Woohoo! Flying Pig 10K Runner 21254 came in at 1:16:45 (unofficial time) 1:16:32 (official)!

Wow, what a morning! It was plenty cloudy and wet out, but the temperature was absolutely perfect! Nice day for a run, eh? Let’s start out with a check of my goals, then I’ll go into more race details.

Goals

• Finish - check!
• Run across both bridges - check!
• Finish in under 1:30:00 - check!

Yes, got them all! I was worried and anxious before the race, thinking I was in over my head, but once I got there and the shotgun went off, I plunged into the experience and just went. The results: I’ve run the most I’ve ever run in my life and did better than I could have expected. It feels good to know I could step up to the place and come out swinging on race day, though I had no precedent for what I was about to do. I came sooooo close to reaching my original time goal of 1:15, missing it by less than two minutes. I did not, however, reach my other original goal of running the first 5K. I stopped to walk twice. I did end up running 28 of the first 30 minutes, though, which isn’t too bad. Overall, I think I walked 13-14 minutes (definitely an area for improvement). In hindsight, if I had remembered where the water stops were, I would have walked less. At two points during the course when I was walking, I was getting ready to start running again, but saw a water stop and kept walking through it. Though I get on myself for taking walk breaks, I can at least say that I didn’t stop moving the whole time!

(In case anyone is curious, there was actually a strategic reason for setting a goal of running across both bridges. One was at the 5K mark and I knew I’d be tired by then and need some motivation to not stop. The other bridge was towards the end and I wanted the extra push to the end.)

My dismal training thus far this year became evident at the 3 mile mark when I felt something I hadn’t felt since my first 5K two years ago - chest pains. Thankfully, though I’m not a running expert by any stretch of the imagination, I have gained enough experience to work through the pain without stopping. I consciously took steady deep breaths, tried not to think about it and sure enough, the pain passed in a few minutes. Also, I was on a bridge at the time, so I kept thinking about my goal and the disappointment I would feel if I did stop to walk. Finished the race without having to deal with any of the dreaded stabbing pains again. Nice to get through that obstacle, and it did boost my spirits.

I have to say that I have even more respect for marathoners, but I’m also beginning to see how they can do it. You just get in the zone - much like when you’re driving and zone out, then wonder how you got from A to B. That happened to me today. I just got lost in thought and next thing I know I was at mile 4.

When I reached the 4 mile mark and saw the time at 48 minutes, I got pumped. Doing some quick math, I figured I was averaging a 12 minute mile. Two miles left meant about 24 more minutes - which would be under my original goal of 1:15! Talk about having an adrenaline rush and lifted spirits! Ultimately, the last two miles took longer than 12 minutes each, but the realization certainly did help me push through to the end.

Another area where lack of training showed was with my stride and pace. As I mentioned previously, I wanted to lengthen my stride while keeping my pace. I didn’t have enough training runs for this to become second nature, though. I did start with longer strides, but quickly regressed to what I’ve been doing and what I’m most comfortable with. A few times throughout the run, I realized I was “shuffling” along and changed up my stride, but eventually fell back to the shortened stride.

Climbing the uphill slope on the last bridge, I was fighting to keep moving. That’s when the crowd started to thicken and the cheering got louder - and I got my last boost. It’s amazing what the cheering can do for you, even if they’re all strangers. I sucked it up and surged forward, lengthening my stride, quickeding my pace and sprinting to the end. I was shocked that I had enough energy left to do this, but it felt absolutely awesome!

On a separate but related note - I had prayed the night before and this morning for the rain to stop during the run. I could live with it being cloudy and wet, but I knew being soaked to the bone would not help me. However, it continued to rain as I drove downtown and as everyone gathered at the starting line, so I resigned myself to a wet race. However, a few minutes into the race, it stopped! And it held off for the duration of the race! Praise the Lord! However, I didn’t think to thank Him at that time like I should have. It didn’t occur to me that I had an answered prayer until I was driving home and it started pouring again. Sad…I need to be more focused on my prayers and results.

Well, I’m certainly enjoying the runners high right now, but I think it’s about time for a nap. Overall, this was quite and experience and I learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of. Though I wasn’t really planning to go any more races this year, I just might reconsider that…