Every race I try to have 2-3 goals. This one I had two:
First goal: Sub 25:00 time
Second goal (if first wasn’t met): Top 5 in my AG
I apologize in advance for such a long race report. This event was more than just a "race" to me and a few lines just wouldn't do it justice. I've included pictures to give your eyes a break from all the text. LOL
What can I say, the race that started it all for me two years ago will always be "my" race and for all the reasons it is special to me, every year it becomes even more so. As I've mentioned before, this is
my anniversary race and the
race report from last year's race includes details and challenges of the course so I'll skip over that.
Not only was this the first year I had my own team (aptly named
Just Keep Swimming…and Running), but it was also the first year I was not only joined by the usual suspects (family and a friend or two), but my cousin, Michelle, who is more like a sister and my two life-long friends, Leslie and Shawne, with whom I have been recently reunited with were part of my team this year, too. Being a team captain is somewhat stressful because so many people were running late and I know what a complete MADHOUSE it is in the staging area from doing this race before (over 4,000 people participate) and then throw in the fact I'm a basket case before ANY race, much less this one, so I was a bit on edge. Plus I had picked up our race packets on Thursday so I had to make sure everyone had their bibs before I headed over to the starting line. We were supposed to meet at 8 am and then get our team picture taken at 8:15 but half of my team wasn't even there yet so we just got the picture taken with the handful we had. But we all managed to find each other before the race and everything worked out. Next year I will do a couple things differently to alleviate some of the stress but DEFINITELY, Lord willing, will have my own team again.
Even though I tossed and turned all night (which has become the norm for me), I stayed in bed "resting" until about 5:45 am. We have to leave the house by 7:15 and I planned on getting up at 6 anyway so it wasn't that big of a deal that I was up a little early. I had my race outfit all set and ready to go the night before so all of this allowed me to have not one but TWO cups of coffee before the race. Bonus java is always a good thing on race morning! I didn't do
team shirts because I feel people should wear what they feel comfortable in, especially if they are running, and not everyone wants to spend the additional money anyway plus they get a shirt from the race. I decide to wear the shirt I made for last year's race, the one with my dad's picture on it. I also made a
pair of shorts the first time I ran the race two years ago so those are a must every time I run an "honor/memorial" race.
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| Every mile a memory, my running mantra |
I don't eat breakfast as it is and don't eat before a race but I decided to have a banana just for good measure. The weather was rainy and drizzly the entire ride to the race, which was about 30 minutes from my house. Temps were in the 60's so it was a little chilly but not too bad. Pau had checked the weather before we left home and he said it was supposed to clear out by race time. Because this race means what it does to me, I was going to run it regardless of what the weather did. When we got to the mall where the event took place, it was raining again so Paul and Rick decided to wait in the lower level/covered parking area while I decided to "brave" the elements and go up the team meeting area where my cousin was waiting for me. Shortly there after, other team members trickled in and after we got out picture taken, we just hung around waiting for everyone else to show up. By that time the rain all but stopped.
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| Leslie isn't afraid of a little rain |
The one mile walk takes place in the parking lot of the mall and the 5K starts and ends at the mall but goes through neighborhood streets. After a short warm up run with my friends, Paul, son, friends, and I said goodbye to the team mates who were doing the 1 mile walk and the 5K-ers who didn't want to be close to the front and we headed over to the starting line. Since I've done this race before, I know what a zoo it is at the starting line and I wanted to be pretty close to the timing mat so we headed over about 8:50. This, unfortunately means we missed the opening ceremonies, which you could sort of hear off in the distance. This was this first year they told the walkers of the 5K to line up AFTER the runners. Guess they finally listened to all the people who complained. I have to admit I was a bit irked when a woman pushing a jogging stroller lined up in front of us. She looked like a legit runner and she ended up being pretty fast and all that but I still think it was kind of rude to be smack dab right there in front knowing full well of ALL the runners that were behind her but whatever. The race started late, about 9:10 or so but eventually the blew the horn and we were off.
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| Rick, me, and Paul at the starting line |
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| Girls just wanna have fun |
Rather than give a play by place of the full race, especially since this is long enough at is it, I'll just say it was muggy and it was tough! The course ran though heavily populated neighborhood streets and to those of you who run hills all the time, this course would have been a piece of cake probably but not for this girl. Again, I talk more about the course in
my race report from last year so I'll skip that. This year it seemed that's all we did was run up never ending inclines with very few declines and even though this was my third time running this race, both Paul and my brother-in-law, Eric, felt the course was a little more hilly than in years past so we weren't sure if they changed the course a bit or if it was just us. Looking back at my RR from last year's race, the "hills" were an issue for me so it could have just been our perception. Every mile was a struggle and in mile 1, I got my first ever race side stitch and I thought I was doomed for sure. Then a second one stared. They eventually disappeared which is good because I was having a hard enough time as it was. At one point, perhaps mile 2ish, the sun looked like it might peek out from the clouds and I kept thinking if it came out, I'd be doomed even more. It had warmed up a bit but luckily the sun never did come out and even though the air felt as thick as mud, at least it wasn't a million degrees.
