3.10

Yesterday I ran the Torch Run 5K, put on every year by Raleigh Law Enforcement for Special Olympics North Carolina. My Uncle, Keith Fishburne, is the President of SONC, so my sister and I always try to go to as many of their fundraising events as we can. I like 5Ks or other events that benefit some cause- I feel like there's no reason any race or half marathon shouldn't have a good cause to donate proceeds to. The Quintiles Half Marathon is donating to a few charities, although I have to say I don't know much about either.

The Tarheel 10 miler in April donates to the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center, so I'm excited to contribute to that. I think it's especially important that I contribute to SONC this year, because they're losing funding due to the state budget cuts that are being implemented. This is one of my favorite Special Olympics commercials- I think it really illustrates the importance of this organization, and it's sort of a "lightbulb" moment for people who might not get it yet.

Special Olympics PSA: "Fantastic"

The route yesterday was definitely more difficult than last year- I definitely felt challenged. There were a lot of gradual hills, one right after another. Usually most of the routes I run are pretty flat for the most part, with only 1 or 2 hills in the mix. But I still did ok- my time was 27:41, with a pace of 8:55- woohoo!!! I came in 8th place overall for my age group (20-24 Females)- wow! So even though I felt like I was doing worse than usual, that's a pretty good pace! It's not my best 5K time (I think last year I did 27:20... or maybe 26:20, I can't remember), but I had to stop twice to re-tie my shoes. So annoying. I had my race chip tied into my laces, and I was worried if I didn't stop to re-tie, I'd lose the chip.

I also got new shoes yesterday from Fleet Feet in Carrboro. I've been using the same pair of tennis shoes now for.... at least 2 years. My uncle and sister were like, "Stacey.... go get new shoes TODAY." They say you're supposed to get new shoes every 6 months, depending on how often you run. So I'm excited to break the new pair in! Guess I'll be doing that today when I do my 6.5 miler.....aaaah!

Went to the The Umstead Spa yesterday and got a massage with Cassy. Holy crap it was amazing. Awesome deep tissue, I felt so rested and relaxed. I'm definitely going back for another one, my therapist was really great and knew I was training so he knew exactly what areas to focus on. It's an expensive habit, but in my opinion, there are worse things I could spend my money on.

Today is 6.5 miles. That will be the longest distance I've run in my whole life. Wish me luck, will post later.