Day 262...Small Victories

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear...an amazing thing, really, considering we were in the process of growing fins and building an ark in the back yard to escape all the recent rains we've been deluged with. It promised to be a beautiful day, and that was a very good thing....for me, at least.
This past week, Elizabethton celebrated their 40th Covered Bridge Festival, and it was to culminate in several events on Saturday morning, including a 3K Fun Walk, and a 5K run. My wonderful, supportive M-I-L brought this to my attention last week by presenting me with a clipped newspaper ad she had saved for me, just in case I might be interested in running.
This, I thought, might be just what the proverbial doctor ordered...a 'practice' run, if you will, to help me prep for the mighty Peachtree Road Race 10K a mere 4 weeks from now.

For those of you who do not know, it has been a Bucket List item of mine for many years now to run the Peachtree, which takes place every year on the 4th of July in Atlanta. It has grown from a little 110-entry race back in 1970 to the world's largest 10K, now at a maximum capacity of 55,000 entries, with people fighting and clawing for a coveted spot each year. Every year for the past...oh, probably 20...years, I have said that next year, I was going to run it. And every Fourth of July found me saying the same thing....next year. Problem was, next year never seemed to get here. I began this year with a different goal in mind....February 26th, 2010, the day Alan comes home. No more excuses why I can't get in shape, can't get healthy. February's coming, whether I'm ready or not. And I must be ready. What better motivation than to put myself into a situation from which there was no return? So with that in mind, I started running, and threw my hat into the ring on that fateful Entry Sunday back in March, knowing as I did, that if I managed to secure a spot, there was no turning back....I HAD to be on that starting line in July, ready or not. No choice but to be ready. And since then, I have made sure that everyone knew I had lost my mind and entered this race (for accountability's sake) and trained like crazy every freakin' day.

With this in mind, I was up early at 5 am, to eat, dress, and head downtown to enter this local race, thinking it would be good practice for the Peachtree. I felt good, nothing aching much except my left hip, which has been giving me a lot of grief here lately, but I had taken some Ibuprofen, and felt pretty good despite the mild discomfort I was still feeling. After registration, I had about an hour to kill before the start of the race, so I turned on the tunes and started a warm-up run to stretch out my muscles. Nothing too strenuous (not that any of my runs are), just enough to get past that feeling that I'm laboring too hard, which normally takes up the first 1/2 mile or so of any run I have. I wasn't really worried about making it to the finish line, after all it was only a 5K (3.1 miles), and I routinely run at least that far pretty much every day.

About 15 minutes into my warm-up, I felt my hip go crunch. Can't explain it any better than that. There was no pain, just the uncomfortable feeling that something clearly wasn't right, and a wobbly feeling that hadn't been there before. Still, since I wasn't hurting, I finished my run...taking it very easy...and made sure I stretched well before heading to the start line.

As the other runners made their way to the line, I found myself about a third of the way back, and surrounded by men and women of all ages, who to a person had the typical runner's physique...long, lithe, and muscular. And then there was me. The only one of those three that fit me was the long part. Otherwise, there ain't nothin' lithe or muscular about me....yet. (But it's coming...don't you worry!) I stood there, trying not to think of how out of place I was, and the next thing I knew, the guy up front was telling us to stay to the right as we came across the covered bridge at the end, and make sure if we had to throw up, to hang our head off the road....(was that right he said...or left?) Holy cow...I forgot what he said the second he said it. And then, we were off...just like that. Running down E. Elk Ave., which is our Main St., heading for the highway. Right away, I could tell the adrenaline rush had hit me, because the pack did not pull away immediately, but by the time we got to the bottom of the hill, I was blowing hard, and knew I'd been running way too fast. So, even though I knew what was about to happen, I let up and watched the pack pass me by.

Can I just stop here for a moment and say for the record how demoralizing it is to watch over 100 people pass you like you were standing still?

Anyway, by the time I had reached the highway, I had pretty much recovered my breath, and rounded the corner at a good pace, readying myself for the long slow uphill grade I was facing. Breath good....water good....everything in sync. I felt like Claire taking stock of her internal inventory.

Then I felt my hip go crunch again. That scared me.

I slowed up momentarily, expecting pain to explode through my left side, but it never materialized. My nerves jangled for a few seconds, and the discomfort was still there, along with the wobbly-ness, but no pain. Shaken up, to say the least, I warred with myself whether I should continue or not, as this seemed like the perfect cop-out if I should decide to take it. Just like I'd always done before.

Nope. Not this time. I didn't care where I finished, as long as I did. Onward and upward I slogged, deciding that if and when I felt pain, I would stop. Fortunately, I never had to stop. For a while I overtook a lady in front of me who had slowed to a walk, but she started running again, and passed me. My biggest concern was not coming in dead last....I wanted to beat the turtle, not be the turtle. Any spot other than dead last would mean a victory for me. So I risked a glance over my shoulder, and saw several others falling way behind me. I can't tell you what that did for me.

Rounding the far turn, I got a better look, and even though I was overtaken by one other, no one else was close enough to challenge me at that point and I knew it. I was home free...as long as my hip held out. For most of the trip back, I ran in an isolated pocket. The main group was far ahead, and the turtles were far behind, so I was left as I usually am....running alone. That suited me fine. I was able to buckle down and concentrate on my rhythm, and that helped a lot.

I can't tell you what a great feeling it was to round that final turn and see the covered bridge in front of me...the finish line. The closer I got, the faster and stronger I ran. And finished my first race, fast and strong...just the way I had envisioned. My final time....42:27. Granny slow by anyone's standards, but mine. And my spot....#160 in a field of 176. Not bad for a 46 year old overweight grandmother with a gimpy hip.

I now have a 5K personal best to beat in my next race. And the adrenaline rush in the beginning was nothing compared to the one I felt when I came across that bridge at the end, knowing that I had finished what I had started. Did it help me prep for the Peachtree? You bet...because now I know that I can finish. But more than that, it helped me prep for the rest of my life...and the best is yet to come.