Running with friends

   I have a new running buddy. It makes me really think about the changes in my life. I have a friend who I spend time with by doing active things together. How awesome it that? Usually I just get together with my friends to eat things. A year ago, if any of my my friends suggested doing physical activity as a fun bonding thing I would have giggled at them. Its pretty fantastic to have another running friend, and she is slow like me too. She doesn't want to run faster than me. Everyone wants to run faster than me. It just proves it is meant to be. I love how life provides exactly what we need when we need it.

The Big Race

     Well, I finally did it. I toed the line in a big race and even managed to finish with a time I was proud of. It was the April Fool's Run on the Atlantic City boardwalk and it was a fantastic race. I was so nervous the night before I kept waking up like every 5 minutes to check my clock and see if I needed to get up yet. I ended up getting out of a bed about an hour before I needed to but I couldn't sleep anymore. I was just a squirming bundle of energy. I got to the check in about an hour before gun time and I was a bit chilly but I insisted on standing outside with the crowd just to take in all in. There were some crazy costumes including 2 guys dressed as Teletubbies. It was quite sad later in the race when I got passed by the purple Teletubby.

    I was running the 7k but there was also an 11K. They let the 11k runners start first, and then a few minutes later we got to join them. I guess there was about 700 people total. I didn't get to start running until about a minute after I crossed the start line because they funneled us trough a narrow area to start the timing chips. I have been training using the Galloway method with a 4:1 ratio, but decided I had way to much energy to take walk breaks that often, so I changed to a 10:1 ratio, and I am glad I did it. I really never did burn out, but was able to use the quick walk breaks at the water stops to gulp a few sips. I started off in the back of pack but surprisingly to me and my slow self I started passing people by a half mile in. I guess they went out way to fast and just couldn't maintain their pace. I have heard enough advice and managed not to fall into that trap too badly. It felt amazing to slowly start reeling people in and then pass them.

    I would say my biggest mistake of the whole race was about 3/4 of the way trough when the fastest 11k runners started passing me. I got confused why people were passing me and though I must have slowed down so I started running faster than I should have. I think I was pushing an 11 min/mile pace for a few minutes (which is way too fast for me). Finally I realized those were the winners and I really should try to keep up with them and fell back into my comfy pace until just about the end of the race. For those of you who know the area I took a one minute walk break just after the Hilton Hotel, so I could crank up the speed for the  finish line which was on front of Bally's. I got to see my husbands smiling face cheering me on which felt amazing.

     They had fantastic after race snacks. I had a big cup of Rita's water ice, a philly pretzel, and some water. They also had a beer garden for the runners and lots of people were enjoying that but they only had Bud light and I couldn't bring myself to drink a Bud at 11 in the morning, I can barely tolerate them at night. I really had such a fantastic time with this race and encourage every one of you reading this to try and train for a 5 or 7 K race. If you live near me I will even join you on your runs whenever you want. I promise you if you finish this you will feel like a King of Queen of the world, I still have that feeling.