I have been in a running rut, as you can probably tell from Wednesday’s post. My times have been okay but I just havent been feeling it, you know? So after writing that post I decided I needed a swift kick in the pants – I needed something to get my competitive juices flowing again. Lucky for me there was a 5K only 20 minutes away that benefits a local Special Olympics program. A local race for a good cause? Sign me up.
But then I had a crisis of confidence this morning when I woke up and saw the wet pavement and misty, foggy air. Ugh. I am not a huge fan of running in the elements. I worry about slipping and falling, plus my slightly arthritic knees get cranky in the humidity. But I shook off those feelings of doubt and enjoyed my standard pre-race breakfast of peanut butter toast and banana. I showed up to the high school where the race was scheduled to begin and noticed the crowd was a little … light. As in, not too many people. A little stalking research of last years race results suggested this race would have maybe 130 people. Not sure I have ever run in such a small race before.
Not surprisingly, the start of the race was pretty casual. No big booming announcement or horn or people jockeying for position. Just one man who basically said, “Runners, 3,2,1, go!” I normally seed myself in the middle-to-back of the pack, always paranoid cautious about starting out too fast snd burning out too early. But this time I figured, what the heck, it’s a small crowd (plus there’s no chip timing) so might as well start near the front. So I did – and I never looked back.
I felt really good for the first half mile, which was pretty flat, so I looked at my Nike+GPA app on my phone and was in disbelief when I saw I was running a 7:35/mi. Excuse me??? Um, I’ve never run that fast in a race before. Ever. Occasionally I will hit that time when I am focused on speed work, but not in a race. And I felt good! And that’s when the thought crept in: Could this end up being a PR race? Hmm, lets see where this thing goes.
And you know where it went? Uphill. Ugh. Mile 1-2 was a series of gradual hills plus one steep incline. At this point I knew I was in the “leader” group (albeit at the back of the leader group) but my pace had slowed down to somewhere in the 8s. I got passed by a woman about my age and I thought to myself, If I have any remote chances of placing in my age division, I gotta pick it up.
And wouldn’t you know it? The course went downhill at about mile 2.25. I was a little nervous about letting my legs fly because of the wet road and my cranky knees, so I didn’t go as fast as I probably could have, but I did dip back below the 8 mi/mile mark again for that last half mile. Before I knew it, we had turned the corner back into the school parking lot and I saw the finish line and time clock looming ahead … and saw 25 was still the first number. Whoa, I was a full minute below my previous 5K PR. I turned up another gear and crossed the line at 25:38, or an 8:15 pace. As I mentioned, the race wasn’t chip timed but this is only a few seconds off from what my Nike GPS told me … another benefit of starting near the front of the pack.
Here’s where things got interesting. Because it was a local race, and obviously a lot of non-runners were participating (probably because its for such a good cause), I suddenly realized that my placing in my age group really might not be that unrealistic. When they FINALLY hung the results (by place not time), I quickly skimmed the list and realized I was 4th. Boo. But before the disappointment really had a chance to set in, I looked again and noticed the woman in 3rd place in my age group was listed twice. Could this be a computer error? Did I really place?
I sure did! And that woman who I said passed me? She only finished 15 seconds before me. Actually, the winner of the 30-39 age group came in at 24:13. Not too shabby!
Ironically, I was really hoping to cut out immediately after the race because we were having a small family birthday celebration for Buddy today and I had to pick up the cake, finish cleaning the house and take a shower before everyone arrived at 2pm. But there was no way I was going to miss my first awards ceremony. I texted Dr. G. who agreed, told me to stay and that he and the kiddos were proud of me, and said he’d continue working on the house.
I am not going to lie – I am still feeling pretty darn proud of myself. Yes, it’s a local race, and competition was not as fierce as it normally is at larger races (see the Tufts 10K in a few weeks), but this small victory couldn’t have come at a better time for me, both physically and mentally. Today renewed my faith in running and erased some of the doubts I’d been feeling about if/how I see myself as a runner. This feeling of walking around on cloud nine reminded me about why I run.
A few takeaways from the race:
- The start line: I think I am going to really and try and position myself closer to the front of the start line (for smaller races) or my time seed, rather than in the middle or the back. For all my worries about “starting out too strong,” I don’t think that’s actually ever happened to me in a race before.Truthfully, I think it’s more of a confidence issue – basically, me thinking that I’m not “good enough” to be in the front of my group or not believing in myself enough to know I have the endurance to keep up a good pace for the duration of a race. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies, right? Today showed me that I’m the kind of person who NEEDS to start out fast – because I need to prove it to myself that I can do it. For example, after that first mile (official split: 7:50!), I realized this could be a special race for me, and it motivated me to keep going faster than I ever had before. This might be a strategy to try again in the future.
- Creature of habit: I am a running creature of habit. I like to wear the same clothes, same sports bra, same socks, same visor, etc. every time I run or race. Don’t ask me why. But today, for some reason, I mixed it up. Because the temps at race time were in the mid-50s, but it was misty and damp and a little chilly, I wore a tank top underneath a short-sleeved Under Armour tech T. I found that worked really well to keep my core warm mid-race, something I had never thought of before. I also didn’t wear my usual visor and went instead with my new SparklySoul headband I bought at the Diva Dash! Now I don’t think the headband had any bearing on my actual performance, besides the fact that it was fun to wear and it really did keep the hair out of my face. But I think it showed me that things don’t have to be “just right” or “same old” for me to have a good race. I can race well wearing new clothes in less-than-ideal conditions and still kick some booty.
- A good cause: It was so refreshing – and an honor – to race on behalf of such a wonderful organization like the Milford Special Olympics program. One girl who participates in the program (who I had never met before) came up to me several times post-race and gave me a hug and said hi. It was a poignant reminder of the things we often take for granted and the fact that I’m incredibly lucky, and fortunate, to have both my health and the physical ability to run. I was incredibly proud to support them today. I wish more races were so closely linked to community organizations like this, rather than having your registration fee just go to paying for the race logistics.
After I grabbed my medal, I picked up Buddy’s Star Wars cake and switched into full mommy/party mode.
I also thought I’d share this: I found this adorable idea on Leelou Blogs. Every year on your child’s birthday, you interview your child using this questionnaire, and then you record their funny answers. I wish I had started doing this with Buddy sooner! Anyway, here are his responses. Maybe it’s a reflection of the fact that he’s getting older, but his responses were pretty straight-forward. Ho-hum. Still a fun memento, though.
Hope everyone had a terrific Saturday! Do you enjoy small, local road races? And are you also a creature of habit when it comes to working out?
Fairly Odd Mother says
I am new to your site, but a long-time slow runner and just had to say “Woo!” to you for placing third! That is an amazing time! I think I would’ve worn that medal the entire day just so I could say, “Oh, this old thing. . .well, let me tell you. . .” Congrats!
Jessica says
Thanks so much (and thanks for visiting)! LOL, it was VERY tempting to wear it all day, but it was my son’s 6th birthday party so I didn’t want to steal his spotlight 🙂 Also, I have to say, I LOVE the name of your blog!
Pennie Pearson says
thats pretty cool