Tales from the Back of the Pack

I am officially a bad blogger! I'm like that person who gets a Christmas gift and doesn't send a thank you card til next Thanksgiving. Of course Miss Manners says better late than never - so here goes.

Last time we met, I was in training for the Bass Pro half-marathon and excited that I had completed a 10 mile training "run." (I seriously feel dirty when I try to classify what I'm doing as running). I was all on track to have an SR (slowest race) as opposed to a PR by a good 20 minutes and I was working on being ok with that. Then we started to have Gremlin troubles during my taper period. Our friendly little dude had suddenly turned into Mr. Separation Anxiety and tended to cry - a lot - when left without his parents. My trip with him to Illinois to visit my family a week and a half before the race sealed my fate. The little dude flipped out any time I left the room, even with Grammy K who is the family member that has babysat for him the most. I realized that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to leave him and his screaming self with my own Grandma in Missouri so that hubby and I could race. Despite her age of 87, she is most capable and would have been happy to help out, but I would have had a hard time concentrating on my race. So the decision was made that I would bow out and instead be mobile course support for Bryan on his quest to complete his first marathon.

To say I was bummed is an understatement. I'm pretty sure the phrase, "stupid baby" was uttered on more than one occasion. I was worried that some might perceive it as an excuse to not race or that I was being weak, but you can ask Bryan - it was a real disappointment. This whole putting your kids before yourself is new to me and there are times when it really blows.

Anyway, I decided that we would make the best of it. I enjoy crewing for races and thought it would be fun to drive all over Springfield, MO trying to catch Bryan along the course. We checked the race map (which was absolutely horrendous) and tried to plan a strategy. I was going to carry extra gels and pretzels for him so that he wouldn't have to be so loaded down with gear from the start. I had the good digital SLR so I also wanted to grab some pics along the way. As a bonus, some other Hot Legs were going to be running the half, so I hoped to cheer for them as well.

The week of the race, I was looking over the race website and suddenly realized Hey!!! They are having a 5/10K race on Saturday!!!
Maybe I can do that instead??
The site indicated that race changes would not be a problem and to handle it at the Expo.
Woo Hoo!! I can still race!!! Sure, it's not what I trained for, but I haven't done a 10K in 2 years so this could be fun!!

On Friday, we arrived at the Bass Pro Headquarters in Springfield, MO. Let me just say that if you are remotely into hunting or the outdoors, you MUST visit this store if you are ever in the area. It is the flagship store and it is HUGE!! They currently are undergoing some renovations, but it is still impressive. The Gremlin loved their giant fish tank, and terrarium with turtles. I loved their huge selection of outdoor clothing from Columbia, North Face and the likes, and both me and the hubby enjoyed the camping, guns and assorted crap that we really don't need. Like the giant overstuffed camouflage massaging recliners ... wouldn't they go with any decor?

Bryan got his packet and I went to registration to grab my packet and explain my dilemma.

Yes, I'm registered for the half-marathon. Can I change to the 10K?
No, I don't want to pay $35 to register for the 10K, I just want to transfer my registration from the half-marathon to the 10k.

There was definite confusion on how to accomplish it, but everyone from the store was very friendly in trying to help me out. I was sent to Customer Service to get a "refund" of my half registration fees. They asked, "do you have a receipt??"
Umm, no but I have this race packet with race bib and tshirt.
I kept explaining that I didn't want a refund of my race fees (which were $50), I just wanted to get into the 10K race and not pay again.
They apologized, "well all we can do is give you a Bass Pro store credit for the $15" (the difference in what I had paid and the current 10K price).
Ummm, sure?
I honestly wasn't expecting any money back, that's unheard of in the racing world. I just wanted to race and not pay a second time. Thanks Bass Pro!!

So off I went to return my cool technical half-marathon shirt, and exchange it for the generic technical shirt they gave out for the 5/10K. Nice New Balance shirts but ridiculously oversized. Luckily I was able to snag a small.

New race bib in hand and I was ready!! Saturday morning was beautiful fall weather with temps around 42 degrees at the start which is prefect running weather in my book. I had originally planned on racing in the awesome running dress that Bryan gave me for my birthday, but it will have to wait. It's not worthy of showcasing in a 10K in my opinion. Instead I went with shorts, my Hot Legs short sleeved shirt, Pearl Izumi arm warmers and cute Skirt Sports vest. The race started in front of the store and there were several hundred participants. I really didn't have a specific strategy other than to do some combo of a 3:2, either run 3 minutes/walk 2 minutes, or walk 3 minutes/run 2 minutes depending on how I felt.

