Milestones and Benchmarks

Originally, my plan called for a the 500 Festival 15k this month.  Unfortunately, I was sick that weekend and couldn’t race, despite how much I wanted to make it to the 15k this year.

I wasn’t feeling well the night before, took some medicine in hopes of feeling better, but was doubled over the next morning after trying to get ready for the race and it was clear I wasn’t going to make it happen.  I was really bummed.

So, I had to find a new April race.  Work had gotten pretty crazy and that coupled with being sick landed me with almost 2 weeks of no workouts at all thanks to working nearly every waking hour to get ready for Opening Night.  It was hard enough to find time to eat and sleep, there was no time at all for working out. So, I knew I needed to wait until we got through our first homestand to pick up a race.

That led me to this past weekend to choose a race.  I contemplated picking up the 8k in Carmel, but changed my mind after a really tough long run this past Wednesday.  As soon as I was reminded the Race for the Cure was on Saturday, there was no doubt that’s the one I needed to run this month.

Race for the Cure was the first 5k I ever ran, as a sophomore in high school.  I ran it with my high school softball team.  We ran it again the next year.  I remember a few things about running those races, but most of all I remember the pride I felt when they were over.  Without running those races in high school, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to start running last year.

So, I picked up the race this year, forgetting a little bit about how unlike any other race this is.  It’s unlike any other race because, for better or worse, it’s not typically runners.  That means a lot of really excited newbies and just a few crankies (of all ages… there was a 15 year old who could use a lesson in manners).  It meant tripping over walkers we lined up at the front, and mix-ups in timing tags and non-timing tags.

But, more inspiring, it meant seeing thousands and thousands of people walking for a common cause, for individuals and for themselves.

This year’s race was another milestone and another benchmark.

The last time I ran a 5k the entire way through was in high school, for the Race for the Cure.  This weekend, I ran the entire thing all the way through again.  It wasn’t the fastest 5k I’ve ever ran, in fact last month was quicker.   What it was, was a mental breakthrough.  I broke through the mental wall that I couldn’t keep running – that my body wasn’t capable of just running, that I had to take walk breaks.  Instead, I just kept running.

And, I can’t think of a better race to have broken through that wall.

April Race
3.1 Miles
11:46 pace
36:31 total time