This past Saturday, March 14th, I competed in the St Pats Day 5k in Mount Pleasant WI. This was my first race of 2015, and one i was not 100% prepared for. I have been battling a lot of inner demons the past few years, and they have really affected my training. I was not, and am not in my best shape right now. I am still battling knee problems and constantly have tight calves no matter how much i stretch, hydrate, foam roll, and wear compression sleeves. The month prior to the race, i got out and ran a total of 10 times. In the past, my training has been consistent, my meal times (yes i have an eating schedule) and food intake have been the same. Not so much this time. My training was weak and inconsistent, my meals were sporadic and hard to keep. My body was not ready to take on this race. My mental state was half-heartedly there.
The night before the race, i had an anxiety attack. I wanted to give up, not go, throw a tantrum fit for a two year old. I am very lucky i have such a loving and supportive boyfriend, who at times like that, deals with my shit. I am not an easy person to live with when im, for lack of a better term, "freaking out".
The morning of the race, i was in better spirits and had a smile on my face. I drank my morning coffee, picked music to jam out to on the drive down and felt ready. Once we got our bib numbers and checked in, my nerves started to hit. My hands were shaky and my mind was racing. I was observing every single person who was registering, looking for my competition. I do this with every race, i observe the crowd and size everyone up. I know, its judgmental, but i always pick out the winner before we start and know who i need to place myself near. The winner of this 5K happened to be a 13 year old. But, i looked at my boyfriend (oh yea- he and i ran this together) and said to him "That kid is the one to watch". I never fail when it comes to sizing up the winner. Runners have a body type, they have a stance, they have a look in their eyes that says "Ive come to win".
My boyfriend said to me before the race that i should just go run the way i wanted and that i shouldn't worry about him. I was fine with that, after all, i was there to win. I told him i wanted him to start at the front of the line with me though. I once made the mistake of not starting at the front, and that is one mistake that i will not repeat. When you get stuck in the back of the crowd and are there to race and not just for the fun that running can bring, you are screwed.
The gun went off, and i was off with it, and that 13 year old was off even faster. I was okay with that. I knew from the get go that I didn't want to chase him and ruin my race. Heading into the first mile I was running against the wind, but somehow it was my fastest mile. Unfortunately, i went out faster than someone who has weak training should. I completed my first mile in 6:34
At 1.5miles i started to feel my knees hurting and my mental state was going. I was losing my positive attitude and quite honestly was ready to throw in the towel and give up. There were 2 people in front of me. My boyfriend was the next person behind me. I slowed down and waited for him and thank God he was there. I wanted to stop and walk about 4 times the rest of the race and every time i did, he screamed encouragement at me. I wasn't allowed to give up, we could do this, don't walk. I would have not made it through the race if it weren't for him. My mind is a stubborn mind. When i want to stop, i stop. When i want my bottle of wine, i cry and scream til i get it. Its just the way i am. At about 2.8 miles (on the up slant of a hill) i stopped. I walked (for 3 feet- although it felt like 100) and we got passed by a gentleman. But once we rounded the corner and were at the 3 mile mark, my mind shifted back. I was almost done, it was time to kick it up a notch and finish hard. And finish hard we did! My time was not the best for me. No where near it, but I finished tied for 4th overall and 1st female. (so the race results say that im 5th-but my boyfriend is the name above me, and its the exact same time, so im saying we tied for 4th-either way i was 1st female and top 5). For not having been in my best mindset and for having not trained properly going into this race, im okay with how i finished. I came to win and win is what i did.
Now its been four days, and i have yet to get in another run, so excuse me while i go lace up and pound some pavement!!
Wishing you all happy running, and as always, #LiveForFitness
Place Time Pace Bib# Name, City Age Division/Place Sex/Place 1 18:36.5 5:59.4 334 TONATIOH CHAVEZ, KENOSHA 13 - / M10-15 1 / M 2 20:29.8 6:35.8 336 DAVID LA PERUGINI, KENOSHA 51 - / M50-54 2 / M 3 21:46.4 7:00.5 330 ROBERT SAUDLE, RACINE 39 - / M30-39 3 / M 4 21:52.9 7:02.6 951 Paul Sisler, Greendale 26 1 / M20-29 4 / M 5 21:52.9 7:02.6 918 Katelyn O'Neill, Greendale 29 - / F20-29 1 / F
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