I read about the race before I left for Pennsylvania. I figured since it was the next town over it would not be a big deal - quick registration and race. Being in Hershey made me realize just how wrong I was and how much I appreciate Tulsa for having running stores that allow you to register in advance (in person) and make the whole process easier.
The race was on Thanksgiving Day however registration closed on the 5th for mail-ins. Anyone after that had to wait until either race day or the day before to register. We tried to register the day before but got horribly lost thanks to the directions the guy gave us (the website was NO help). So that meant we had to get up at 6.30am to go register before the race.
Having done races before - this being my 6th this year alone (I have done 3 or 4 in the distant past), I, like most runners, have a system. I put my clothing out before I go to bed. I make sure my iShuffle is charged. I plan out my breakfast (just a half of a granola bar) and try to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep the night before.
This was, I believe, Corey's first 5k. We ended up staying up late and talking so there went my sleep. He woke up and thought it was a school day so he jumped in the shower (which cause me to start having a panic attack downstairs) and then as we were about to leave, he couldn't find his arm band. We still had to pick up his friend and find the race. Needless to say, I was silently freaking out.
As we pulled out of the driveway, we were greeted by sleet and a cold, dreary morning. Who wants to race in that? We made the decision that if we couldn't find the place, we'd turn around and go out for breakfast instead and just chalk it up.
As we were driving, I saw the sign we missed the night before. With luck on our side, we found the race and were able to register on time! Sadly, we were too late to receive a t-shirt as over 900 people registered for the race (I saw bibs as low as the 200's so there were a lot of people there). I was very surprised with the turn out - partly with the weather being so horrible and partly because it was only the 2nd annual run but I love racing with a lot of people so it made me happy.
The gun went off at 8.15am sharp and we were off. Corey and his friend took a lead of about 2 minutes, which I expected. We ran down from the airport into a neighborhood and then back around. I realized from this run that I prefer the lollipop courses as opposed to the turn around courses I tend to run in Tulsa. It's easier for me to NOT know where the "half-way" point is. I just knew that when I exited the neighborhood I'd have about a mile to go and a since a mile is now "easy" to me, I figured I could trick my mind/body into completing it.
As I was nearing the last half mile a man came up beside me and motioned about my earbuds. I turned my music off and he explained that we'd started together - he had been behind me most of the race and wanted to tell me I was doing a great job. I explained that it was my Christmas gift from my godson - our first race together. I explained I had two goals for this race - to stay close to 30min and to run the entire thing - both firsts for me. We talked about when we started running - he used to run in his teens and 20's (he was prob 40's - 50's) and did 7 marathons. I explained I picked up running when I hit 30 and never looked back. No goals with marathons but perhaps a half some day.
After a few minutes he realized that I was running slower because of him so he encouraged me to push on and he dropped back a little bit. I told him I'd see him at the finish line and sped up to get back my pace.
The greatest feeling in the world, aside from runner's high - is coming up on the clock and seeing what your time is. When I got closer to the clock I realized that my time was under 30. I was seeing 27.30 so I pushed with all my might and crossed over at 27.58. The best thing though - is that I know my time will be less than that. We had chips and I know that I didn't cross the start line when the gun went off so my time may even be around 27.30, which would be unbelieveable. And I was able to attain both of my goals - I ran the ENTIRE race for the first time EVER!! I was so proud of myself. And as I crossed the finish line Corey was walking by so he got to see me cross. That made me so happy. : )
We are planning to do a 5 mile loop tomorrow before I leave. I'm excited to see how much of it I can actually do. And in 2 weeks I have a race with my RA Jessica and then... my run into the new year! So excited to be finishing out my year with a total of 8 races!! I've come so far and hopefully things keep looking up with life and my runs!
No comments:
Post a Comment