If It's Saturday, That Must Be the Finish Line (long)
So as we rolled into town about 7:00 Thursday night after 10 days on the road, essentially living out of our car, DH pointed out the illuminated sign advertising today's 5/10K race. "I thought I might," I said.
It was definitely going to be a "WTH" kind of a thing, since running had been hit and miss all summer, and real training basically nonexistent. But I hadn't had the energy yet to reassemble my bike, which meant I was going to be running today anyhow, and part of me wanted to know just how I could do under less than ideal conditions. Never mind this would be the third state I'd run in this week, the first time I'd done any kind of a workout in high humidity since August, and I was just bone tired from the travel, the whole family thing, and homesickness (yes already).
The 5K was timed but not scored. All the "real" runners were doing the 10K, which was also part of a local race series. I've been entertaining thoughts of doing a 10K this year, but not in the condition I'm in right now. I did sneak a look at the list of preregistrants in my age group, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't have a prayer of placing if I did enter the 10K. (I'd have hated to pass up a chance at a medal. :p) For my money I'd get a chip time, a T-shirt, and a personal challenge, so I signed up yesterday morning just before the preregistration deadline ($5 preregistration discount is $5! :cool:). I set my alarm for early-early, asked DH to air the tires in my commuter bike, woke up, ate breakfast, and rode the two and a half miles to the start.
As I warmed up, I was really sucking wind in the humid air. "This is going to hurt," I thought. At the start line, I saw a couple of people I knew, and chatted a little bit. Besides our next-door neighbors, they were the first to welcome me back to town. I commented about the humidity to one of them, and he said, "This isn't humid!" Maybe not for Florida, but when you've been running in 25% humidity for the last month, it was humid. Actually, once I got home, I call BS. According to the weather station at the airport three miles from the start line, the dewpoint was equal to the temperature - that means 100% humidity, right? :eek:
I set my watch to alarm if I went over an 8:30 pace for the first 2.1 miles, and did a pretty good job holding that. Adrenaline took over a couple of times, but overall it was just right. By the time I hit the final mile, I could only maintain the pace I'd started with. Without any real training, I didn't have enough left to really kick it in, but I could maintain the pace and picked it up a little bit for the final 300m.
Did I mention that all the real runners were doing the 10K? That left me to win the Master's division in the 5K. :cool: Fifth overall of 83 women at that distance. No medal, but I wouldn't have got one even if I'd been able to maintain the same pace over 10K... which I wouldn't have been able to. :p My time was a little off what I'd run in my first race last January, but I'm happy considering the conditions. I definitely didn't leave too much on the table as I did last time.
Now I've got that post-race high and I can't wait for the next one! But wait, I want to get back on the road bike and finish out those 3000 miles for the year. ;) Anyhow, it was a fun way to sync my aura up and remember where my body is now!
