Beckley 5K Race Report

Beckley Half Marathon - 5K Race Oct. 2, 2010

Woke up this morning and although I was highly depressed and didn't want to get out of bed because I was SUPPOSE to be doing a Half Marathon, I got up and did the 5K and went out to support my husband in his venture into his first Half.

I haven't run since Friday, been sick, to the doctor (blood work, the whole nine yards), and been depressed and stressed since I found out I couldn't run.  Well I got my clothes on, butt in the truck and didn't even care that I forgot my Garmin...it was only 3 MILES!  I got a little better attitude when I saw the other racers, but still felt like a goober because I was in the group with a bunch of runners and walkers and then had to stand on the sideline for the Half Marathoners to start.  Ugh!  Torture!  Well we lined up 5 minutes after the racers of the Half took off.  I was in the front because I felt like it and didn't want to be playing tag getting around walkers.  I stayed toward the front as the race began, but inevitably there's always the group that starts off sprinting and they, of course, passed me.  About 200 yards into the race the fact that it was 37 degrees started catching up with me.  I COULDN'T MOVE!  It was awful!  I couldn't get my legs to go any faster than a jog, literally! It was weird.  I thought that feeling would wear off and it did NOT!  I got a teensy bit looser by about mile 2, but still felt bad.  I felt a little better about the fact that I was now passing the "starting line sprinters" by the 10's, but  I was at about mile 2 1/4 and this thug-kid wouldn't let me pass him, seriously, the little sh&# was swerving and looking back to make sure I couldn't!  You almost got to see a 32 year old woman knock out a 15 year old kid (Mike says I should have kicked his shoe to throw his pace, LOL!)!  Little booger needs to learn some racing rules.  Oh! He was also spitting....if that had hit me I'd have probably spanked him!   So I got to 1/4 mile out (knee hurting, body still recovering from being sick) and decided I wouldn't sprint. The finish was downhill and I was NOT going to do that to my knee, so I said "so be it" and just paced myself into the finish...this cost me the 1st place in my age group title.

Moral of the story is...don't suck.   I don't know what's wrong with my knee, why I was sick, and why I can't find motivation under any of the rocks I'm flipping over.  I wasn't into this race today.  I can't believe I've dignified this with a blog, but I need to remember these.  I need to learn from them.  I need to figure out what the heck is wrong with my knee.

My pitiful, non-PR stat was 25:33 for a 5K.  Ugh!