Its Friday night, June 7 and I'm in the bed looking forward to a good night's rest. The TV is on and Gladiator is playing on TNT. It automatically catches my eye and I'm up watching it. I know that I should be sleep, and I figured I would fall asleep by the end of the movie. But, Gladiator doesn't let you do that. I consciously have to turn the TV off, in order to focus on going to sleep. Have you ever experienced that? Well, I ended up going to be later than I initially decided to when I woke up that morning (11:00pm).
Anyway, it's Saturday morning and I wake up to the sound of my alarm at 4:30 am. Because this was my first ever, 10k, and first time ever going to the Crofton Country Club, I wanted to be there early and avoid any potential problems. So, I left my house at 5:15am to start my 20 minute journey to a race that started at 8am that morning.
It wasn't extremely hot, but I remember noticing the warmth as I stepped out of the front door... 67 degrees. I preferred a much lower temp, but you've gotta play the hand that you're dealt with regard to the weather, right?
My stomach felt a little weird and I couldn't quite shake it. I then thought about the 4 hot dogs I had eaten the night before, around 9pm, in the name of "fueling" and attributed the pain I may feel in the next few hours to that decision. It's true what they say, you know... one bad decision can be consequential to your future happiness.
So, I got in the car, shaken stomach and everything and drove to the location of the race, Crofton Country Club. I arrived around 5;45 and as I expected, no one was there. I drove around the neighborhood and parked my car a short distance away from the Country Club. This race was sponsored by the Crofton Kiwanis Club and Surlis Re/Max Real Estate Team and that peaked my interest in running this race as I needed a 10k to do and I have a background in real estate... But, I digress. My stomach settled down a little, but I was not 100% and I didn't go into the race feeling as good as I would've liked. I figured, I would just have to make the best of it.
While at work, I enjoy listening to podcasts about running, as they inspire, inform and increase my knowledge about this incredible sport that does so much for so many. I had been listening to The Extra Mile podcast over the past two weeks. This podcast is built around the audience and their experiences in training and races. The host, Kevin, does a wonderful job facilitating such an organic program and helps to bring a fresh approach to podcasting about this sport.
I decided to call The Extra Mile and inform them of my upcoming race. After a few re-recordings, I submitted and saw that it was around 6:15am. Registration started at 6:30, so I proceeded to walk to the registration tables. I was 2nd in line to register and everything was well organized. This was a smaller race and after looking at the results and everything, there were only 250 participants. The website stated that there would be about 400 runners and as 7:51 am, there didn't seem to be 100 runners there. But, it filled out as we moved towards the starting line.
The gun went off and the race started on time. I decided to start from the back of the pack and wanted to do 12 minute miles. That wasn't happening... My first mile was completed at a 10:55 pace and I was still falling behind. This was a pretty fast field. So, there was no choice but to try to hold on. It normally takes me a mile to a mile and a half to warm up and after that I was in a pretty good groove.
A friend of mine on Daily Mile was doing the race too and she stated that this course had a few rolling hills. Now, the website stated that it was a flat course... Thanks to my friend on Daily Mile, I was prepared. There were some hills in this race. I took a GU around mile 3.5, but I didn't feel any kick or jolt. I just felt like I could continue the pace I was running.
Around mile 4, I was looking to pick my pace up a little. The race was getting short. I needed to make some moves. I noticed that I was steadily in a mental battle. I wanted to stop running and walk, but my mind kept saying that I've done 6.2 miles many times before. I'm learning that these races really test what we're made of. The easy option is always to stop, but the test comes in pushing one's self past what they think is their limitations.
I kept going and it seemed like the course would never end as it winded through this quiet middle class neighborhood. I came up on the final aid station and one of the volunteers I saw at a previous aid station was chanting "Come on green! Come on Green!" I was wearing a lime green shirt in the race. This support seemed to put me back in check, mentally and my determination to finish rose. There was a guy in a blue shirt in front of me and I said to myself, "You can get him, you can get him". Slowly but surely I gained on him.
After finally catching up with him, it seemed like forever before I could pass him. We were running about the same pace and I was trying to push ahead. I finally get past him on a turn, but I can hear him not far behind me. His cadence was in my head and I couldn't get it out. I decided to focus on the woman in front of me, who had been about 50 yards ahead of me all race long. I remember noticing her odd running form earlier in the race... Well, I wanted to pick her off too.
My mind was telling my legs to go faster, but it seemed like my legs were moving at their own pace. I tried pumping my arms but, that didn't work either. I don't know what was going on. Eventually, the distance between us began to dwindle down and I don't know whether she was getting tired or I was in a full press forward... What I do know is that the finish line just seemed to pop up out of nowhere.
This was it!! The final stretch of this race!! All the folks who had finished before me, were waiting at the finish line. This was an awesome feeling. As I'm getting closer, I feel strong all of a sudden. A wave of energy just comes over me and there's new life in my legs. My lungs are burning, my legs are burning, my arms are tired, but none of that seems to have an effect.
I finally got past the lady with the odd running form and its all downhill from there (figuratively speaking). The finish line is getting closer, the race is almost over and I hear someone chant "Push! Push! Push!" That's all I needed. I was already saying that word in my head and the person in the crowd just vocalized it. I'm coming through, I'm almost done... FINISH!!
I crossed the finish line. I wanted to check my time on the race clock, but totally forgot to do it while I was crossing. I went over to get my after race snacks and there was a great assortment of foods and treats.
Smoothie King, Chik-Fil-A (I will do this race again next year, just for this!), Brusters Ice Cream, bagels, orange slices, and more!! This race did not disappoint on the post-race food. After eating, I went to check my time and I finished in 1:07:38. This is my first 10k, but the fastest time I've ever run this distance. So, I was pretty happy about that. I was number 198 out of 239 total runners, which I'm ok with. I got what I wanted to get out of it, which was the experience and a documented 10k race time.
As I enjoyed my meal, I enjoyed the atmosphere. Pictures, laughs and memories were all around me. I decided at that moment, that I would come back and do this race again.
As we were waiting for the awards ceremony to start, I overheard an older guy telling a story about his neighbor. He was saying how runners tend to look like they're in pain, when they are running. I chuckled to myself, because I know exactly what he meant.
He continued to say that his neighbor had been running for about 20 years. One day, he saw him running while driving past him in his car. He said that his neighbor looked like he was in so much agony, he asked him if he wanted a ride. The neighbor yelled NO! The older guy said that he didn't know whether he offended him by asking him if he wanted a ride, but he looked like he was in so much pain...
I love this sport, but sometimes, I consciously think about the faces I've made while running. If someone who doesn't run or wants to start running and saw me at times, they'd probably say "...forget it. I'm not doing that."
If you look at some runners, while they are running, their demeanor may not sell you on how wonderful running can be. But, talk to some of us after a good run and you may not be able to get us to shut up about the joy of running.
Well, after watching the awards ceremony, I walked back to my car to head home. Overall, this was a great race!! I enjoyed this experience immensely and look forward to doing it again. I'll tell others about it and hope to bring them with me next year. Great job Crofton Kiwanis/Team Surlis Team!! Keep up the great work!! See you next year!!
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