Last night turned out to be a perfect night for the Torchlight Run. I joined several friends in this event and we all had a great time.
I was extremely anxious about this race due to the fact that I hadn't run at all since a race in early June. Having the kiddo's home all day has really put a damper on getting in the miles. Of course I could always wake up before the crack of dawn to run (yeah right!) or go in the evening after they go to bed (yeah right!) but my preferred running time of day is mid morning and it just hasn't been happening. I set my goal for this run to just finish without walking.
In the beginning I kept pace with my friend Ms. G. It was a bit frustrating because we started near the end of the pack of participants so we spent a good deal of time having to weave in and out, trying to get around the slower participants. That was really annoying and I think my time would have been significantly better had we not had to do this (I've never run in a race with 5000 participants before - lesson learned: get up near the front at all costs before the race starts).
Just before the halfway mark (my turn around point, Ms. G went on to do the 8K) I broke ahead of my friend and felt surprisingly good. My body felt loose and nicely warmed up and my feet felt fantastic, which was wonderful considering I haven't ran barefoot in over 6 weeks (I am paying for it a bit today, but not nearly as much as I had expected).
At the halfway turn things really got nice as the crowd of runners were significantly dispersed and it was much easier to maneuver around them. I generally stuck to the inside and even enjoyed jumping a few orange lane cones. I could feel the excitement of the run within myself. I really loved being out there and was cruising past everyone. There were a few people who tried to challenge me a bit but I had no problem increasing my tempo and the gap between us.
Toward the very end (last 1/2 mile) the air was semi-stagnant and I could feel a blister on my big toe forming. I looked over to my left and spotted another friend, Ms. S, cruising out of the tunnel that the 8K'ers route took them through. She looked great, we greeted each other and then she quickly passed me (I can't wait to see how she did for her overall time and within her age division - she's a quick one!). It was perfect timing, she inspired me keep it up and finish strong; just what I needed right then. Overall at this point I was still surprised at how good I felt and at how I was easily running several minutes faster than my normal pace despite the mild foot discomfort and no soothing breeze.
Just before the final turn a woman, who I had passed earlier, made a break to go around me. It took me by surprise and as she passed my old sprinting mentality/competitiveness kicked in. At this point I could hear one of the race volunteers encouraging us to take the turn "nice and wide" and I literally though, "Screw you. That is so stupid." I hit the corner hard and on the narrow inside and booked it to the end (easily passing the other woman before the turn). It wasn't my fastest sprint but it was solid and surprised me that I had that much energy left after not having trained in so long.
I don't know my final time, due to my timing chip falling off near the start of the run, but I know it was better than the race in June which really surprised me because I felt that race the entire time (running with a friend at a pace faster than I normally run) and this time I just felt great the whole way. I've emailed the race people to see if they can work a miracle on my behalf and figure out my time based on my bib number but I won't hold my breath.
Upon reflection I realized that my conditioning (what little I had) is all due to ultimate frisbee. AH and I started playing it every Thursday night with friends earlier this summer. I guess that 90 minutes of running even one day a week did pay off for me in the end. Imagine what I could do if I trained seriously?
