In competition with myself

This past Sunday I ran in another 8k race. My previous 8k was months ago and the course was on trails and quite hilly. I knew this race would be much different. This one was mostly on country roads with the race ending after one lap around a track. I know I could definitely do the distance and wanted to improve my time.

Once the race began, I found myself trying to compete with other runners and match their speed. I wanted to run faster to make sure nobody would pass me. I soon realized that I should not be competing with other runners, I need to only compete with myself. I no longer watched the other runners, and instead ran my best. I was focused and had a great run.

The 5 miles seemed to just click by. During the last ¼ mile, with the finish line in sight, I started sprinting. I ran this race 8 minutes faster than my previous 8k. I was very excited about my time and I think the lack of hills had something to do with that. I also was quite surprised how thirsty I was once I was done running. I think I drank 3 or 4 waters immediately after I finished.

Although I love running, I also love the feeling of crossing the finishing line.