10K, 5K, 1 MILE, DONE!

(Pretty cool to have your race start with a rifle blast! That's what we get for running in the National Military Park!)

This morning was my first running race since college. It's been over 15 years, I kid you not. And as I woke up early, ate, drank some coffee, stretched, jumped around, pulled the kids out of bed and fed them, and managed to get us all to the event well before the start time, I still had that old familiar feeling of anxiety. The difference was that rather than worrying about winning the race, this time I was just worried about finishing it. My how things have changed!

By the time my toes hit the starting line though, my adrenaline was pumping and I was ready to go! (I'd have to ask my friends, but I might have even crossed the line to annoyingly peppy...) I grabbed one last good luck kiss from Jay and the kids, smiled through gritted teeth, and took off with Cari, Sophie, and Sandy. There were plenty of others I knew in the group (Al, Jim, Kristy, Dave), but I knew I wouldn't be seeing them again until the finish line.

The race went well. The first couple of miles felt great and my first mile came in at 10:32. I finished the upper loop without needing to walk (even up the monster Louisiana Hill, which actually felt fine for once!), but needed a break as we entered the south loop, just as the first 3 male 10k runners were coming out and heading down the final half mile or so to the finish line. They were flying! I ended up walking short stretches of 3 other hills, was at 53:00 even at the 5-mile mark, then had a bit of a panic attack right before we exited the park and headed for the finish chute. I was SO nervous! I'm sure I looked crazy at the end (see picture below to judge for yourself), but I ran with everything I had left to hit that finish line. (That's Cari directly in front of me, keeping me moving!)

My official time was 1:05:51, giving me an overall pace of 10:36/mile. Since my main goal was to simply finish the race, with a loose goal of getting 12:00 miles or less, I was REALLY happy with my results. And while I don't care what place I got (this time, anyway!), for the record, I was #274 out of 347 total runners.
Thank goodness Cari stayed with me throughout the race, coaching me through the hills and the weird sternum cramp I got, reminding me to stand up tall and BREATHE, and pushing me through to the end. I am so thankful for her! And for Sophie and Mike for training with me. And for my BBC friend Victoria who was my main inspiration and motivation to pick up running again. And of course for Jay, without whom I never could have gotten back into the habit of training, due to his encouragement and helping me make time to run each week.

Jay walked hard and fast in his race and placed 3rd in his age group (placing 114 out of 381)! All while pushing that giant stroller (around 95 lbs of kids and gear) and fighting the wind (which makes the giant stroller feel like a sail). He had lots of fellow walkers (and race officials, volunteers, and police officers on the course) encourage him and marvel at how well he was doing during the race. He felt good (no knee issues, thank you very much Vibram FiveFingers!), and the kids were REALLY well behaved throughout the 43:13 minutes that they were on the course (and before and after as well - we were really proud of them)! He walked with Christina and Alex, each pushing their own giant stroller.

Then is was time for me to stand tall and proud with Cora while Jay ran alongside James in his 1-mile fun run. Little man ran about 2/3 of the race, with Jay carrying him for 1/3 of it (up the hill, and when he complained that his leg hurt - possibly a cramp?), and finished with a time of 13:12 (67th place out of 73)! Right before the end, he spotted me crouched near the finish line with my camera, snapping photos, and he ran over to give me a big hug. I had to tell him to go back to Daddy and finish the race. He's such a little sweetie!

(Will, Manu, and James, right before their race)

After James' race, we headed up the hill to the awards ceremony and beer/snack fest. The kids had a great time running around and expending the last of their energy before naptime.

Cora even shocked us all (and maybe made a few of our friends jealous) by connecting with Sandy's friend Jenny. You know how she doesn't normally go to people she doesn't know? And even those she does know, if she hasn't seen them recently, she'll be really shy? Well, apparently Jenny had the magic touch, since she had Cora in fits of giggles for the longest time!

Of course, James being his usual sweet self, asked me if "I can hold Mr. Mike?" (meaning, could Mike hold him). I think he liked being up super tall, able to see over the crowd!

This was Jay's first race EVER, and he got the coolest trophy (it has a canon on it)! It is currently holding a well deserved place of honor in the center of our mantel. I'm SO proud of you Jaybird!

(Yes, Cora was already asleep by this point. We had just left the award ceremony and were headed to the car. James wasn't sleeping, just squinting against the wind though).

So how do I feel? I've been back to running for 8 weeks now. I've lost 5 lbs and gained (I think) a good bit of muscle. My belt buckle cinches 2 notches tighter these days. My strength and stamina are increasing, and so is my confidence. I am really looking forward to the Warrior Dash next month, for the fun and excitement that I know it will bring. And the weekend before, which we just learned will be the date of the annual Run Through WES (a race held on station where we work). It will be a pi run (3.14 miles). In the meantime, I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing, with a goal of adding miles to one long run each weekend while I increase my pace. I think 2012 is going to be a very exciting year!