Time for what? To get serious about getting back into shape. It pains me to even write that I need to get back into shape. Why the heck did I work so hard to get in decent shape, and then in a matter of a few short [holiday] months, I let all that hard work dissolve away...well, nothing dissolved exactly. I think things multiplied. I always get a bit lazy late in the year, and then I try to kick it in after the first of the year. I fully intended to do just that as I ushered in 2012, and then I got a sinus infection, and then my knee started hurting, and then I kept baking and eating. Before I knew it, that nasty little scale was creeping back up to where I began in 2009. Crap.
When one is a very short five feet tall, it doesn't take much added weight to cause the clothes to tighten up. I find myself choosing my work clothes according to what fits. My coworkers might think I love to really dress up for school because I often wear dresses and skirts, but my little secret is that they are just more comfortable because they are looser. Heck, even my elastic waist running shorts are getting snug. Finally, this week I had had enough. I was a total grouch because I was angry at myself for my lack of self-control (my husband will attest to the grouchy part). I love to bake, and I love to eat sweets. Willpower is not a character trait that applies to me. I hate almost every single vegetable. And yes, I have heard all my life that I just haven't had anyone fix them right. That's BS. I don't like them. Period. I will eat corn, an occasional salad, raw carrots, and...well, that's it. I like meat, potatoes, pasta, and desserts. Why is it that everything that is delicious is bad for us? It is like some cruel joke. Oh, this is so scrumptious, but if you take a bite, you will get diabetes, cancer, high cholesterol, OBESE! Here, try some broccoli instead.
So, what am I to do? I am cutting back on junk food. My biggest sacrifice this week? I gave away my Girl Scout cookies. All six boxes. Okay, five and a half. I ate one sleeve of Thin Mints first (I'm trying!). I had to order them; two of my favorite chicks, Maddie and Ava, were selling them. How could I say no to a Girl Scout? That would be unAmerican. Of course, as my luck would have it, the day after my little woe is me meltdown, the cookies arrived. I decided right then I could not have them around me. Who can't devour an entire sleeve in one setting? Caramel Delites? Give me a box of those with a glass of milk and I am one happy gal.
After ridding myself of those sinful little cookies, it was time to take the next step. Gary and I registered for the Derby Mini Marathon that takes place in April. We have talked about it for months, and this week the entry fee was going to go up, so we did it. Having an upcoming race is great incentive to not only improve my eating habits, but also to stay consistent with running and cross-training. Since this is the race I ran last year 12 weeks after surgery, and I had a great race, there is the added pressure to run even [a little bit] better this year. I am ready to get serious. I pray my knee allows me to train properly. I went back to Zumba this week after taking several weeks off, and plan to go once a week to add variety to my training, besides, it is a blast!
Another bit of incentive to maintain my running routine is that Morgan has begun running. Our girls have watched us run races, and have seen the hard work we have put in to increase our mileage, but have not been interested in joining us - despite our efforts to recruit them. Last fall, Tamara began running, and, along with her brother Bryce and his girlfriend Krista, ran two miles with us Thanksgiving morning. Now Morgan is running, and this week hit the one-mile-without-stopping mark! That is a huge accomplishment in running, and once a runner gets to one mile, adding mileage is a little easier. I must add that Morgan is also pushing a stroller while running, which has to make it much more difficult. I cannot even imagine. I am really proud of Tamara and Morgan, and can't wait until they both get to the point where they really enjoy the run. Our annual Thanksgiving Morning Run might just keep growing! So, after encouraging our family to run, how can I be a slacker?
My next goal is to try out some Splenda in some of my favorite recipes to see if I can still bake while cutting back calories. That'll be great fun, I'm sure. I am going to give up candy for Lent, which is what I usually give up. That might seem easy for most adults, but I love candy. It isn't my child who whines for a candy bar in the checkout line; it's me! If you see me at Walmart, and you witness my hand reaching for the chocolate, please just smack it. Really. Crazier things happen at that place, and I won't sue you. Promise.
Now step away from the computer and grab some broccoli. It's good for you. Gross, but good for you.
Showing posts with label women's running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women's running. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
I Met the Challenge
10-10-10...Not only is the date unusual and memorable because of the number sequence, but the date will remain important in my life because it was the day that I completed my first half marathon! My pace...10:10! My friend Jackie and I should receive a special award for running that particular pace on that particular date! What are the chances?
My journey toward that day began in the spring of 2009. When I first donned my running shoes (actually, they were tennis shoes that seemed to work at the time) and took off on our gravel road, I certainly did not envision ever completing a half marathon. Heck, at that time I only dreamed of being able to run a 2-mile local race. My boss had begun running half marathons, and though I envied her stamina, I did not believe that it was something I would be able to do; I wasn't even sure I wanted to run that far. As I kept adding miles to my runs, running a half started to seem slightly possible. Last spring I even considered running the Women's Half in Nashville that was to be held in September, but then the extreme heat hit the Midwest, and I quickly gave up on that idea. This summer my husband announced that he wanted to run the Evansville Half in October. I had friends who had run it, and I knew that it was a fun, and more importantly flat, course. If my husband thought that he could run it, I was up for trying. I talked with one of my running partners, Jackie, and she agreed to run with me - if I promised to stay with her the whole race. So, our training began in August after we had run our local 6-mile race.
We read books and magazines to get training information, but we didn't really stick with one plan. We just ran a long run each weekend, gradually increasing our mileage until we ran 13.1 miles, and ran 3-4 short runs (about 4-5 miles) during the week. We didn't do any speed work, and just ran hills a few times. There were runs that we were both questioning our ability to complete the distance. Another running partner, Jennifer, also ran with us a couple of times a week. She was also training for the half, but had more of a time goal, so she ran with a faster group too. The great thing about training with friends is that when one person is having an off day, usually the other can bring her up. There were, of course, times when we both spent our runs whining about aches and pains. Through all of the ups and downs of training, we stuck together. That's what running friends do.
The weekend of the race was a busy one. The race was on a Sunday morning. That Friday night we had to attend the high school football game where our daughter was performing in the band. On Saturday we had a band contest out of town. Then we had to be out of the house by 4:15 am the morning of the race. I am not a morning person - at all - but that morning I didn't feel too bad. I was nervous, but not like I thought I would be. Gary, Jackie, Jennifer, and I arrived in Evansville, found a parking spot, and boarded a school bus that would take us to the starting line. I usually hate the wait, but it was a pretty morning, and being with my husband and my friends made the wait go by rather quickly. I could feel the energy of the other runners in the air. Our other friends arrived, we had a picture taken, wished one another well, and went to our respective corrals. Jackie and I lined up between the 10 and 11 minute pace cards. The sun was coming up, a prayer was offered, and the gun went off. My first half marathon. I felt great! Because there were over 2000 runners, the start was slow. It took about a mile for the crowd to begin to thin out. We were then able to get into our groove and just run. Our plan was to maintain about a 10:30 pace, but we found ourselves going faster. As long as we felt good, and weren't really pushing too hard too fast, we just kept going.
This race was very well-managed, and the attention to detail was impressive. On a path through one of the parks, someone had written the names of all of the cities represented in sidewalk chalk. That might not seem that impressive, but you would be surprised at how much those little things take your mind off of the running. We ran through parks, a minor league baseball field, nice neighborhoods, not-so-nice neighborhoods, a neat Main Street area, a brick road, and a river walk. We talked about our kids, our jobs, our training. If we were really hard-core runners, we would have been focused only on running our best race and we would not have talked - we are obviously not hard-core! We wanted to have fun, and to complete the race in a decent time. Neither of us had dreams of placing; we were going to PR even if we walked! I did the motions to the chicken dance as we ran past a woman playing the song on her accordian (I had never heard the chicken dance played on an accordian - interesting!), I did little dancy moves as we went past someone blasting rap music, and I threatened to sing, but Jackie threatened bodily harm if I did that. We had fun!
As we reached mile 12, I knew we had it made. I was still feeling good, even as many runners started to walk. At that point, there was no way I was going to walk. We jogged slowly enough to be able to drink water (without too much of it going up my nose), but we never slowed to a walk. Approaching the finish line that was lined with hundreds of spectators was amazing. I knew my two youngest daughters were there somewhere, and Jennifer, who had already finished, was there supporting her two slower friends. Our race bibs had our names on them, which I kept forgetting, so random people would yell our names, and each time I would wonder how he or she knew me! My brain was occupied with trying to reach the finish line, it couldn't be bothered with such details! As we came within a few feet of the finish line, I grabbed Jackie's hand. I wanted us to complete this journey together, just as we had started. It was just as I had envisioned - amazing! Our time: 2:13:07! Seven minutes faster than anticipated. Not bad for two 40-something year old women who didn't begin running until mid-life. What an amazing feeling of accomplishment! I think that even my girls were pretty proud of their old mom!
Jackie couldn't enjoy the moment too long because her son had confirmation the same day, but Jennifer, my girls, and I went to watch my husband cross the finish line in his first marathon. This man has an artificial knee, hadn't run in years because of knee problems, and yet he worked diligently to be able to run 13.1 miles. This wife was terribly proud! As we watched other runners cross that line, I stood in awe of the array of runners - from a 13 year old girl to an 87 year old man. From over-weight middle-aged men and women, to young, buff college students. Runners truly come in all forms, and they are all working hard to meet personal goals. It was an inspiring day, and one that I will always remember. We all cheered as Gary came through the finish. We had all met our goals, and we all felt fantastic.
Will I do it again? Absolutely! I was exhausted by the time we got home (the Ihop pancakes didn't help), and I was sore the next day, but that feeling as we crossed the finish line was worth any discomfort I have had as a result. I ran a half marathon. I RAN A HALF MARATHON!!
My journey toward that day began in the spring of 2009. When I first donned my running shoes (actually, they were tennis shoes that seemed to work at the time) and took off on our gravel road, I certainly did not envision ever completing a half marathon. Heck, at that time I only dreamed of being able to run a 2-mile local race. My boss had begun running half marathons, and though I envied her stamina, I did not believe that it was something I would be able to do; I wasn't even sure I wanted to run that far. As I kept adding miles to my runs, running a half started to seem slightly possible. Last spring I even considered running the Women's Half in Nashville that was to be held in September, but then the extreme heat hit the Midwest, and I quickly gave up on that idea. This summer my husband announced that he wanted to run the Evansville Half in October. I had friends who had run it, and I knew that it was a fun, and more importantly flat, course. If my husband thought that he could run it, I was up for trying. I talked with one of my running partners, Jackie, and she agreed to run with me - if I promised to stay with her the whole race. So, our training began in August after we had run our local 6-mile race.
We read books and magazines to get training information, but we didn't really stick with one plan. We just ran a long run each weekend, gradually increasing our mileage until we ran 13.1 miles, and ran 3-4 short runs (about 4-5 miles) during the week. We didn't do any speed work, and just ran hills a few times. There were runs that we were both questioning our ability to complete the distance. Another running partner, Jennifer, also ran with us a couple of times a week. She was also training for the half, but had more of a time goal, so she ran with a faster group too. The great thing about training with friends is that when one person is having an off day, usually the other can bring her up. There were, of course, times when we both spent our runs whining about aches and pains. Through all of the ups and downs of training, we stuck together. That's what running friends do.
The weekend of the race was a busy one. The race was on a Sunday morning. That Friday night we had to attend the high school football game where our daughter was performing in the band. On Saturday we had a band contest out of town. Then we had to be out of the house by 4:15 am the morning of the race. I am not a morning person - at all - but that morning I didn't feel too bad. I was nervous, but not like I thought I would be. Gary, Jackie, Jennifer, and I arrived in Evansville, found a parking spot, and boarded a school bus that would take us to the starting line. I usually hate the wait, but it was a pretty morning, and being with my husband and my friends made the wait go by rather quickly. I could feel the energy of the other runners in the air. Our other friends arrived, we had a picture taken, wished one another well, and went to our respective corrals. Jackie and I lined up between the 10 and 11 minute pace cards. The sun was coming up, a prayer was offered, and the gun went off. My first half marathon. I felt great! Because there were over 2000 runners, the start was slow. It took about a mile for the crowd to begin to thin out. We were then able to get into our groove and just run. Our plan was to maintain about a 10:30 pace, but we found ourselves going faster. As long as we felt good, and weren't really pushing too hard too fast, we just kept going.