As usual I started out really fast, it's hard to not get caught up in the crowd. After the mile mark, the 5K split off and it was obvious that the vast majority of the participants were going that distance. Very suddenly I was completely on my own which is a common phenomenon when you are a back of the pack kind of gal. I did NOT wear headphones or carry an iPod on since I am opposed to racing with them. It's a safety issue (especially since parts of the course had traffic sneaking onto the roads) and I think you miss out on the race experience. I decided to just enjoy the run and the people I encountered along the way.

Not too long after the split, a runner came up behind and passed me. As he passed he patted me on the shoulder and said, "looking good! Have fun!" Hmmm who was that slightly older runner in camouflage?? Oh, it's Frank Shorter, 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist and featured speaker at the weekend's events. Thanks Frank!!

For the rest of the race, I was on my own except for the consistent leap-frogging with two gals ahead of me and one older woman behind me. On my run portions I would pass the two girls, then they would pass me once I started walking. The woman behind me was doing a walk/run as well and she would do the same to me during her run portions. Everyone was very friendly and we laughed about how consistent all of our pacing was.

The course left the road just before 2 miles and headed onto the Galloway Trail. I had assumed that the trail would be a nice surface like asphalt but it was concrete - YUCK! Basically the same as running on sidewalks which is not good for my legs. The trail portion was also an out and back so when you're the back of the pack, it gives you a chance to see ALL of the fast people in front of you! The winner (who is from Central AR and seen at our local events) was heading off the trail and to the finish just as I entered it. Of course, once you hit the turnaround, it also lets you see just how few people are still behind you.

Most of the race was uneventful. I switched up between running 3 minutes or 2 minutes based on my heartrate and how I left. In general,I was going faster than my normal 15 minute training pace which felt good!! I had originally planned a 1:30 finish, but knew that I could definitely beat that which made me feel great.

Around mile 4, my feet started to kill me! The same thing had happened at about mile 7 in my 10 mile training run, the balls of my feet just felt almost broken. It wasn't excruciating, but definitely uncomfortable. My shoes were pretty new, so I chalk it up to not enough time on the road in recent months, and likely the extra concrete on this particular course.

The last two miles were off the trail and through a neighborhood, parts of it with gentle uphills. I really didn't think much of it, but Bryan said they looked like mountains when he was 25 miles into his marathon and running the same course at the finish :) My heart rate was starting to get pretty high towards the end, but I was really wanting to push as much as possible. I did a 2 minute run, 2 minute walk the last mile and a half, and tried to walk as fast as possible while avoiding the dreaded side stitch. The best part was that before mile 5, I left my leap-froggers behind and then passed 3 more people before the finish!! It wasn't much of a kick, but it was something!! The race finished inside the store which was an interesting thing to do. I felt really good and though it was a slow 10k, 1 hour 19 minutes , it was much faster than I expected. Yeah me!!

The best part was having my husband and adorable Gremlin right there at the end cheering for me!! As I walked to the refreshment area which was awesomely stocked with muffins, scones, fresh fruit, ice cream bars, fountain soda, coffee and tea, I saw the three folks I had paced with for much of the race come towards the finish. I had gained a couple of minutes on them which was quite surprising.

My feet felt better later that day, so I think I just need to be more consistent in running often during the week. When the official results came out, I was definitely back of the pack, but it was still an accomplishment. I'm getting faster even if it is in a painfully slow fashion, and despite my initial disappointment in cancelling my half, I did get to race and to enjoy the fun of the Bass Pro Outdoor Fitness Festival.

Overall Time = 1:19:08
Pace = 12:46
Age Group Place (Female 35-39)= 11/12
Overall Place = 148/164

Next up, the Little Rock Half-Marathon 3/7/10. I was originally thinking of the full, but I would rather focus on getting back up to speed in the half distance. I'm not expecting to PR, but I'd love to do a 2:45. Can I do it? Never say never!

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Find out about the three weekend Bass Pro Outdoor Fitness Festival here