“If people ran more 5-Ks, I’m positive the average life satisfaction of humans would increase dramatically.” ~Lauren Fleshman
I had been stressing over what would be my May race, since this spring month has become quite full. With a 6-day anniversary trip to Antigua, Memorial Day weekend family trip to OBX, coaching Running Club every Saturday, & working at the hospital every Sunday… finding a May race seemed to be next to impossible! Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly happy & feel very blessed for my crazy, busy life!! But, I really wanted to achieve my 2014 goal of running a race each month.
On Tuesday this week when I came across the Great Neck 5K, it seemed perfect. We could go to the race as a family & enjoy valuable time together; all while I still accomplished my May race & got a good workout in. The charitable cause of the race was also very appealing & a major selling point. Teacher 2 Teacher is a program that was developed 7 years ago & supports a community in Haiti. The funds raised help support 5 schools, 39 teachers, & help provide 1,000 children an education. The race this evening was the 6th annual. And little did I know how it would all end!
My Friday started pretty ordinary, with the exception that I did not have my normal Friday run. The boys & I attended Stroller Strides, & then came home for lunch. While they napped, I lounged on the couch & saved my legs. I enjoyed a Curried Chicken Salad sandwich (recipe to be posted on next week’s edition of Tasty Tuesday!) with an orange & some PopChips. When the boys woke up, we had our normal playtime, book reading, etc… all the normal 2 year old energetic activities! At 5:15pm, we loaded up the car & headed to VA Beach, to the church where the race would be held. Precisely one hour before the race start time, I had a LaraBar ALT Protein bar. Once at the race, I registered & waited around while the kids played on the church play set.
The gun went off, a.k.a. “Ready, Set, Go” was declared (this was a “low-tech” race) & off we went! During the couple of days before the race, after I had decided I would run it, I was toying with the idea of pushing the stroller vs. running as a family vs. trying to PR. I finally decided during the drive over that I’d try to race it. Never in a million years did I think the outcome would be what it was (keep reading to find out!).
Before the start, there was a pretty big group of teenage boys & teenage girls waiting at the line. I was of course scoping out my competition… the 30-something ladies. When we started the race, the only ladies in front of me were the teenage girls. By the first ½ mile, I passed them. I kept a good eye on my Garmin & promised myself that I would not go out too fast. This has been my downfall at too many races!
Mile 1 – 7:26
After passing the first mile, I started passing a couple of guys. They got CHICKED! I kept my pace reasonable {I have no idea what reasonable was since I had no race goal!} & just ran by effort. With the exception of the mile 2 marker, I never once focused at my total time. Realizing that there were NO ladies in front of me, I just wanted to make sure I kept it that way! This was purely unchartered territory for me.
Mile 2 – 7:43
The last mile made me start to doubt myself. Maybe there was a hidden girl way out front. Maybe someone would be coming up to sprint past me. There is no way YOU are capable of being the first female at the finish line. Because the course had u-turns at end of roads, I knew there weren’t any other women in front of me. The confirmation came near the end of the race when the spectators said, “go get ‘em, you’re the first woman!”. SAY WHAT?!
Mile 3 – 7:55
Heading back to the finish line, which was also the start line, I was elated. I had been saying “hello” to every volunteer I passed. I waved “hi” to the families cheering from their lawn. I had tons of energy left. Why do I always leave so much in the tank?!
Final 0.02 miles to the Finish – 6:43
I had done it. I WON {really?? still doesn’t sound quite right!} A RACE! Granted a small race, with I believe just under 200 participants, but still, I was the top female. I feel humbled. I feel overjoyed. I feel like the world is my oyster & nothing is impossible. I feel happy my knee/leg did not ache one bit, even after stopping. I feel blessed.
Overall: 3.02 miles – 23:13 {7:41/mile average}
*The course seemed short & the total distance at the end confirmed it. Strangely enough, my 5K PR is in the exact same “short” course distance, so while I did win the race, but I did not PR… off by 4 seconds. Who cares though!? I’m stoked!*
Up Next For The Running Blonde: CHKD 8K on June 14th