One of my goals for November is to beat my Witch City 5k time. My first effort was at the Pete Frates 5k in Beverly this weekend. And I did it!!

pete frates 5k bibs

My official time was 28:01 (9:01 min/mile). Not my fastest 5k BY FAR but a little bit faster than my last 5k.

flat-emily

I laid my outfit out the night before because I love just getting out of bed and having everything ready to go. Luckily, this race fell on Sunday and we got an extra hour of sleep thanks to the time change. I needed it after my crazy week.

For pre-race breakfast I had a small banana and an unpictured cup of coffee.

pre-race-banana

The weather on race day started rainy but ended up being sunny and beautiful for the duration of the race.

This race was not only for a good cause but one close to home. Pete Frates was diagnosed with ALS in 2012 and along with his family, is doing everything he can to raise awareness and raise money to fight this horrible disease.

SL and I frequently makes donations and attend events to suppose this cause. You can learn more about Pete and much more at petefrates.com.

Pete Frates 5k {Race Recap}

Pete Frates 5k Mile 1

The first mile was slow. This was is HUGE and there were lots of runners, walkers, dogs, kids and strollers vying for positioning throughout mile 1. I did my best to weave in and out of people and find my stride.

Mile 1 runs through a neighborhood and there were lots of people out on this part of the course cheering on the runners.

Mile 1 – 9:05 min/mile

Pete Frates 5k Mile 2

The second mile has a nice big hill to run up. My pace did slow but it didn’t tank and I am happy that it stayed in the low nines. Other than the hill and some new-ish housing developments, there is nothing too exciting about mile 2.

I did almost trample a little kid though. Parents – if you are running with your kids, make sure they don’t come to a dead stop in the middle of the road near a water station. Thank you!

Mile 2 – 9:10 min/mile

Pete Frates 5k Mile 3

The final full mile of this course is my favorite (I’ve run this course a bunch of times) and not just because its the last one. The third mile is fairly flat and weaves through a great neighborhood near the ocean. There were a ton of spectators out cheering on the runners.

Mile 3 – 8:55 min/mile

Last 0.1 miles

This last little bit is completely downhill, hence the super speedy pace. At this point was booking it because I knew I would be close to making (or not making) my goal of beating 28:06.

7:07 min/mile

It wasn’t until I got home and could check the official results that I realized I achieved my goal…by 5 seconds!

And look who made an appearance at the race…

pat-the-patriot

Pat the Patriot!!!

The Patriots had a bye this weekend so Pat’s schedule must have been clear for the weekend 😉

Real talk – running has been a struggle for me for most of this year. I’ve been super slow and its been frustrating but I really want to get back into a good groove.