Great Moments in Goal Achievement

As long as I've been running (or at least as long as I cared anything about time) I've wanted to complete a 5K in less than 30 minutes. My fastest 5K time was 32:00-something, so I had a little ways to go.

Sometimes when I run, people mistake me for Homer Simpson

But this weekend, I had a miracle happen.

My runs lately have been around 2 miles. I've been focusing on speed, on *not* taking walk breaks, and just making it through without cursing running. I have to admit it's been a lot more rewarding lately than it was towards the end of "Half Marathon Season 2011", when I wanted to punch running in the face most days.

On Saturday, I didn't get to do my run in the morning, so I had to wait until my husband could watch the kids. I decided to try for 3 miles, since I've been doing 2 or 2.25 lately. I wanted to push myself a little.

I headed out. The weather was perfect. I had my music on. I felt like I was going a little faster than comfortable, but I kept telling myself, "Only 300 more seconds" (which is 5 minutes. This is a technique I use often. Counting helps me pass the time and also helps me breathe, which I think helps prevent sidestitches. Well, most of the time).

I have my Nike+ set to tell me every quarter mile what my pace is. It was getting ridiculously fast. I was impressed. So much that when I hit 2.5 miles I decided to go for the full 5K.

28:21. Holy Schmoly. I ran 3.1 miles in less than 30:00 alright.

And now that I have reached this goal, I feel empowered. I mean, it wasn't easy. It wasn't a piece of cake. It was challenging and I did it.

So, I'm wondering what other goals I can reach if I set my mind to it?

Oh, and the best part: I got rid of the Tracy Morgan Curse. Dirk Nowitzki congratulated me at the end of my run.

Nice, Sarah. (source)