Thanksgiving 4-Miler

Ready to Roll!

I signed up to run a race on Thanksgiving. A perfect way to start the day and to burn enough calories to enjoy the huge meal I would be consuming later and I'm always happy to add another bib to my collection! I really had no expectations for my time but hoped to see some improvement. I've been feeling some pain in my left foot/ankle so I wasn't sure how it would hold up.

I was more calm before this race and we piled the kids into the van and stopped for donuts on the way. I'm glad we didn't rush because the line for PRE-registered runners was waaaaaay too long. I knew the organization would be more relaxed than at other races but this was ridiculous. Four outhouses for the entire race (close to 1000 people) and no one even knew where the start line was! It was a mob but I ended up running into a few girls I played softball and basketball with growing up...after talking over the finer points of their Garmin watches (I WANT one!) they started the race 20 minutes late. I felt good from the beginning and tried to find a spot and set my pace among the masses. I hit the one mile mark and heard my Nike App voice say a time with a 7 at the start of it...whaaaaaaa? I almost choked! I was running super fast even with a sore ankle! I kept going and saw my hubby and kiddos a little on down the path. High fives all around! Seeing my peeps always gives me a surge of energy.

The bike path was pretty congested and the turn around spot was a joke...AND the two-mile water station promised never materialized....whaaaaaat? Not cool! But I made the best of it and kept truckin....saw my babies one more time on my way back and was feeling speedy (for me)! I came around to the finish stretch and was stoked to see the time clock. I finished at 30:25...a great time for me. I love this thing I have rediscovered and can't get enough!!!
Ready for the next race :)

Race Virgin---well, sort of...

I was a little intimidated by the race experience. I ran one race years ago with a friend. It must have been a 5K and it may have been in high school. I really can't remember the details (clearly) but I'm sure I loved it, I'm a sucker for starting and finishing something and then 'checking it off my list'. 

So, feeling a little unsure about what to expect on the day of the HALF, I decided to sign up for a local 5K. The race was in April and I had been 'training' since January. I ran the 3.1 miles the Sunday before to check my speed and endurance. That run felt great so I was more concerned about learning the routines and procedures of running a competitive race.

It was quite an adventure for the whole family. I was so nervous and as my husband will attest to, I am NOT fun to be around when I am feeling out of my element or if I don't know what I am supposed to do. I figured it out fairly quickly though. Show up early, pin your number on, warm-up, and then run. Oh, and make sure to use the bathroom a few times before you head to the starting line. I definitely felt out of place with all of the runners in their uber-cool gear and special gadgets. I looked like a softball player and I was totally stressed about what I was supposed to do with the tab at the bottom of my bib number. Leave it on or tear it off? Such important questions!!! I figured it out and settled in to let the adrenaline take over.

So, with my hubby and three kids in the cozy car, I headed to the start line to give it my best shot. It was pretty chilly (for Santa Barbara) and windy too. I wasn't sure what to do about my sweatshirt and how to deal with the hordes of people. Basically, they told us to start and I moved along with the group.  I was feeling pretty good and decided I liked how it felt to 'pick people off' as I kept a solid pace. The course was very smooth and along the beach. Perfection. I held tough the whole way and was happy to see the water station at mile 2. It was an out and back course so I knew it would be a good finish. I tend to push myself hard at the end of a race and found some speed to finish with a time of 26:51...it felt amazing, especially seeing my family and unexpected friends at the finish line! What a rush! I was hooked...and no longer a virgin ;)

P.S. We left the race festivities pretty quickly because my three lovely children were tired, freezing, and whiny...surprise, surprise! I guess they didn't get the memo that this was "MAMA TIME". Needless to say, we didn't stay for awards but when I checked the posted times later, it turned out that I had PLACED SECOND in my age group!!! WHAT??!!? Cray-Cray! I think all the fast runners had signed up for the ten-miler that day, LOL.

Moral of the Story: DO NOT let the whiny little ones take you away from the experience of a race day.
I have made sure to stay as long as I want at every race since that first one and my kids are starting to get used to the program...they are my biggest fans :)
Minda sent me the cute photo email later that day, see what I mean about my kids? Lovely...