Automatic PR – Racing While Pregnant

Friday night was the Twilight 12K and Skinny Mini 6K hosted by my employer, Skinny Raven.

I ran the 12K the past two years but chose to run the 6K this year. Normally I would opt for the longer distance, but this year when I signed up for the race, running wasn’t going all that well and I wasn’t confident I would be able to race the 12K distance. (In hindsight I definitely would have been able to run the 12K after running the half-marathon last weekend, but I’m glad I did the 6K instead.) Aince it was the first time I have ever raced the 6K, that means I automatically set a PR—and a pregnant PR.

Craig also ran the 6K. I really like it when Craig runs races with me, but the only bad thing is that I don’t get any pictures to share, so I apologize for the lack of photos.

I spent about 20 minutes warming up, which was definitely not enough. I wish I would have had more time to warm up, but it was the best I could do. I didn’t feel the best starting out. Of course it was a short distance race, but man I was out of breath from the get-go and my legs didn’t feel as ready as they should. Luckily the first mile was downhill, so that helped my splits. But the last mile contained a lot of uphill, so it all evened out.

I felt pretty good throughout the race. It definitely was a little tougher since it was quite a bit shorter than what I am used to, and I haven’t done as many track workouts this spring. I did my best to keep my breathing under control and my pace even. The weather definitely helped as it was perfect weather for racing: cool, a setting sun, and no wind.

As I neared the end, the hills definitely made it difficult, and I thought for sure the girl behind me was going to pass me. Surprisingly my splits were actually faster than I thought. I’m starting to realize my Garmin may not be as accurate as I thought, as the average pace on my Garmin was 7:08 minutes/mile, but the official results revealed my average pace was actually 6:49 minutes/mile. I was actually surprised my splits were that fast. I was hoping to average 7 minute miles, so 11 seconds faster was awesome!

Official results from the Skinny Mini 6K

Time – 25:24

Average pace – 6:49

Overall place – 24/860

Female place – 4/617

Age group place – 2/216

You can see the official results via this link and pictures of Craig and I crossing the finish line. (Love the pictures of Craig pumping his arms.)

I was ecstatic to place 4th for the women and 2nd in my age group. I know I won’t continue to feel this well throughout my pregnancy, so I am enjoying it while it lasts.

I also enjoyed the post-race party of Moose’s Tooth pizza, root beer, and seeing other friends who had run. And whoever it was that came up to me and said they recognized me from my blog–thanks! I totally forgot to ask your name!!