July 24, 2013

PIONEER DAY TEMPLE TO TEMPLE 5K

Happy Pioneer Day!  Pioneer Day is a Utah holiday that celebrates the day the Mormon pioneers entered Utah valley after being forced to leave Nauvoo, Illinois and traveling with handcarts and covered wagons across the country.

I never celebrated Pioneer Day growing up, because I didn't grow up in Utah.  Here, though, it is celebrated much like the Fourth of July.  There are parades, barbeques, and fireworks.

When I signed up for the Big Cottonwood Half Marathon, I began looking for other races to scatter amid my training runs.  I don't have running companions, and I get sick of the same routes, so running in races is a good way to break things up.



While I was looking, I found a 5K that was FREE!  After paying for the half marathon and another race, as well as buying new running shoes, finding a free race was perfect for my bank account!  This race, the Temple to Temple 5K ran from the Provo Temple to the new Provo City Center temple site.  The race was hosted by a local stake (group of LDS congregations), and being that it was on Pioneer day, runners were encouraged to run the race in memory of an ancestor.

I don't have any Mormon ancestors, but it was still a great experience to think of my ancestors as I ran.  I can't say I know a lot about any of them (I'm working with my dear mother-in-law to change that; she is a genealogy queen), but I still think that the way we live can show gratitude for the people who have gone before us.  Each generation does so much to bless the upcoming generations.

One of the fun things about this race is that because it was free, it attracted a lot of runners.  I saw Haili and her family, a friend from work and her family, and an old friend from Minnesota.  I usually don't know anyone at races, but it was fun to see some familiar faces.  It was also great that I was able to hitch a ride back up to the starting line (because that is where I parked).




This race started with a big downhill -- probably about a mile long -- and then evened out.  That hill really helped my pace!  There were so many runners, many of which seemed to have a hard time getting in order by pace (hello, stroller-walkers in the front?), so that made the hill a little bit difficult, but other than that, the race was so quick!

When signing up for this race, you had the choice to pay for a shirt and timing chip or go without and not pay anything.  I usually don't like race shirts, and getting my time wasn't a big deal to me, so I went with the free sign up.  In hindsight, I wish I had paid the $8 for the chip, because this was my fastest 5K to date.  My running watch needs a new battery -- oh how I wish I had replaced it before today! When I finished, the timer said 27:22, and I'm sure I started at least 20 seconds after the gun shot, so I'm thinking I ran it in about 27 minutes.  That is a 8:41 mile, which is good for me!  Obviously, the hill helped, but I am still excited about this PR!

1 comment:

  1. Great work Emily, both on launching the blog and having such a great run. Is that a spinach drink in your hand!? Excited to catch up with you and Clayton soon!

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