For some reason in the past year I have picked up running both as a hobby and as a lifestyle. I used to run all the time in the Army and while I did enjoy it some it's not something that I would say that I would do on my free time. I tried to run a few years ago but my knees hurt too much. In the past year though I've not only been able to run without serious injury, I've actually enjoyed it. I've been able to enter some 5k races, placing in my age group and even did well in a 10k. I've had a guy at work talk about a half-marathon for a while now (almost 6 months). I kept saying that there was no way I could do that, that's just too far. That doesn't sound like fun. That's not even a possibility. Well, over the past few months I kept increasing my distance runs on Saturday mornings and felt confident enough to give it a shot. I had considered the Publix Marathon/Half-marathon in Atlanta but decided against it for a few reasons. It was expensive. I'd have to go to Atlanta and even spend the night there, which would not be fun at all. It also fell on the same weekend that our church was having our missions conference that I didn't want to miss. All of those factors led me to a small "Easter Bunny" race in Clemson, SC. It was less than half the price of the Georgia Marathon, a whole lot less runners (under 200 in the half-marathon), and it included a 5k run/walk that Stephanie and Katelyn could participate in followed by an egg hunt. On top of that we could stay at the In-laws house in Toccoa and drive up early the next day. Justin stayed at a friends house that night or he would have participated as well. This seemed like a great fit for our family.
After visiting with Stephanie's parents the evening before, I was very glad we hadn't driven to Atlanta. We were up early the next morning and on our way. Traffic wasn't a big deal at all and we were there with plenty of time to spare to pick up our race packets. Again, I'm glad we didn't go to Atlanta. Can you tell I don't like driving to Atlanta? This was the first race that Katelyn participated in. We weren't sure how she was going to do, but figured the egg hunt afterward would be some good motivation. The half-marathon started first, and then the 5k kicked off soon afterward.
I was surrounded by runners with gps watches and heart monitors. Many also had belt "fanny packs" with water and energy beans/gel. I thought "ok, I thought ok, even with all that, they still have to run though right?". My goal was to maintain a good pace and finish the race. I had never ran over 10 miles and this one was 13.1 miles. I had followed a training program that had you build up to 10 miles till a week or two before the race, then back down your mileage to conserve energy and allow your body to rest. I had also planned to walk for about 20 seconds or so at each water station. The weather was great, a slight chill in the air, perfect running conditions.
After a bumpy start because there were different paces of those in front and behind me, we spread ourselves out. I had figured out early on that my key to doing well was to find some runners to keep a good pace with. I would need those who would challenge me, but not kill me. Fortunately, I was able to do that throughout the race. At times I would pick someone with a little faster pace, sometimes a little slower. We ran through downtown Clemson, along Lake Hartwell, through Clemson University and back to the finish line. At the finish line there was someone in a Dunkin Doughnut costume giving the finishers a high-five. I was happy to finish and gave him the high-five, mainly beacuse I didn't want to be 'that guy' who didnt. :)
My time was 1 hour 42 minutes, well ahead of my goal of 2 hours. I had no idea how the last 3.1 miles would go, but I knew in training that around 10 miles it got kinda rough. My hip started hurting some around 11 miles, but I knew I was close to the finish so it didn't both me that much. I ended up in 4th place in my age group. I didn't get any awards but was very pleased with the finish. Actually, I was pleased just to finish.
Not long after I crossed the line, Katelyn ran up to me and said "Daddy, we won". Stephanie told Katelyn that everyone wins who finished the 5k and in a way, she's right. I'm not going to say where they finished, but I will say that they weren't last. :)
At the bottom are some pics of us before the race. The only thing that I didn't like was having to be around all those Clemson fans, yuck!
We have another 5k race tomorrow in Winder that all of us are participating in. It's a Chick-fila race full of kids activities and I'm sure, their cow mascot. Maybe I'll be able to give him a high-five. I can only hope. :)
God is so good to our family. We're able to do things together and enjoy each others company. These races are only a small part of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment