I have a love/hate relationship with 5Ks. Running 3.1 miles seems easy enough but I just can’t run them without going into total race mode and basically taking off in a full of sprint like a bat out of hell.

I ran the Dowd Y “Rocktoberfest” 5K this morning. The Dowd Y Half Marathon & 5K is one of my very favorite races in Charlotte. I wish I could have run the half (I love the course!) but it just wasn’t in the cards for me today.

It’s a smaller race so I was able to head out of my house around 7:30 for the 8 a.m. start. I parked about a half a mile away and jogged to the start. I must do a warm up jog before 5Ks. I cannot go from completely cold to sprint. That just does not feel good.

I joined the crowd at the starting line (and asked a random stranger to take a picture of me). It was 40 degrees this morning so I was pretty bundled up. Honestly, I could have gone with less clothing but it was fine for the short duration of the race. I quickly made a playlist of “pump me up” songs and then it was time to go!

I literally took off in a full out sprint, darting around people. Mile one was done in no time in 6:53. Mile 2 was not as kind. The cold air was burning my lungs and my heart was pounding. Once I passed the marker signaling the end of mile 2, I kicked back into go mode and before I knew it the finish was ahead.

I finished in 22:58…and won my age group!!! It was not a PR (my current 5K PR is 22:40) but it was a great race! Although I did have to take a little breather at the finish to collect myself. This distance is intense.

I took a little recovery jog back to my car and then booked it over to Y2 for the 9:15 hot vinyasa.

Yoga felt so good after the run. It undid all the tightness in my hips and hamstrings. Bliss.

I was so ready for lunch when I got home from yoga and running errands. Leftovers from last night’s dinner were calling my name. We tried a Vietnamese restaurant that’s close to our house and we’d heard great things about. Must share this meal with you.

We started with Vietnamese beers.

And spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce. These were so light and fresh.

We both ordered pho for our main course. I went with the vegetarian pho that featured tofu and fresh veggies. Brandon ordered a pork and meatball pho and admitted that he was jealous of mine! He actually loves veggie noodle bowls.

I loved the plate of accompaniments they brought out so that you could customize your pho to your taste. We’ll definitely be going back!

5Ks…love ’em or hate ’em?

Vietnamese food…love it, hate it or never tried it?