This race was very well-managed, and the attention to detail was impressive. On a path through one of the parks, someone had written the names of all of the cities represented in sidewalk chalk. That might not seem that impressive, but you would be surprised at how much those little things take your mind off of the running. We ran through parks, a minor league baseball field, nice neighborhoods, not-so-nice neighborhoods, a neat Main Street area, a brick road, and a river walk. We talked about our kids, our jobs, our training. If we were really hard-core runners, we would have been focused only on running our best race and we would not have talked - we are obviously not hard-core! We wanted to have fun, and to complete the race in a decent time. Neither of us had dreams of placing; we were going to PR even if we walked! I did the motions to the chicken dance as we ran past a woman playing the song on her accordian (I had never heard the chicken dance played on an accordian - interesting!), I did little dancy moves as we went past someone blasting rap music, and I threatened to sing, but Jackie threatened bodily harm if I did that. We had fun!
As we reached mile 12, I knew we had it made. I was still feeling good, even as many runners started to walk. At that point, there was no way I was going to walk. We jogged slowly enough to be able to drink water (without too much of it going up my nose), but we never slowed to a walk. Approaching the finish line that was lined with hundreds of spectators was amazing. I knew my two youngest daughters were there somewhere, and Jennifer, who had already finished, was there supporting her two slower friends. Our race bibs had our names on them, which I kept forgetting, so random people would yell our names, and each time I would wonder how he or she knew me! My brain was occupied with trying to reach the finish line, it couldn't be bothered with such details! As we came within a few feet of the finish line, I grabbed Jackie's hand. I wanted us to complete this journey together, just as we had started. It was just as I had envisioned - amazing! Our time: 2:13:07! Seven minutes faster than anticipated. Not bad for two 40-something year old women who didn't begin running until mid-life. What an amazing feeling of accomplishment! I think that even my girls were pretty proud of their old mom!
Jackie couldn't enjoy the moment too long because her son had confirmation the same day, but Jennifer, my girls, and I went to watch my husband cross the finish line in his first marathon. This man has an artificial knee, hadn't run in years because of knee problems, and yet he worked diligently to be able to run 13.1 miles. This wife was terribly proud! As we watched other runners cross that line, I stood in awe of the array of runners - from a 13 year old girl to an 87 year old man. From over-weight middle-aged men and women, to young, buff college students. Runners truly come in all forms, and they are all working hard to meet personal goals. It was an inspiring day, and one that I will always remember. We all cheered as Gary came through the finish. We had all met our goals, and we all felt fantastic.
Will I do it again? Absolutely! I was exhausted by the time we got home (the Ihop pancakes didn't help), and I was sore the next day, but that feeling as we crossed the finish line was worth any discomfort I have had as a result. I ran a half marathon. I RAN A HALF MARATHON!!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Catchin' Up
This title is appropriate in may aspects of my life right now! First, I haven't posted on Traxee or my blog (which is actually the same post, just copied and pasted) for a couple of weeks. I love to write, but have been incredibly busy. My daughter once wrote a story for class entitled 'Unfortunately, Fortunately', in which something negative led to something postive, which led to something negative, and so on. So, unfortunately, my friend Jennifer (whom I had planned to run with this evening) is suffering from plantar fasciatis (no idea how to spell that), and not being able to run makes Jennifer a very unhappy chick. Fortunately, that means I don't have to - I mean 'get to' - run this evening, so I have time at the computer. Unfortunately, that means very low calorie burn (though my fingers are flying); fortunately, I don't really care. I am tired. Getting back into the groove of spending my days with 26 smiling eight-year-olds is definitely tiring. It will take about a month before I am not completely exhausted at the end of every day.
The Schweizer Fest race...the race that I stressed over for weeks...the one I almost wimped out on...the one with the mile-long HILL. It was run on August 14. I was there. I ran it. Six miles in heat and humidity that caused even the real runners to question their sanity. I woke up that morning...actually, I didn't really sleep much the night before...and prepared myself. I ate bread with honey on it (carbs, sugar, and it didn't upset my stomach), and I sat on the deck and had a heart-to-heart with God. I didn't ask for much. I just told Him I was freaking out about this race, and that I wanted to finish without vomiting my bread and honey in front of the fine citizens of Tell City. I just wanted to give it my all. When I get nervous, I don't talk much. My husband tolerates those little quirks, so he didn't push it that morning. Although he admitted that he was a little nervous too, he seemed all calm. Why can't I be like that???
