I’m excited that my first race recap features my favorite 5K, the MacArthur Park 5k in downtown Little Rock. I’ve been running this 5K since 2013. The profits from that first race were used to help build a dog park, and that was a huge reason why I signed up.

I was 25 when I ran the MacArthur Park 5K for the first time, and finished 5th overall and first in my age group. Since that first year, I’ve received the 1st place 25-29 female age group award two more times. My goal for this year was to qualify for that spot again. My place in a race is not something I usually spend time thinking about, but in the weeks leading up to this 5K, I spent a lot of time wondering how the race would go.

My 5K times are slower after having a baby. Not a surprise. Getting faster is something I’d like to work on this year, but I’m also training for the Asheville Half Marathon and spend a lot of time fitting long runs in when I can. I knew that to reach my goal place for this race, I’d have to try to be the 4th female finisher. I lined up towards the front of the pack a few minutes before the race started. It’s not my typical starting place, but I knew that I’d expend less energy there than trying to catch up later.

I asked Matthew to pick a spot on the course that I’d hit when I was halfway finished so he could tell me how many runners were ahead of me, and if anyone was close to catching me from behind. Normally, he finds an errand to run or something else to do while I’m running a race. At this race, he’s usually first in line for pizza and beer. I was happy to see him and Rose a few times on the course.

 

By the end of the first mile, I was running comfortably behind two other women. It would stay this way the rest of the race. I looked behind me a few times in the last mile to see if anyone was close to catching me and contemplated slowing down to switch from 3rd finisher to 4th. I didn’t think I’d be pleased with myself if I didn’t run a good race, so I decided to keep going. Matthew caught me smiling as I neared the finish and I gave him a little shrug. I was pleased with my finish and a little bummed that I wouldn’t get the medal I hoped for.

This 5K was harder on me mentally than physically. I think I stressed out about it more than my first marathon! In the end, I was glad that I just ran the best race I could. I finished in 23:23, which was about 10 seconds slower than my race last year, but my fastest 5K so far after having a baby. My little family and I stuck around for the post-race festivities and were excited to see that the race organizers offered a local beer option, Stones Throw, this year. I had a fantastic time at this race, and I look forward to running the 10th anniversary race next year.