On April 30 2011, I was participant #183 in the Country Roads 5K. In looking at the previous years results, I knew I wouldn't be anywhere near the front, but that didn't matter to me, I just wanted to be able to finish. My husband joined me on a whim, and he finished just behind me. My time was 46:21, it's not what anyone would call fast, but it's what I expected. 15:00 per mile is very good by my standards.
The course was very pleasant, very beautiful. The race was held at a winery between my childhood home and my school. Parts of it, I was very familiar with, but other parts were new to me, and indeed they were very beautiful. Green fields, trees, horses, water, flowers, and a beautiful blue sky. I hope to return to the route soon and take pictures and explore at a slower pace.
The following week, I continued my training program, but at some point The Voice, drifted into my thoughts.
"Why not try for 4 miles?"
And so I went on. And when 4 miles didn't feel so bad, I went 5. And then 5 didn't seem as terrible, so I went 6. And then, to be safe, I began cooling down.
"There's got to be a 10K coming up," The Voice told me as I stretched.
So I looked. And there was, in Lancaster, PA on May 7, 2011. Ironically, the Country Classic.
"But it's too soon." I told myself, I didn't want to injure myself and risk the ultimate goal.
I couldn't shake the urge to try the race, so after much hemming and hawing, I found myself in Washington Boro, PA on the morning of May 7th, bemused at the fact that I was #138. There were probably more than 500 people present, but most of them were there for the 5K. Around 150 people remained after the 5K start, ten minutes ahead of the 10K.
I nervously took my place at the back of the pack. And the air horn sounded. Unlike the 5K where many people walked, everyone ran, and while I'd been able to stay close to the pack in the 5K for a little while, in the 10K everyone was quickly out of reach. But I was okay with that, in looking at the results from years past, I expected the person ahead of me to be about 20 minutes away.
I reached the first mile in 15:04. A little slower than what I wanted, but I felt fine, . During Mile 2 I made up some ground thanks to all the downhill. Mile one to two was 14:20. After a small hill at mile 2.5, the big climb started near the halfway mark. A hill that climbed about 100 feet, not that big really, but I definitely felt it. From there it was fairly flat, though there were some longer, flatter hills. I was alone for the entire race, except for the truck that followed me as a precaution I guess.
As I ran towards the finish, I almost dreaded it. I was last, and I was embarrassed at being last. I hate making people wait for me, and finishing what I assumed was a distant last, in a race, is like the epitome of making people wait. I was also proud, I was finishing a 10K, I had run the entire thing. I tried to look at the clock to see what my time was, but it was gone. That struck me as odd, so I just glanced at my watch.
I was afraid I'd hear the announcer say something like "And here comes our final runner," which would have made me want to keep running until I got home again. But he didn't. I just heard bits of applause here or there.
When I did finish, I didn't know what my time would be, my watch read 1:36:06. I looked at my tag when they pinned it to the board, 1:35:46. My husband told me everyone (except him) thought the woman who finished in front of me around 1:25, had been last. This might have explained why, after about mile 4, I didn't see any more volunteers on the course, and why the cyclists for the next event started popping up. I also started seeing cars, though they may not have closed the roads for the race. And it also explained my quiet finishing experience and the disappearance of the clock.
I have to admit I was a little hurt. I hadn't wanted special recognition, but I felt almost forgotten, and perhaps that's because I kind of was. I prepared myself mentally to finish last, and not a close last, but a twenty minute or so last, because based on the previous year's results, and my training times, I knew where I would be. I even emailed the contact person to ensure that there was no time limit, and he had said as long as I finished within two hours, I would be fine.
I hadn't prepared to be whatever it was that you would call what I was. Forgotten seems too harsh. My handle of the English language is failing me, which is said since I was an English major.
The course was very scenic, except for a tiny bit that looped around what I think was a power plant or a water treatment plant.. Fields, green pastures, picturesque barns and farm houses, and plenty of horses. It reminded me quite a lot of another part of Pennsylvania where my great grandfather lived before he passed away. And although it was not as flat as I was accustomed to, I don't think it impacted my time too much. I was hoping to average 15:00 per mile or about 1:33:00.
After the race there was quite a lot to do or eat. The race was sponsored by Turkey Hill, so there were drinks, chips , fruit, hotdogs, and of course, ice cream. I ate an apple and drank two bottles of water. My husband and I walked around a bit and then went back to the car. I checked on the blisters from my new shoes, that hadn't quiet healed before the race. Most of them were fine, only one of them was bothering me.
I changed the band-aids and my shoes and we impetuously headed to Ronks, PA and the Strasburg Railroad. I was more sore than I had been after the 5K, but then after the 5K I felt no soreness at all. We didn't go into the Railroad Museum, $20.00 was a bit pricey for a spontaneous trip. We decided to go to Millers Smorgasbord for lunch. I was quite hungry, but still tried to eat sensibly, and slowly. The food was quite good. After a second spontaneous trip to see my in-laws for Mother's Day, and dinner with them, we finally headed home.
I hope to knock off those extra three minutes the next time I run a 5K, and I think I will after some more training and with a flatter course.
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