We arrived early, as I always do, and located my friends. I was really excited because several of my friends, many of whom are my co-workers, are new runners, and had planned to run the 2-mile race. Because my 25-year class reunion was that evening, there were several of my classmates participating as well. I tried to work through my jitters, even posing for pictures with friends, but my stomach was churning! My running partner Jackie and I decided to jog a block or two toward the starting line. Once there, we got our spot and waited for the gun. Gosh, it was hot already! Our plan was to run together, but if one of us needed to go faster or slower, that was fine. Finally, it was time. The moment we had trained for and talked about all summer had arrived. Our mayor welcomed the 450 runners, and the gun blasted through the humid air. We were off. Any runner who races knows that it is difficult not to get caught up in the crowd at the start of a race. Of course, we couldn't keep up with the 6-minute runners, but for a short bit of time, we did keep up with those 7 1/2 minute runners. I had on my trusty Garmin, and Jackie kept asking how fast we were running. When I told her, her response was, "We can't run that fast!!" Maybe not for 6 miles, but we could for almost a mile. I told her we were just warming up, and that we would slow down and get into our groove. Afterall, we knew about the ominous hill that lay ahead. We knew we had to conserve some strength and energy.
Jackie and I were very fortunate that morning. We have some amazing friends who crawled out of bed, came down to the race, and cheered us on. How great is that? Joani and Lori are two of Jackie's besties, and friends of mine as well. They actually drove to several points on the course and cheered as we ran by. Two of my besties, Debbie and Melony, stood on a corner that I ran by 3 times. Having these ladies there was such a boost! The first part of the race loops around our Main Street. After that loop, we headed out a long street toward the hill. As we started that way, Debbie and Melony were there encouraging me along. Jackie and I got into our pace and stayed together the first 3 miles. As we began to ascend the hill, I pulled ahead slightly. I push hard on hills, mostly because I want to get it over with! I ran the rest of the race alone, knowing Jackie was close behind. The hill was hard, but I didn't hold back. I walked through the water stop, but started running as soon as I had a drink. I knew if I could just get to the top of the hill, the rest of the race would be rather easy. I climbed that hill, my breathing sounding like a woman in labor, and my arms pumping hard to move me forward. I saw a few people walking, and was so proud that I didn't have to. At the top, I rounded the curve, worked to catch my breath and get back into a rhythm, and paced myself for the rest of the course. Another person that I cannot fail to mention is our unpaid coach, Tom. I also saw him a couple of times, and just knowing he was there was encouraging. Tom has answered all of our questions, and is always open with advice and strategies. Sometimes we are stubborn and don't listen, like when he says we should run the hill several times in one session, but he is very much appreciated. When I had a little more than a half mile to go, I saw Tom coming toward me. He told me to keep pushing, and that I looked strong. Now, I know I didn't really look strong at that point, but hearing those words made me tell myself that I am strong, and that I could finish strong. I don't really know about other runners, but sometimes when I am running a race, I have some really weird self-talk. I could see about 15 blocks ahead of me as I was running the final long stretch of the race. At the end of that stretch where we would turn back onto Main Street toward the finish, there was a police car parked with its lights on. My self-talk: Run to the light...just run to the light. I know, it's strange, but it got me through. I bet if other runners were to admit it, they would be thinking some pretty strange thoughts too. Wouldn't they?
As I turned back on to Main Street, with only two blocks to go, Debbie and Melony were still there, and they were still cheering for me. At that point, they knew that I had already met one of my goals, and when they pointed it out, it made me smile, and it made me sprint (my old-lady sprint). I really do not like being the center of attention, and there were a lot of people lining the finish line and standing around in that area. There were no runners within a block of me, behind or in front. I was crossing that line alone. Please don't take that to mean I was fast, it's just that the ones who were fast had long-before crossed, and I was ahead of a few people. I could hear my name being shouted, but I looked straight ahead. I spotted my daughter immediately, and headed toward her. My time: 57:11! Not the fastest I had run the course, but given the severe heat, I will take it! Bethany grabbed some water for me, and I headed back to the finish line to cheer on Jackie, a couple of other friends, and, of course, my husband. Jackie finished about a minute behind me, which meant that she had met her goal of running it in under one hour. We rocked! We were hot, sweaty, and smelly, but we were also relieved, thrilled, and exhilerated. It was amazing to spend the next hour with my running friends and husband. We had all worked so hard to get to that point, and I wanted to share that moment with them.