When I first started the race, I looked down at my watch quite a bit but I finally got to the point, especially when I saw it at 9:30 pace somewhere in mile 2, that checking my watch was only frustrating me because I was clearly not going to meet my goal so quit looking at it and just ran. This is the second race I've done that (the other being my 5K from last month) so I've decided I will ignore my Garmin from now on when I race. Lesson learned from last race confirmed in this race.
Once again, I felt like I was running like crap the entire time and decided this was not going to be the race I'd run sub 25:00 so I just changed my focus to why I was running the race...the fighters, the survivors, the taken. A woman passed me and she looked like she was floating, running effortlessly like a gazelle without a hint of struggle and I wondered if I'd ever get to the point where I'd run like that, too. With not to much longer to go, I passed her and when I got to mile 3 and the volunteer said the time was 24 something, I could not believe my ears!! I thought I was going to completely blow this race and here I was, only seconds from my goal. As I rounded the corner to the finish, my son who had already finished the race, called out to me and told me to gun it. I yelled back "I can't" and then I saw the finish clock and when I saw it was still in the 24's, I dug for what little energy I had left and as I crossed the timing mat, the clock read 24:48. No.flippin.way!! My Garmin said 24:45 and given where I started the race, my numbers were pretty accurate. The timing company for this race doesn't have live results like the other races I do so we had to wait for several hours to find out what our official times were but dang it, I my met goal! Now would I place in the top 5 of my AG? We'd have to wait for the award ceremony for that.
One by one, as team members would finish the race, we'd head up to the final stretch and cheer on those on our team who were still racing. Meanwhile, the team members who did the one mile walk found us so we all stood around talking as we waited. When my cousin, Michelle, our last team member to come in passed us, we all cheered and screamed for her. This was her first 5K race and her first time walking an "official" 5K distance. You know that "gazelle" I mentioned earlier? As we were waiting, she came up to me and thanked me for helping her. Shocked, I thanked her and told her SHE was the one who helped keep ME going. I told her how effortlessly she looked and how I envied her and much to my surprise, she said she didn't feel very "gazelle-like," that she felt very off, and the race was kicking her butt just as it was me. She said she thinks it appears she runs like that because she is very tall and has long legs because she surely doesn't feel like she's floating. Glad to know I wasn't the only one suffering LOL.
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| My nephew, Daniel, his wife, Shari, and their two boys participate every year |
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| My cousin's first 5K |
Michelle finished and met up with us and we all walked to over to where the awards ceremony was getting ready to start. We were able to get someone to take our picture while we waited so we'd have one with all the team members present. So I met my goal of a sub 25, now would I make the top 5 in my AG? First they announced the top three overall winners in the Survivor Male category and then they announced the top three overall winners in the Survivor Female Category. I was only half paying attention because in the years I've been doing this race, I've never even been close to being a contender so imagine my utter surprise and astonishment when they announced the 3rd place winner and it was me!! I started jumping all over the place as my team screamed and cheered for me. I started to cry! Never in a million years did I ever think I'd be running, much less winning overall anything. I was so excited and stoked when they announced my name, when I went up to get my award bounding like Tigger from Monica Robbins, a local TV personality, I didn't realize they were doing a group shot of all the overall female winners and walked back over to my family, missing being part of the group shot. LOL My brother-in-law, who is a serious runner and almost always places in his AG, placed 3rd in his AG.
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| So excited to win my award I missed the group picture |
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| Eric and I with our awards |
After the awards, we all headed over to a local restaurant to celebrate an awesome day. As we were leaving the race, a woman came up to me and congratulated me on my award and asked what my time was. They didn't announce times when they handed out the awards which I thought was odd. I told her what my Garmin said and she said she sees me at a lot of races and always picks me out as one of the people to try to keep up with. Me?? Really?? Who woulda thunk it! Now I am not sharing that to brag, it just really meant a lot to me and was a big confidence booster (something I severely lack, just ask Paul), especially with the way I was feeling during the race and it made this special day even more so. Before we left lunch, the times had been posted on the website. My official time was 24:43 and I did not make the top 5 of my AG but rather 8th which was a bit of a surprise because I picked the top 5 goal based on last year's times and what I thought I might run. Just goes to show you never know who will show up on race day, even when it's raining. However, I didn't care, wining 3rd overall trumped a #5 in my AG hands down!
Yesterday just happened to be my 3.5 year anniversary as a cancer survivor to the day. A strange twist of fate? I think not. 12.5.12 will be a day I will never forget nor will 6.5.16. I am truly blessed for more reasons I can express and I can't thank my family and friends who help me just keep swimming…and running. If you made it all the way to the end, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this. =)
Final thought: This race proves all the more to never let the feelings of self doubt, technology, or the voice inside your head that says you can't or you won't get the best of you. Sometimes you just have to let the cards fall as they may and be happy that you can and will cross the finish line. And when you get there, you may just surprise yourself.
STATS
Time: 24:43.3
3rd Place Overall Survivors Women (8/158 Overall Survivors)
8/127 AG
207/1,759 overall
Our team raised $1,018 and I personally raised $437. There is still time
to donate to our team. The Gathering Place is accepting them through June 30.
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| Just Keep Swimming...and Running |
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| Me, my mom, son, and sisters |
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My co-worker, Debbie, nevers misses a chance to race
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| Every mile a memory |
