I am the tortoise (race report)

This morning was the Tim Brownlow Memorial Run in Arcata. It was supposed to be a one-time event last year, but those in the running community decided to make it an annual event (yay!) and have set up a scholarship fund using money raised from the race. Pretty cool!

I woke up at 7:30 a.m., not feeling particularly inspired to run. I have been in a low point regarding my running lately, spurred on by illness and stress from summer school. But I had already paid my $20 and I didn't want to waste the opportunity, so I dragged my tired butt out of the house at 8. I left Garmin behind because I didn't want him putting pressure on me to perform well. I had absolutely no thoughts of running well or feeling good while doing it.

Like usual, I got there entirely too early, but that was OK. After picking up my T-shirt and race bib, I sat in the truck and relaxed while listening to music. It was nice to just sit and be. Of course, I did have physio stuff running through my head because we have a test tomorrow.

People started showing up in droves around 9:15 (the race started at 10) and I felt better. I think about the same number of people showed up this year as last. It was a very good turnout for this area. It was a festive crowd, and it kinda sucked that I went solo and didn't know anyone there. I am too shy to just strike up a convo with someone I don't know, so I listened to my iPod and stretched.

It was finally time to line up, and soon after we were off! The course was exactly the same as last year, starting in the Arcata Ballpark and then heading off to nearby streets. This year, I was mentally prepared for all the hills (and man, it IS hilly!!!). I have this method where I pretty much glom onto someone who is running a smidge faster than I normally would and follow them as long as I can. It seems to work pretty well, as it gives me something to think about other than the hill we're climbing at the time. I stuck to my rabbits for more than half the distance before they started pulling away.

The run itself felt pretty good despite the hills. About halfway through, I noticed there were these guys in their late-30s who were leapfrogging me. They had stopped to walk, I ran past, and then a little while later they ran past me only to stop again and walk. This kept up for a while, and about 1/2 mile from the finish I ran past them again. One of the guys said "I wish I could do what she's doing (I was the only girl around at that time). I wish I could run the whole thing." LOL! I ended up beating one of those guys (the others sprinted past me after walking again) and I thought slow and steady really is the way to go for me. It's like they're the hares and I'm the tortoise, and I almost beat all of them with my slow, methodical plodding.

Since I didn't have Garmin, I had to wait a while to see what my official time was. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw my time: 32:48. I took 10 seconds off my time from last year! Yeah!!! For a girl who had really low expectations, I'd say I did pretty well! I'm not sure how many people finished before me, but I think I finished higher in the standings than last year. It still wasn't a PR, but I didn't expect one with all those darn hills.

Today's stats:
Distance: 5K (3.1 miles)
Time: 32:48
Pace: 10:33 minute/mile (yay! Maybe I'm coming back into things after all!)