So, the results of the chicks I run with or discuss running with (my dear friends and companions):
Me - 3rd in age group; Jackie - 1st in age group; Jennifer (ran the 2 mile) - 2nd in age group; Beth - placed in age group (sorry, Beth, can't remember place :-(); Laura - (ran 2 mile) 2nd in age group; Kim - the running queen - won the women's 6-mile with an amazing time that I can't remember because it isn't even in my realm of running speed! Gary - not a chick - ran 6-mile in 1:20:00, and did awesome! Another group that I am so happy for is that group of new runners who laced up their sneakers and ran their very first race that morning: Kassi, Lori, Emily, Annette, Kelli, and Amy (I don't think it was Amy's first, but it was her first in a long time). Witnessing their excitement was great. (And, by the way, there were a few pukers at the end of the race, and I wasn't one of them!)
Thanks, friends, for encouraging me to step up and run this race! I am so glad that I did, and I know I would have regretted not running it. What's next on the agenda? I haven't actually signed up yet, but Jackie, Jennifer, Gary, and I plan to run a half marathon on October 10. I am not completely convinced of my ability to run that far, but I am surely going to try. That race will not be about speed at all; it will simply be about the thrill of finishing 13.1 stinkin' miles. That just sounds so far. My husband and I would really like to run the Indy Mini in May. I sounds a little fun, although I am not much into crowds, and 30,000 runners make quite a crowd! Perhaps some good anti-anxiety meds will be in order!
The Schweizer Fest race...the race that I stressed over for weeks...the one I almost wimped out on...the one with the mile-long HILL. It was run on August 14. I was there. I ran it. Six miles in heat and humidity that caused even the real runners to question their sanity. I woke up that morning...actually, I didn't really sleep much the night before...and prepared myself. I ate bread with honey on it (carbs, sugar, and it didn't upset my stomach), and I sat on the deck and had a heart-to-heart with God. I didn't ask for much. I just told Him I was freaking out about this race, and that I wanted to finish without vomiting my bread and honey in front of the fine citizens of Tell City. I just wanted to give it my all. When I get nervous, I don't talk much. My husband tolerates those little quirks, so he didn't push it that morning. Although he admitted that he was a little nervous too, he seemed all calm. Why can't I be like that???
We arrived early, as I always do, and located my friends. I was really excited because several of my friends, many of whom are my co-workers, are new runners, and had planned to run the 2-mile race. Because my 25-year class reunion was that evening, there were several of my classmates participating as well. I tried to work through my jitters, even posing for pictures with friends, but my stomach was churning! My running partner Jackie and I decided to jog a block or two toward the starting line. Once there, we got our spot and waited for the gun. Gosh, it was hot already! Our plan was to run together, but if one of us needed to go faster or slower, that was fine. Finally, it was time. The moment we had trained for and talked about all summer had arrived. Our mayor welcomed the 450 runners, and the gun blasted through the humid air. We were off. Any runner who races knows that it is difficult not to get caught up in the crowd at the start of a race. Of course, we couldn't keep up with the 6-minute runners, but for a short bit of time, we did keep up with those 7 1/2 minute runners. I had on my trusty Garmin, and Jackie kept asking how fast we were running. When I told her, her response was, "We can't run that fast!!" Maybe not for 6 miles, but we could for almost a mile. I told her we were just warming up, and that we would slow down and get into our groove. Afterall, we knew about the ominous hill that lay ahead. We knew we had to conserve some strength and energy.
