Yeah, so it was a chilly start to the morning of the inaugural Harbor Lights 5k. I was expecting it to be cold, but not that cold. As they say, the show must go on, so I grabbed some extra layers to wear while I warmed up before the race and planned to run a fast race so hopefully I wouldn't notice the cold.
Ryan, the kids, and I got to Norfolk with plenty of time to spare. We walked around a little, went inside to get warm for a few minutes, and found some friendly faces along the way. The atmosphere was incredibly laid back and relaxed, and I ate it right up.
There was plenty of space to get the blood flowing, and this time I brought my headphones so I'd be in control of my get amped music. For the occasion, I chose Salt-n-Pepa radio on Pandora, and each song was better than the last.
Since all I wanted to do in this race was zooma zoom zoom zoom, Wreckx-N-Effect was right on queue. As start time approached and runners made their way to their corrals, I let Young MC's Bust a Move finish before heading over myself.
It had warmed up to a sweltering 28 degrees by race time, and there was an excited energy as I waited in the corral. This was the first ever Harbor Lights race, and it felt great to support J&A Racing in their newest endeavor. Bob got the crowd pumped and ready to go (although there was no love for Corral 1 from those behind us!), and off we went.
I had no strategy. I just wanted to run hard and then run harder. I am totally unfamiliar with downtown Norfolk, so the course was a mystery to me. I had looked over the course map prior to the race and knew it was full of turns, but I didn't know what to expect otherwise. I didn't realize we'd be running on cobblestone streets in spots (hey Norfolk, it's 2014...we have asphalt!!!), and it caught me a little off guard. I felt like I was cheating a little, but I hopped up onto the sidewalk with most of the other runners until we got through the treacherous terrain of the cobblestones. We came around to the water and right in front of the USS Wisconsin and Nauticus Museum*** before heading back up Waterside Drive and turning around to finish right along the water.
***A little side story about how Nauticus scarred me as a child - one time during a summer vacation to Virginia Beach, we were promised a trip to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. We drove all the way there from my aunt and uncle's house (an hour or so) only to find there was a bit of traffic getting off the exit for the park. My father decided Busch Gardens would be too crowded, turned around, and brought us to Nauticus (a naval museum) instead. Nothing against Nauticus, but it's not Busch Gardens! I digress...
Since there were so many turns on this course, I must've seen Ryan and the kids at least three different times. Seeing their frozen little faces made me want to run that much harder. Just past mile 2, I could feel my throat becoming a little constricted. I often experience this during a hard run, but it's usually as I'm running down the homestretch of my street, not with a full mile left to go. I allowed myself to back off ever so slightly so I could try to kick closer to the end. I was able to reel in and pass a few women I had my eyes on for most of the race, and by the last half mile, I was just trying to hold on. I came around a tight turn and knew the finish line was near, but my view was obstructed and I couldn't actually see it. I spotted Ryan again, and as I ran by him, he yelled "200 meters left...GO!!!"
Gotta love race pics that make you look like you're power walking. Or perhaps marching.
With the end now in sight and the sun at my back, I dialed it up a notch, focusing on my shadow in front of me in hopes of keeping my form in check. I crossed the finish line, breathlessly thanked the volunteer for my medal, then almost puked. Twice.
Yeah. That's never happened before. I thought I would just burp, but it ended up being more of a gag. And it didn't go unnoticed by one of the volunteers, who shooed me over to the other side of the barricade and away from the other finishers (but mostly himself, I think!). I caught my breath and got my shit under control, then jumped back into the chute to collect my snacks and finisher goodies. I finally looked down at my watch:
21:55
Yesssss. My only goal going into this race was to do better than the Race for Breath 5k earlier this month. I improved upon that time by 49 seconds and was more than pleased. My average pace was 7:04 (16 seconds/mile faster than Race for Breath), and I know with a little bit of hard work, I'll get that back down under 7 minutes before too long.
We stayed for chili, beer, and conversation with some friends we ran into (not literally), then made our way to the car. I checked the results on my phone once we got in the car, and here's the breakdown of my effort:
Much like almost puking after a race, there's a first time for everything - first Harbor Lights 5k, first time placing first in my age group in a J&A race! I think it was meant to be...the fonts J&A's graphic designer chose for this race logo were so Fancy:
I felt appropriately sore on Sunday, with the exception of this bizzarre big toe pain I've been having for the past week or so. It feels like a minor (yet mysterious) sprain and only hurts when I toe off, but it's changing my gait enough that I won't risk running on it until it feels significantly better. It's been steadily improving, and it has until Monday or Tuesday to be perfect because that's when training for the 2015 Shamrock Half Marathon kicks off!!! I've set a challenging goal for myself, and I am praying to the running gods that my body responds well to the gradual increase in mileage.
I'm excited and nervous about this new journey, and I hope I've learned enough from last year's marathon training and injury recovery to have a smart, successful training cycle.
BRING IT!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment