I must admit, I have been really looking forward to my 2nd 5K run. After my first 5K back in April I gave up running for a short while so that I could focus on a few other things, and then one thing turned into another, and before I knew it, my short break from running turned into a 4 month hiatus. After hearing about a 5K that is held each year in a small town called Rush Springs, I just knew that it would the opportunity I had been looking for. Read on to find out how things went. My whole family woke up early this morning at around 5am. It was hard to get out of bed at that time, but I was really excited about the race. Rush Springs is a small town roughly 50 miles from my small town of Bridge Creek, Oklahoma. We hit the road and started heading south.  was really excited about the weather this morning. All week long temperatures have been in the hundreds, so I was worried that even the low temp would not be very low, but when I stepped out of the door I knew everything would ok because the temperature was a nice, cool 60 degrees. My goal today was to beat my previous personal best of 40 minutes 27 seconds, but seeing that I had not been doing any running training (just P90X) I was not sure that would be possible. I knew I would give it my all though.

When we arrived at Rush Springs I quickly got checked in and received my T-shirt (not pictured) and my race number. The family and I walked around the park to kill some time before the race started at 7:30am. I used the walk as a warm up and also completed some stretches so that I would be ready to go!

I planted myself at the back of the pack because I knew I would not be able to keep up with the folks at the front. Knowing me, if i stood at the front I would have tried to run at a pace that would have tired me right from the start. At least with me at the back of the pack I would be able to run at my own pace and I would not be in the way of the super competitive runners there.

After listening to the national anthem, the gun sounded and off we went.  I was not looking forward to the first stretch of the race. For me at the very beginning I really like to try and find my pace, find my feet, but the very first part of the course was a big hill….I hate hills. After the hill I was able to settle down into a pace that felt right for me. I was in a small pack of runners who were all very friendly, in fact the one thing that I really noticed about this run compared the OKC Memorial Marathon is that everyone was very friendly. The whole event had a much more family friendly feel to it. I started talking with another runner who was running this race for the third time and we quickly decided that we would be running buddies.

Jordan and I powered through the first mile, in fact it was the quickest mile I had ever ran, 10 minutes 41 seconds. I knew that I was going to fast, and so did Jordan so we both decided to slow our pace and conserve our energy. The mile 1.5 mile marker came without incident, but then everything changed because the next mile was nothing bu hills, and you know I hate hills. Jordan and I done our best to conquer the hills, she fared better than I did, but we made it through them. All I know is that we were both relieved when we saw the next water stand.

After the final water stand we both knew that we were on the final stretch. We both knuckled down and gave it our all. Jordan’s legs were a little stronger than mine going down the final straight, and she crossed the finish line just ahead of me. It was so nice to have a running partner because it really does make it easier, and a little more fun.

So what was my final time? Well I am happy to say that I beat…..no I smashed my previous best time. I crossed the line in 36 minutes 1 second, almost 5 minutes faster than my race in April which really surprised me. The only workouts I have been doing is P90X, so I have to attribute the time saved to that program. I am super excited about that.

After the race my family and I decided to stick around for a little while so that we could take part in some of the festivities, and of course, we could not come to the Watermelon Run and not eat watermelon (which I have to say was absolutely delicious). After a short while though my legs decided that they wanted to cease up and not work anymore, so we headed back to the car and then back towards home.

I am so excited that I beat my personal best. It is such a great feeling of accomplishment when you can push yourself hard enough to best yourself. I am now looking forward to my next race which will be in October. The race will be the Susan G Koeman 5K and my wife,  Samantha is also going to run with me! I cannot wait.

Thanks so much for all of your continued support! I could not do this without you guys!

All the best,

Brett