Like a smart racer (who maybe has learned from her own experience, and horror stories from others) I laid out everything the night before. My entire outfit was in a pile on the bathroom floor. Socks, shoes, and gels set out together. Alarm set with plenty of time to eat breakfast and surf the web before I had to leave. Well my body must have decided I needed a good sleep before the race. I never heard the alarm. Ever. Not at all. What I did hear was Grayson crying. He does this really annoying meow cry when he thinks people should be up in the morning. Luckily I did need to be up. He was my savior, I did not curse him on this day. My planned hour of prep was cut to less than 30 minutes. Yikes.
I threw a couple of waffles in the toaster. Normally I have oatmeal before a long run but there wasn't time for that. Got dressed really quick. And the world was going to see me without a lick of makeup, not even concealer. Sorry, world. I peanut buttered the waffles. Threw all the essentials in a bag. Checked three times that my race bib was in there. Pulled up Google Maps to get the directions to my carpooler's house. And out the door I went.
I made it to Amy's house five minutes ahead of schedule because there isn't much traffic that early, thank goodness. As luck would have it she also missed her alarm. Her phone died during the night and her older son woke her up with only minutes to get ready.
We picked up one more runner, Audrey, and went to the parking area for the race. I quickly realized that it would have helped if I also checked the temperature. It was a wee bit chilly. I did have my gloves - I learned from a training run the week before that it was already glove season. A kind spectator wearing a warm fleece jacket gave me a hug because I looked cold. A little creepy but nice. We took the shuttle over to the start area. Visited the port a johns. Found a sunny spot near the start line to get a little warmth. The sun was just barely up over the trees.
A random lady next to me chatted a little. She had two small children, 1 and 2 years old. Pregnant forever. Just getting back to running. Had done some 5Ks. Wasn't sure what her pace was. Blah blah. The director gave his shpeel and the ladies start horn went off. (The men had a 10 minute delay to spread out the crowd)
It felt like a swarm went out around me. I minded my own business. Tried to pick some normal looking runners to follow. I reminded myself to run my own race out here. I usually set a super goal - one that requires a near miracle to attain. And I set a good goal - one that I can hit and still be happy with. I wanted something I could text to my running buddy and my sister to make them realize how awesome I am.
Mile 1 - time check 8:40. Faster than I needed to be but felt fine.
Mile 2 - time check 17:47 Still faster than necessary.
Mile 3 - time check 26:48. Closer to target.
Finally the first few men had made up the time delay and passed me.
Mile 4 and 5 - I had a 30 second cushion below my target time, still really good.
People making the return on the out and back course were approaching. First place girl was pretty much who I pegged at the starting line. The poor girl really needs to eat more. Seriously. And who was that in third? The pregnant forever lady not knowing her pace. Ergh. Fake talking sandbagger. A few more runners. Then I saw Amy. She was booking it. Some more runners. And there was Audrey. Yep, they were going to be waiting a while for me to finish.
Mile 6 took forever to pass.
This girl running on her tip toes, or so it seemed, got in front of me. I decided she was annoying so I sped up and went in front of her.
Mile 7 - still doing ok. The cushion I had was about gone.
Then I was doing crazy mind tricks with math. Did I have 2 miles left or 3? Were the mile markers at the end of the mile or at the beginning to mark it? I was confused.
Mile 8 - The fast start was getting the better of me.
Mile 9 - Yep, it was slipping away and pretty much gone. Bye super goal time.
Mile 10 - A lot of women were being chatty and noisy behind me. I didn't want them any closer because that stuff is annoying. I was contemplating if it was at all possible to hit my super goal time. I decided the only way to find out was to at least try to get it. Meaning that I couldn't give up. I had to hit a time I could be proud of.
Finally I saw the big clock at the finish line. I thought I was closer to my super goal than that. But definitely faster than my good goal. My finish time (based on when I looked at the clock) was 1:32:32. Yup 92.5 minutes. That's an average 9 min 15 seconds. I had really wanted an even 90 minutes. That was my super goal. And 95 minutes I would have been happy with and would have been okay bragging about it. These are good times for me. I used to be a lot slower. Like way slower. More than a minute per mile slower. Just a few months ago. I attribute this improvement to the distance running program at the Y and the great training calendar that I follow about 80% of the time. And I owe it to my return to trail running. I am so happy to be back on the trails. I love it. I daydream about roots and rocks, and a little about the hills. There's lots of encouraging people around me that give me confidence, helpful advice, and a few good laughs along the way. I love running and I love runners. We're all insane together.
