December 20, 2008 - 10:00 AM
Chatfield State Park, Littleton, CO
The sun was bright and the air temperature a crisp seventeen degrees. I headed toward Chatfield Reservoir to participate in the first of the Winter Distance Running Series Race titled “Rudolph’s Revenge”.
Participants had an option to choose the 5K distance of 3.1 miles or the 10K distance of 6.2 miles. My goal for today was to complete the 5K distance in 45 min at a 15 min mile (15mm) pace.
As I drove down into the park and headed toward the swim beach, where race registration began, I was over come with a wave of nervousness and anxiety. It had been several years and close to seventy pounds since I had truly attempted to run.
Many questions raced through my mind…
What am I doing here?
Can I do this?
What if I take too long?
…the internal challenge of my race began.
What am I doing here?
Can I do this?
What if I take too long?
…the internal challenge of my race began.
My eyes filled with tears as I tried to sort through the many feelings that surfaced…
…the feelings of inadequacy and “not-enough-ness”…
…the judgments and criticism’s of my long lapse in training and weight loss efforts…
I tried to soften my words and be gentle with my thoughts about myself…
So through tear filled eyes I went to pick up my race number and timing chip... retreating to the warmth of my car to spare myself from the cold weather until we started.
…the feelings of inadequacy and “not-enough-ness”…
…the judgments and criticism’s of my long lapse in training and weight loss efforts…
I tried to soften my words and be gentle with my thoughts about myself…
So through tear filled eyes I went to pick up my race number and timing chip... retreating to the warmth of my car to spare myself from the cold weather until we started.
I declined the “safety pins” they offered me in favor of using my race belt to hold my number. I strapped my timing chip around my left ankle.
I wore two watches…
1. My trusty Polar which gives me an accurate readout of my heart rate
2. My Garmin Wrist GPS to track my distance and “real time” mile pace.
I managed to smile for a pre-race photo and I wanted to warm up for five minutes before race start to give my heart rate a chance to prepare for the three mile run that lies ahead. So, out of the car and into the cold I went.
The paved roads were mostly dry with some patches of clear ice. I trotted carefully during my warm up watching my heart rate rise gently. -- Once I felt prepared to start, I filed in at the end of the line.
While I barely heard the “Start Race” signal, I followed the pack of runners that slowly started to move forward. Starting from the back of the pack it took some time to reach the “start line”. In some races this lag time is accounted for, but I don’t think it will be subtracted from my total race time today.
So off I went… glancing at my Garmin GPS system to check my mile pace… 13:20 mm… 12:30 mm… 15:15 mm ... the Garmin read out danced all over the place… eventually I stabilized the display my pace around 14:30 mm. That was realistic for me.
1. My trusty Polar which gives me an accurate readout of my heart rate
2. My Garmin Wrist GPS to track my distance and “real time” mile pace.
I managed to smile for a pre-race photo and I wanted to warm up for five minutes before race start to give my heart rate a chance to prepare for the three mile run that lies ahead. So, out of the car and into the cold I went.The paved roads were mostly dry with some patches of clear ice. I trotted carefully during my warm up watching my heart rate rise gently. -- Once I felt prepared to start, I filed in at the end of the line.
While I barely heard the “Start Race” signal, I followed the pack of runners that slowly started to move forward. Starting from the back of the pack it took some time to reach the “start line”. In some races this lag time is accounted for, but I don’t think it will be subtracted from my total race time today.
So off I went… glancing at my Garmin GPS system to check my mile pace… 13:20 mm… 12:30 mm… 15:15 mm ... the Garmin read out danced all over the place… eventually I stabilized the display my pace around 14:30 mm. That was realistic for me.
When I race, I play games with myself to pass the time… I pick someone in front of me and I 
think of ways to catch them. I run faster if they stop to walk… I match their stride and cadence… and I celebrate silently if I manage to accomplish my goal. I did this for mile one… secretly chasing a man that was in front of me… we ended up “leap frogging” with each other until mile two when he ran out of steam and I continued on.
The race was relatively flat with an occasional rise and fall. I enjoyed the moderate climbs and intermittent descents. The 10K racers continued onward while the 5K racers were able to turn around.
The course was an “out and back” that formed a very neat oval as our trail looped back just parallel to the first half of our travels.
The lead runners of each race were already headed toward the finish line. I shuffled along minding my Garmin mile pace read outs...
think of ways to catch them. I run faster if they stop to walk… I match their stride and cadence… and I celebrate silently if I manage to accomplish my goal. I did this for mile one… secretly chasing a man that was in front of me… we ended up “leap frogging” with each other until mile two when he ran out of steam and I continued on.The race was relatively flat with an occasional rise and fall. I enjoyed the moderate climbs and intermittent descents. The 10K racers continued onward while the 5K racers were able to turn around.
The course was an “out and back” that formed a very neat oval as our trail looped back just parallel to the first half of our travels.
The lead runners of each race were already headed toward the finish line. I shuffled along minding my Garmin mile pace read outs...
...one step closer to my fitness goals...
...one step closer to winning my mental battle...
...and one step closer to the finish line!
Mile 1… 2… 2.5… I was almost “home”… my legs felt heavy… like they wanted to stop. This was the second time that I had attempted to run continuously for more than two miles… I was sure I could finish… “just keep moving” I thought to myself.
Finally I rounded the bend and I could see the finish line! Volunteers were cheering us on… I picked up the pace for my “vanity sprint”… running gracefully across the timing mat!!
“All Done!” I thought to myself… you’re first 5K!
In all the excitement I had forgotten to start my Polar watch, so I didn’t get my “actual” split.
My recorded results are as follows:
Time: 45:34
Mile Pace: 14:42
My goal was to run less than 15 mm and my pace shows at 14:42, so in spite of my time being more than 45 min, I think I accomplished my mile pace goal!
This race was a physical and emotional milestone indeed…
…I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in it…
…grateful to have overcome those initial challenges…
….and grateful to have completed my first 5K!!
Big Fun in the Sun… Swim, Bike, and today, RUN!!!!!!!
