Thursday, July 16, 2009

I may be crazy, but I know I am commited

So this is how my evening went:
Last night I registered for this 5 mile race in Boston. I was drawn by the charity of the event and the gorgeous, FLAT OCEAN course, there are few flat courses in NE, so I jumped on this!!!
I asked my husband who can never dictate the time he is home to request to be let out early. He did. At 3pm I started the panicked pages, are you done, when will you be done??? No good responses.
At 3:40 desperately page babysitter, can you come? Yes she could.
At 5:20 to Husband when will you be home? No answer.
At 5:21 Leave four kids with babysitter off racing into Boston at rush hour traffic.
RACE STARTS AT 6:30
Immediately I realize I have to Pee, not good.
6:00 enter 93 South tunnel in Boston, stopped in deadlocked traffic.
STILL HAVE TO PEE.
6:15 make the exit and take the wrong *&%(*^(*)*&)&( turn
6:25 at traffic light waiting to take the right turn.
6:26 take the right turn and park.
6:26 sprinting across busy road to get my number wiping away tears of frustration.
6:27 grab my number and run to potty.
6:29 sprinting to start line
6:30 the race starts with me there still wiping away tears.

Am I nuts??? Or just really getting into this, not many people would drive into the heart of the storm, BOSTON Rush hour traffic to go run 5 miles. SO I must either A. be nuts or B. Be really commited and getting into this.

I choose B. I finished the race in 1 hour and 9 minutes and discovered the challenge of running into a headwind for 2.5 miles.

I discovered another thing. I like races. Why you might ask ok, well picture yourself on an average training day. You know you have to run lets say five miles today. You head out alone and start the battle of the run alone, work through the pain alone, maybe you have water, maybe you don't, you might want to stop after a few miles, but that is you alone deciding that.

Ok, now let's compare that experience to a race. You have to pay a small fee to enter, but hey you have been meaning to make a charitable donation right? You get a cool number and instead of running alone are surrounded by other people who also are doing the same thing, you are not alone. If they can do it you can too!! You have people cheering you on along your run, clapping for you, applauding you, when you are thirsty there are people handing you water. You get scared, there are police there to protect you. You are worried about that strange ache in your knee, there is a first aid person at the end of your run waiting to take care of you. And congrats for doing your training here is a nice t shirt for your hard work and some yummy fruit and water and snacks.


HMMMM train alone or do a race you decide which experience is more motivating for you???

I know what I like now, I have become a spoiled runner in training and I like it!!!!!


10K 's here I come!!!!!!

1 comment:

  1. Awesome job, and way to make it happen with four kids, we have three and I know how that goes, it isn't easy.

    The races are definitely helpful in my opinion, they keep you motivated.

    I am also nominating you for best blog title in the All Ears Running Team!

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