Yes, I love running. There are some days where I don't like running. I feel like running away from running. Running to the kitchen to eat because I'm bored - but know I don't want to run.
But most of the time, I love running. If I wake up with a knee or hip tweak, I'm bummed. If I see it's raining out, I'm bummed. Worse of all, if I sleep in and realize that at 7:30 am it's already 75 degrees and sunny out, I'm bummed.
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| When the sun's out - time to be lazy |
But this morning, rain or shine - I was ready to take on this 5K. This is my second race of 2017.
I don't race for medals, or the bragging rights, or because I have nothing better to do at 6 am on Saturdays or Sundays. The real race is against myself, seeing if I can better a PR, test out a new technique, a new nutrition plan. Being out there with other runners, finding out what their backgrounds and stories are, is what it's mostly about.
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| Different people exploring the same trail |
I show up to Long Beach Marina Park - close to 7 am, to pick up my bib number. Parking's open and easy, as long as you don't choose the streets. There are runners doing their warm ups, high knees, sudden sprints. They look serious. Then you have runners who are clearly in it for the fun and social reasons, dressed up in costumes - but who knows, they could be speedily legit. Remember the guy who ran a half marathon in a full suit? A new record was set for that recently. To each his own.
What I like about the company who organizes these races, A Better World Running, is that they keep their races relatively small (under 400 people total for all the race lengths), they are about personal goal achievement, and they keep their entry fees lower than the average. That's because they do away with the t-shirts. I checked my closet and I have plenty of race tees I hardly ever wear. I recommend checking out their races, as they put on a several a month. You do get a finisher medal, and the usual race swag of samples. Plus I like how they allow you to pick up your bib on race morning, rather than the day before. Some of us live outside the area, so it saves us that extra trip.
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| Next to the Start/Finish line. Low key, diverse, and organized! |
A few minutes before race time, they announced the course, how it was marked, and what to expect. There were no corrals or pacers. Just a few simple words, and we were off.
Running along the beach on the cement path was refreshing! It had rained the night before, giving the air this crispness that my lungs desperately needed, not even 1 mile in. My pace wasn't outstanding, and certainly not my fastest - but I pushed on and tried to enjoy the run. I was glad to see the turn around mark, and knew I was half way there. Usually my tactic is to run each mile a few seconds faster, but by mile 2.5 I felt myself dialing back a bit. A quick snapshot of my holiday glutton and parties flashed in my mind, but now was certainly not the time to dwell on all the less-than-ideal foods consumed, and how much more couch contact time I'd had. I focused on my breathing exercise, and before I knew it, the finish line was in sight.
Goooo for it!! That's the thing about 5Ks, you have to go fast. Unlike half marathons, or even 10Ks, there's really no warm up mile, a pacing strategy of building up speed. Once you're off running in a 5K, you're running. Running as if the finish line were 100 m away.
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| An (unflattering) reminder of efforts during the final 100 yards |
When I crossed the finish line, the lady with the stopwatch was saying, "Okay, 1, 2.....and 3." She handed me a medal, then some volunteers handed me another medal (the finishers one). What?? Looking closely, turns out I also received an overall 2nd place finish for womens. WOW. Was not expecting that. All 3 top women finishers finished within 10 seconds of one another. In fact, all of us were surprised, and we took turns snapping pictures for one another. For the lady who won first, this was her first 5K. Awesome!
And that's what I loved about this race -- it welcomed people of all ages and abilities, and promotes running for the sake of running.
