I convinced my friend Jan who never ever runs outdoors, and who only runs 2 miles on her treadmill, no more no less, to consider running with me. We started running together during our Florida vacation when I gave her and our friend Elaine "I run like a girl" running shirts and a challenge: run outside with us just for one week. She did, and had to admit it was much more fun than running her 2 miles alone on the treadmill. She decided to give today's 5K a try.
I try never to do anything without being as prepared as possible. So I read my "5K/10K Running" preparation book from cover to cover last night and followed the guidelines for "what to eat 24 hrs - 12 hrs - 4 hrs - before a race". I laid out my clothes & running shoes last night and got precious little good sleep. Somehow those dreams of twisted ankles and pulled IT bands were able to creep into my sleep and I awoke feeling as though I had already run the 5K and failed miserably. Heart pounding, and many bathroom visits and a 20 minute warm-up on my treadmill later, my wife and I left for the race.
Jan called en route - where were we? - we were 5 minutes late! In my haste to leave, I forgot my ID and sunglasses. But we arrived in plenty of time to register and Jan had already walked her 1/2 mile warm-up. I was amazed to see so many people I knew; I had no idea they were runners. The hour leading up to the race start was filled with reunions and catching up ("Wow Avery's 13 already? Where did the time go?") until we were notified time had come to start running.
Jan & I positioned ourselves in the middle of the pack. As in any race, the experienced runners immediately left us in the dust, with walker moms with strollers, men with kids behind us. It was hot at 9am - hotter than I expected for a New England morning in June. I determined the Galloway run/walk system would work best for me as a beginning race runner. I wanted to be consistent, avoid injury, and finish STRONG. Jan and I began the race running up the 1st hill turning a corner and and then up the 2nd hill; after 10 minutes, I began my 1 minute walk breaks - 10 minutes running, 1 minute walking. Mile one finished in 13 minutes. Mile two was mostly downhill and partially on a shady gravel road. Up ahead we saw a water station with high school kids giving out small cups of water - I could have used 4 or 5 of them, but I was grateful for the 1/2 cup I was given. The course was lovely - we ran through a wooded area with a canopy of oak, maple and pine overhead. It was cool and shaded - perfect for mile 2; then past a lake with a dad & his son fishing, and past homes with perennial gardens in full bloom overlooking the lake.
Runners passed us, walkers passed us. Jan didn't want to confine herself to the 10 minutes run/1 minute walk system, so she began to pull away from me. "Tell me when to walk" she'd say, and I did, but she never really walked after mile 2. At mile 2.5, we came out of the shady residential lakefront road, and entered the center of town, running around our towering Town Hall. I noticed our local spring water fountain up ahead and knew I had to stop and take a short drink at the fountain. I probably lost 1/2 minute off my time, but I knew I needed that drink to be able to continue. Jan ran up ahead and I never saw her again until the finish.
I crossed Main Street where the police officer on race detail told me to cross, and headed up the 3rd hill to the tennis courts and fairgrounds behind the school where we started. I ran up behind a man walking slowly toward the tennis courts. "Well" he said, "I guess we'll make it after all." Odd statement I thought, so I didn't respond. Did he think he wouldn't be able to walk the 3.1 miles? I'd conserved my energy like the books instructed. My cranky knee was fine; my legs were holding up. I told myself I'll run it to the finish, not walk in.
I rounded the curve on the final few hundred yards and saw my wife, Jan, and a group of my friends at the finish line, whistling, waving their arms and yelling "You can do it - come on Suuuuzannnnne!" All of the sudden, without warning, the slow walking gentleman behind me started to run! What? You're going to walk the entire race and and start running now, passing me at the finish? I thought "oh no you don't" and I took off like a shot out of a cannon. I gave it my best, gave it everything I had. I ran faster than I ever thought I could possibly run and sprinted to the finish ahead of him. My time was 45:31 minutes. Jan had come in at 43:31, a full 2 minutes ahead of me. I told her she was a born runner of races. Her response: "I'm hooked!" We hugged and cried and congratulated each other on finishing.
My wife took pictures, Jan's husband stood in stunned appreciation at her accomplishment, and my friends talked of running more races in the next few weeks. My emotions ran rampant - from abject fear to a "put-the-pedal-to-the metal" commitment to a wave of competitiveness that overtook me and propelled me to the finish, and finally to sheer elation that at 63, I had actually run 3.1 miles in 45 1/2 minutes. It doesn't get any better than that. I love you Patti, Chris & Briana.
No comments:
Post a Comment