Achievement unlocked - PB for 5km!

In September 2016, I did my last registered race as a last-minute filler for someone who dropped out. It turned out to be a pretty fun and engaging day where both the kids and I got to play in different forms. That day also turned out to be a day I smashed my Personal Best (PB) to run 10km within 60minutes.
Since then, I've still been running on/off as part of my regular fitness journey, and I have actually achieved some interesting statistics successfully, on the treadmill:
2.4km within 13minutes
5km within 30minutes (29+)
10km within 60minutes (59+)
Last Saturday (19 Aug), I turned up for yet another race that I did not sign up for. Seems like I'm becoming a filler! Haha.


What happened was, 2 days before Saturday, a colleague asked if I could help fill a spot for a 5km run. The full race was a half marathon of 21.1km, and it's run ekiden style between 4 runners like a relay. I was a bit uncertain initially because I was lazy, but given that I was free, I just said yes in the end.
I'm glad I did because this bunch of Filipinos were raising funds and awareness for a good cause - special needs for Filipino children. Since I run anyway, it was really easy for me to help them out.


Come Saturday race day, I indulged in carbs and food (ok, also because greedy haha) and after bidding the kids goodbye as they were sent to class, I continued to make my way to the race track. It was so sunny (ugh) but I had to do what I had to do. I actually made it earlier than expected and managed to join in a group picture before official flag-off.

With some of the fellow runners

After not being in an official run for a while, it did feel rather exciting to be in the fanfare. I was gifted the purple UA tee for my participation so I guess that's a mini score. Hah! I was runner 2, and I am glad I made it early enough to identify 2 complete strangers (runner 1) to get the sash from and (runner 3) to pass the sash to. It felt pretty exciting to be part of a race and perhaps it may be more fun if it had been with friends.
I remained focused on completing the race and fulfilling my part... and hoorah! I surpassed my own expectations of setting my personal best record!

5km in 25.3!

I completed the whole race in about 32minutes, including walking after I'd done my sash handover, but from the above which I tracked with my run app, I am pretty chuffed with my timing. I struggled with a stitch for 2 km, from the 2-4km mark (ugh) but I pushed on. My overall average pace for the run was about 5'40".
After cooling down for a bit, I bade farewell to this bunch of people and headed to the office nearby for a shower. I was feeling so pumped that I stopped and requested for a stranger to take a pic for me.

Yay!