Date/Time: July 31, 2014, 7:00pm
Size: 500-600 runners
Weather: Mid-70s, sunny, slightly breezy
Course: Small rolling hills
Charity: American Red Cross
Distance: 5k
Time: 28:54 (avg. 9:19 pace)
Rank: Overall: 205/715; Age Group (20-24F): 20/53
This was my first race ever! I knew I could finish in under 30:00, but I was really shooting for something under 28:00. So imagine my disappointment when I got to the race and I realized it just wasn't going to be a good running day.
Maybe it was all the overtime I've been working. Maybe it was because I thought guacamole was a sufficient lunch. But after I registered, I warmed up by running a half mile, and my legs felt like they had nothing left. And I hadn't even started!
It was a fairly large race but I felt strangely alone. I think this was one of those races where people to go run/walk with their coworkers, and I had showed up just for my own personal satisfaction. In fact, it seemed like the only other people who were racing solo were all wearing knee high compression socks and looked like solid walls of muscle. They were in it to win it.
And I wasn't winning anything.
It also didn't help that I looked like a lost puppy looking for my bib, then my key, then the bathroom.
Anyway, on to the race itself.
The first mile was fairly scenic, as we started off on the property of a century-old estate. I spent most of that time weaving between people, and I guess the adrenaline of all that helped my speed. I later found out I was running about 8:19 pace (which is pretty fast for me).
After the crowd started the thin out, the scenery became scarce too. Around the second mile, the course started taking us through back access roads and parking lots. I think that was the point that my already tired legs decided they were done also. My posture started to slip, and then I developed a side stitch. The worse the pain got, the more hunched over I got, until finally, I was (very) slowly jogging, keeled over, with my hands at my waist.
Halfway into the second mile, I decided to walk. And boy, was it disheartening to get passed by little boys and old men. But I knew if I tried to keep running, the side stitch would get so bad, I would end up having to crawl across the finish line. After walking for a minute, I started jogging again while taking long breaths to keep the pain at bay.
It was probably at this moment when I realized hey, this entire course is uphill!
Now, as my oh-so-smart brother pointed out, since the race started and ended in the same place, I had to have run downhill at some point. So either I forgot about the downhill portions, or gravity played a cruel trick on me.
I was shocked when I made it to the third mile. Between the lingering side stitch, the tired legs I could no longer feel, and the mental anguish of being passed by small children and old men on this solely uphill course, I was ready to beg the attending ambulance to whisk me away from this torture. Why did I do this to myself?!
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| What I wanted to feel like. Crush those inclines! |
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| What I actually felt like. |
But a miracle happened. A short distance into the third mile, volunteers were handing out water. I normally don't drink water on 3-4 mile runs, but at that point in the race, I needed something to keep going. So I took the cup, spilled half of it on myself, and choked on the other half. After coughing the water out of my lungs, I found that the little bit that had made it down the right tube was just the boost I needed. I picked up the speed. Then I started to hear music, and I knew I was getting back into estate grounds, which meant the finish line was close. I kept telling myself pain is temporary to keep myself from quitting just yards before the end. I tried kick my legs a little harder to make that spectacular lightning fast finish, but even with my family cheering me on, I had nothing left. Actually, I was starting to feel quite sick to my stomach.
When I crossed the finish line, I had no idea what my time was. There was no clock, and I forgot to stop the GPS app on my phone. I just sat/fell into the grass, sipping a bottle of water, trying not to throw up. Luckily I didn't, and I found my family, and spent the next hour leisurely exploring the estate.
When I got my time: 28:54, I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn't met my goal of a sub-28, but based on how horrible I was feeling not even halfway into the race, I was impressed that I had managed under 30 minutes, and that I hadn't died at the end.
I haven't made up my mind on how I feel about races yet. But maybe I'll just have to run a couple more to find out.
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