Running for the birdies and close encounter with the Walking Lady

This year, my goal is to run 2 races every month. So far, I was able to do it. I started last March when I celebrated my 1st Running Anniversary. The Snowy Egret 5k at Scarborough is my 8th race for 2012 and my 2nd race for the month of May.

This is my first "trail race" for this year [and hoping to do more]. I didn't know it until I ran the race. It was a nice nonthreatening course. Though it was a little humid, the shady trail kept us cool.

The race is a replay of my Maine Mall 5k experience in terms of "running". I ran this race again when I was passed by an elderly lady about sixty-ish years old who was just walking the whole time.

 

Let me tell you about this amazing woman. I saw this woman probably more than 5 times already since I started running. She seems to be all over the place. LOL And each time that we ran, she would just be walking the entire 5k race. She walks with grace like a royalty. She walks in a choreographed rhythm as if she was walking on air. She is fast and unstoppable. She never shows tiredness. She is relaxed and poised.

The race course had a one long straight route where we turn around at a certain point. On my way back I saw her from a distance in her signature graceful brisk walking coming my way. I continued jogging while a woman kept passing me by just like the one at the Mall race. By that time I was already contemplating to do the trick I did before but not really sure if I really want to or not.

 

After about 5 minutes of not-stop steady jogging, I realized that the walking lady caught up with me and she was walking right beside me and started talking to me when an spectator said... "good job" to us. It was then I realized that I was really jogging slow or maybe she was really fast. Well, I wasn't really threatened by her until that Maine-Mall-part-2 woman caught up with me again. Just in time, I saw that I was already almost 500 feet from the finish line. So, I sped up agian... sprinted... and ran as fast as I could passing again a couple of people on my way to the finish line.

I clocked in 36:08 at 11:38 pace and placing 181st out of the 225 participants. At the finish line I finally got the chance to talk to this amazing woman and boy, she is one of the nicest people I ever met. She even gave me advice on race walking and told me that she would gladly coach me to race walk. Her name is Debbie.

I did RUN!

This race is very special to me for 2 reasons. 1. It was at the Maine Mall. [self-explanatory, lol] and 2. I ran! [needs explanation, wink]

Here's the thing. I always brag about my race. What's not to brag? I am so proud of it. As I have mentioned in my "The High-heeled Diva Page" I am not an athlete. I never ran when I was little and was always a loser in "tag-you're-it" games. I am also a self-confessed late bloomer in terms of running. And now that I am enjoying it - I am more than proud!

The Jimmy the Greek Maine Mall 5k for Lyme Disease is one of the most memorable races I had so far. It is the race that made me realized what I am capable of doing. It is the race that I had outdone myself in terms of my assumed physical limitation. And yes, I had to admit that - it is the only race that I actually "RUN"! Really, I ran because I would usually just jog and walk to the finish line.

Let me tell you a funny story. I came unprepared for the race to be honest with you. I just wanted to have some valid reason to be at the Mall. [wink] But kidding aside, I did hope that I would somehow break my PR but didn't have any plan of doing anything stu*id. I just told myself... "okay, let's try to jog the whole race without stopping even for a drink". I thought that would be a good idea... just get it done with and go shopping." So I started with a slow pace as my usual warm-up and then went onwards with my usual steady jogging pace. About half way around the race, a woman passed me and after about 20 yards, she started walking. I was okay with it, at first since I didn't have any plan of passing and outrunning anyone this time. I just wanted to get over it.


But within about a mile stretch that same woman would do the same thing over and over again. And over and over again I passed her too since she would be walking out of exhaustion after exerting all her effort to outrun me. At first I was thinking she maybe just doing an interval run. But then, I also thought, "why would I do an interval run when I am in a race?" Oh well, I just brushed the thought off and continued running. About 300 feet from the finish line I heard her footsteps again. This time, I was already irritated so when she was about a foot away from me, I sped up. I sprinted to the finish line passing 3 people ahead of me. I ran as far as I could without looking back. I crossed the finish line breaking my last PR by almost 3 minutes. I clocked in 34:57 at 11:21 pace. I placed 202th out of the 244 participants and yes... she ate my dust!

Oh boy, the crowd went crazy when they saw me speeding up and passing 3 people. They were cheering and it felt so good.

See my big smile after I sped up to the finish line, passing 3 people ahead of me and outrunning that woman who ate my dust? LOL

Yes, I ran, this time. And maybe, I would be running too [since I realized that I can really run] in all the future races I will be joining in. After all it is a running race, isn't it? How cool is that?

I walked the WALK

I was actually planning to sign up to "run" for the Mary's Walk and Kerrymen Pub 5k Road Race. But when I was about to register I changed my mind. Yes, I chickened out. I was afraid that I might not be able to complete the race. I was afraid that I will be the last one to cross the finish line and get laughed at. And I was afraid that I am not really ready to run since I don't have much practice.

So I signed up for the "2.5 walk" and I was happy. So I thought.

[Taken before the Walk and while waiting for the Runners to pass by.]

I was there by the side of the road together with hundreds of "walkers/cheerers/supporters" cheering on the runners. For some reasons, I wasn't happy and felt bad. I was sad because I felt a hint of envy running down my veins. And I felt bad because I was jealous of the runners.

I should have ran. And with that... I went home with a heavy heart. I drove home and went online and searched for any running events here in Maine. I found one, and in a heartbeat, I signed up.

I will be running my very first 5k on Sunday, the 27th of March.

It all started with a WALK

I am not a runner nor a walker. The only course I am willing to walk is the - Mall. But then even that gave me cramps and calluses.

Then come modern technology where I could go shopping without leaving my bedroom and in my jammies. Online shopping is the best!

But one fine day, something unexpected happened. I decided to work-out. Though not really seriously at first. I just went to the gym because I got free membership. As a Staff of YMCA it is one of the perks. Hey, who doesn't like freebies? But then, it didn't last long. I believe I spent more time in the shower than in the treadmill. And oftentimes, when I was about to work-out, I would meet someone I know in the lobby and next thing I know, it was already time to go back to work. So on and off, I went with my work-up.

October of last year [2010] I finally committed myself to really work-out seriously. I enrolled in a fitness center about 2 miles away from where I work and viola, I enjoyed it. I don't miss class because I paid for the membership so I might as well get my money's worth. wink*

Fast sprinting to 2011, the Mary's Walk came and I signed up to support RSU 57. After that event, I signed up for my very first 5k and I started training.

 I started running... seriously.