5k report (and my mom's 5k report too!)

Yesterday I ran the National Police Week 5k in DC. I ran it last year because my friend Manan has a goal of running 50 races in 50 states (and DC) in 5 years, and this was his DC race. I enjoyed it a lot last year, so I thought it was time for me to go back and do it again, and hopefully get a new 5k PR. I also brought my friend Sean to run it - we've done some long runs together, and we actually met at a race last fall.
Man, I am definitely a marathoner by trade - it felt so fast (I haven't done a 5k since September)! The first two miles went well, and picked off a lot of people going up Captiol Hill (all that Boston training keeps paying off!). That final mile, I was just hanging on and waiting to see the finish line. Crossed in 21:53 - a new PR by 29 seconds! Very happy with that - and I think I need to do some more 5ks this summer to work on my short distance abilities. It is a completely different mindset to go from a marathon to a 5k. In the marathon, I settle into a groove and float for a while. There was no floating yesterday - just digging in the whole time. But that's good - I need to learn how to do that more and more. Again, I was very happy. I've been wanting to break 22 minutes for a year, and it finally happened!
My mom ran her first 5k yesterday at home. She was very nervous about it, but when I called after, she was so excited! She ran a 36:21 - very good for her first time. My mom also felt that maybe she could've run a few minutes faster, but she was afraid of crashing and burning. I don't blame her - I feel the same way! But the important thing is that she finished wanting to do another one, so we are looking to do one when I am home in the summer. She also said she got emotional on the final turn and could see the finish line - it is an exciting moment! So big day for the women in our family - 2 5k PRs, including a 5k debut. I am very proud of her that she did it - she just started running within the past year or so. It's amazing what the human body can learn how to do.
My dad sent me a few pictures of her from the race, and my first thought was "Wow, we look exactly the same running." Now, we look very similar to begin with, but that thought was further confirmed in the pictures:


Same genes for sure - same arms and everything. Like mother, like daughter. Happy Mother's Day to you, Mom - I'm honored that we run the same!