Autism 5K

I am running another 5K race tomorrow morning. This race is raising money to benefit the local autism association. With the other races I've run, I was excited, nervous, but more than that, I knew I had to be aware of my body and know when to quit, so as not to stress the pregnancy. This race, I don't have to worry about that. I am excited, nervous, but running this race is bittersweet for me. The last race I ran, I had planned on it being the last race during the pregnancy, but after doing so well and feeling so great afterward, I had decided to run this race, since I hardly felt pregnant running it. Now I know why. But, now, I am free of constraints. I can push myself, feel the burn and see just what my body can do. My last race, I was 5th in my age group with a time of 28:22.7 and a pace of 9:09 per mile. I never claimed I was fast! But I held back that race. I don't have to this time. Plus, I have brand new running shoes, and let me tell ya, what a difference those puppies have made. The ones I ran in before I bought, well, actually my mom bought for me when I was in college 10+ years ago, they had little support, and the tread was gone. Bad, yes, I know, especially for an ex-physical therapy wannabe. The first time I ran in my new shoes, when I was just walking in them I felt like I was walking on spongy cushions. That's how bad my old shoes were, and I didn't really notice. I've rearranged and added to my running playlist, I'm motivating myself and I'm as ready as I can be for my first race after.