Whelp, that didn't go as planned. Yesterday's 5k in Providence was NOT the race I was hoping for, NOT the race I flew across the country to run, and certainly NOT the time I thought I'd finish in. I was pretty bummed out about it yesterday. I'm embarrassed to show you the results, but I may as well post them, because you could just as easily Google it. So here ya go:

Slower than last year and in 17th place, compared to a speedier 12th place a year ago. So much for building year upon year.

Wait, scratch that. I am building upon last year. It's just that sometimes for every 2 steps forward, you take 1 step back. Yesterday was a step back in terms of athletic performance, but I'm refusing to let it be any more than that. Today, I'm taking those next 2 steps forward by not dwelling on the bad days. When you have a bad race, be angry for a little while (being angry means you care!), but then analyze what went wrong, learn from it, and move on. It's much easier said than done, but in the last year, I've gotten better at turning the page and looking ahead.

I made a number of mistakes yesterday that I'm going to learn from and not repeat, first and foremost being get off the starting line! I got stuck in traffic behind a horde of 16-minute 5k dudes, and while I frantically weaved my way through the crowd of men, the lead pack of women put 10 meters on me, a gap I never made up. This sure wasn't how I'd envisioned the race going, and I let it get to me mentally. Fast forward 16 minutes later and I was feeling pretty defeated.

The VERY crowded start line - I'm in there somewhere! (Photo credit WPRI.com)

I'm also feeling pretty crummy - on the flight home I started feeling sick and have since come down with a cold. Somewhere between working late, running lots, jetting across the country, and racing a 5k, my immune said no. So, it's time to get healthy and get back on track and look foward to the next race.

Bedtime for this sicky... til next time!