helped a lot! The last part of the race was downhill, but some of it was so steep that it wasn't as helpful as I expected. I was surprised to almost catch up with my daughter - I guess she had a hard race, because usually she would be about three minutes ahead of me. My third mile split was 9:37. Apparently there was a woman playing bagpipes at the 3-mile point, but as usual for me, I was so focused I didn't see her! When we ran through the high school football stadium, there was a group playing drums loudly, and at least I didn't miss that! The race ended in our minor league baseball team's stadium. I sprinted at the end at an 8:14 pace, which is blazing fast for me! My official finishing time was 30:36, but I recorded 30:12 on my Garmin, and that's the time I will use. So I PR'd by 26 seconds, but didn't quite make my goal. 2007 official results: 39:25. 1268/1436 overall. 106/121 AG (40-44) 2008 official results: 30:36. 1125/1926 overall. 57/120 AG (45-49). So I improved! I can't believe the race grew that much in one year. After the finish line, things got chaotic. I guess they don't want people on the baseball field, so they channeled everyone into a narrow line. It was just too crowded. I lost track of DD, and DS hadn't finished yet. I finally found my daughter, then went up into the stands to watch my son finish. He finished in about 38:30, which was a big improvement for him. He was so happy! He didn't walk at all, and he passed a lot of people walking up the hill. I'm so proud of him - running is difficult for him, but he keeps plugging. Here's a photo of him I just found online! DH beat DD, but that may be the last time it happens! He finished in 28:09, a couple of minutes slower than last year, because he hasn't been running much. DD's time was 30:19, three minutes slower than her last 5k. She wasn't sure why it was so hard for her, because the hill didn't bother her. A man was passing out carnations to all the moms, so that was nice. I grabbed an orange, and then we headed off to Dunkin' Donuts in the town next to Portland. I was surprised that almost everyone in line had run the race! "America Runs on Dunkin'" is true, I guess. So it was a fun race, and I'm happy with how I did. I pushed hard and enjoyed myself. I'm going to sign up for a flat 5k on June 14 to see if I can make my goal! Thanks for reading! Teresa

Great job Teresa. You sure are making steady progress. 9 minutes in one year. So that means you'll run it in 21 minutes next year, right? Fighting crowds like you did sure can take a lot out of you in the shorter races. Weaving, speeding up, and slowing down can be draining. I'd like to see how you would do in a smaller and less hilly 5K. I would think that you could easily break 30 minutes. Congrats.

Looking great Teresa! It really nice that your whole family participated, what a great team. A

Great job on the run! You look great in the photo.

Thanks, guys!!