Jackie and I were very fortunate that morning. We have some amazing friends who crawled out of bed, came down to the race, and cheered us on. How great is that? Joani and Lori are two of Jackie's besties, and friends of mine as well. They actually drove to several points on the course and cheered as we ran by. Two of my besties, Debbie and Melony, stood on a corner that I ran by 3 times. Having these ladies there was such a boost! The first part of the race loops around our Main Street. After that loop, we headed out a long street toward the hill. As we started that way, Debbie and Melony were there encouraging me along. Jackie and I got into our pace and stayed together the first 3 miles. As we began to ascend the hill, I pulled ahead slightly. I push hard on hills, mostly because I want to get it over with! I ran the rest of the race alone, knowing Jackie was close behind. The hill was hard, but I didn't hold back. I walked through the water stop, but started running as soon as I had a drink. I knew if I could just get to the top of the hill, the rest of the race would be rather easy. I climbed that hill, my breathing sounding like a woman in labor, and my arms pumping hard to move me forward. I saw a few people walking, and was so proud that I didn't have to. At the top, I rounded the curve, worked to catch my breath and get back into a rhythm, and paced myself for the rest of the course. Another person that I cannot fail to mention is our unpaid coach, Tom. I also saw him a couple of times, and just knowing he was there was encouraging. Tom has answered all of our questions, and is always open with advice and strategies. Sometimes we are stubborn and don't listen, like when he says we should run the hill several times in one session, but he is very much appreciated. When I had a little more than a half mile to go, I saw Tom coming toward me. He told me to keep pushing, and that I looked strong. Now, I know I didn't really look strong at that point, but hearing those words made me tell myself that I am strong, and that I could finish strong. I don't really know about other runners, but sometimes when I am running a race, I have some really weird self-talk. I could see about 15 blocks ahead of me as I was running the final long stretch of the race. At the end of that stretch where we would turn back onto Main Street toward the finish, there was a police car parked with its lights on. My self-talk: Run to the light...just run to the light. I know, it's strange, but it got me through. I bet if other runners were to admit it, they would be thinking some pretty strange thoughts too. Wouldn't they?
As I turned back on to Main Street, with only two blocks to go, Debbie and Melony were still there, and they were still cheering for me. At that point, they knew that I had already met one of my goals, and when they pointed it out, it made me smile, and it made me sprint (my old-lady sprint). I really do not like being the center of attention, and there were a lot of people lining the finish line and standing around in that area. There were no runners within a block of me, behind or in front. I was crossing that line alone. Please don't take that to mean I was fast, it's just that the ones who were fast had long-before crossed, and I was ahead of a few people. I could hear my name being shouted, but I looked straight ahead. I spotted my daughter immediately, and headed toward her. My time: 57:11! Not the fastest I had run the course, but given the severe heat, I will take it! Bethany grabbed some water for me, and I headed back to the finish line to cheer on Jackie, a couple of other friends, and, of course, my husband. Jackie finished about a minute behind me, which meant that she had met her goal of running it in under one hour. We rocked! We were hot, sweaty, and smelly, but we were also relieved, thrilled, and exhilerated. It was amazing to spend the next hour with my running friends and husband. We had all worked so hard to get to that point, and I wanted to share that moment with them.
So, the results of the chicks I run with or discuss running with (my dear friends and companions):
Me - 3rd in age group; Jackie - 1st in age group; Jennifer (ran the 2 mile) - 2nd in age group; Beth - placed in age group (sorry, Beth, can't remember place :-(); Laura - (ran 2 mile) 2nd in age group; Kim - the running queen - won the women's 6-mile with an amazing time that I can't remember because it isn't even in my realm of running speed! Gary - not a chick - ran 6-mile in 1:20:00, and did awesome! Another group that I am so happy for is that group of new runners who laced up their sneakers and ran their very first race that morning: Kassi, Lori, Emily, Annette, Kelli, and Amy (I don't think it was Amy's first, but it was her first in a long time). Witnessing their excitement was great. (And, by the way, there were a few pukers at the end of the race, and I wasn't one of them!)
Thanks, friends, for encouraging me to step up and run this race! I am so glad that I did, and I know I would have regretted not running it. What's next on the agenda? I haven't actually signed up yet, but Jackie, Jennifer, Gary, and I plan to run a half marathon on October 10. I am not completely convinced of my ability to run that far, but I am surely going to try. That race will not be about speed at all; it will simply be about the thrill of finishing 13.1 stinkin' miles. That just sounds so far. My husband and I would really like to run the Indy Mini in May. I sounds a little fun, although I am not much into crowds, and 30,000 runners make quite a crowd! Perhaps some good anti-anxiety meds will be in order!
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