It's Just Abbey

Yesterday was another exciting adventure in running. I attended the Couch Potato 5K in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Let me just be clear and say it was hot, humid and generally unpleasant outside. Humidity is my kryptonite. I can run in heat, cold, ice, wind and rain with little issue. Humidity makes me all sticky and hate life. Blech. Yesterdays humidity was at 90% before the race. Everyone seemed really glad that it didn’t rain. Those people are insane.

So I went to this race solo so no action shots yet. If they post any race photos I will come back to edit the post.

So! I ventured off to my old stomping ground with spirits high. I got there and managed to not only bring everything I needed but also not get lost on my way there. I know, I am as shocked as you are. I bounced into the community center, got all my stuff and started my prerace jogging and stretching. And since this was my old college town I downed a few margarita energy gels. Can I get a hell yeah?!

Let me take this moment to fill you in on a recurring dream I had been having since my last race. It involves me having super long legs and running like a gazelle. Swift, long strides with perfect form and zooming around a race track. This was an awesome dream until the dream started evolving into me in a race with a very snide girl who went out of her way to beat me and mock my running style. This was an upsetting look into my subconscious. I have no idea what that dream meant or if it has ANYTHING to do with my race but I felt like now was a good time to tell someone about it. You’re welcome. Anyone know a therapist? Let me know.

Back to the real race, stood at the start line with the other 500+ people and was feeling strong. I had a great breakfast, my stomach was idling mercifully well and I was perfectly hydrated. The gun sounded and we were off!

I was feeling stupidly confident after my awesome race last week. I had resolved that that race wasn’t too short and I was just faster than a speeding bullet. Wrong! The course in Findlay was short and my confidence was a tad out of place. Don’t get me wrong, I am awesome. I’m just not THAT awesome.

Yet.

My first mile I set a pace I couldn’t keep and reality and the humidity started setting in. I pulled back a touch and tried to stay positive. I checked my vitals at the 1.5 mile mark.

Stomach: Normal
Ponytail: Still surprisingly stationary
Hydration: Dwindling
Face: Dumping buckets of sweat like a man with a hole in his canoe
Legs: Going strong
Lungs: Gasping though the muggy weather but still functioning

My whole body felt like it weighed 400 pounds with the humidity weighing down. I kept pushing staying confident because even though I felt like I was trudging through a marsh, I was still keeping a decent pace.

Enter the part of the race where I determine that I hate running and eating my legs would be a better use of the muscles. New safer hobby: Stamp collecting.

I raced by the water stop being run by some adorable small children. I grabbed and ran. I have no idea how to run and drink. I know this. I KNEW THIS! But I threw the cup towards my mouth and caught what I could. While my shirt caught most of it I did manage to hack and wheeze a few ounces down. I bounded on.

Final mile: I was slowing down again. Damn it. I really need to learn to taper better.

I came around the final bend trying to push the last bit out. When I did I heard the cutest thing ever. A guy and girl were running side by side:

Girl: You can go finish.
Guy: No. I’m going to finish with you.

I don’t know, but at that moment, it made me smile.

I saw the finish and sprinted with all I had left. I overcame one guy and then crossed the finish line. I felt awesome. That’s just the way races go right? No matter how the race goes, the best part is crossing that finial line. I was handed a popsicle stick with my place number on and someone patted me on the back. Then two boys handed me my Finisher’s Ribbon. Yay!

27:42.

Okay, so not my best race but far, far from my worst. It was still a great time for me and clear I my training is improving. It is also clear that my last race wasn’t measured right.

So I grabbed some food and sat around to not win anything in the raffle. Stupid raffles… No official results posting yet but I am pretty sure I came in fourth in my age group. Another yay!

I need to work on holding a pace because I just… cant. I RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN then I fade back into a normal pace. I also need to work on my form. I bought myself some swanky new Vibram Five Fingers. From my non-running readers, in the simplest terms, they are a glove for your feet to give you the barefoot running experience. I have so far put 4 miles on them and can I say one thing? Damn my legs hurt. I was hobbling around today much to the amusement of Hoppie.

News: I am unofficially training for 2 marathons now at the request of Phedre. We are looking to do a few races over the summer and perhaps a marathon in Dayton sometime in September then turn around with the marathon on October. Insane? Maybe not for some people. Probably for me though. Will I do it? Oh silly readers. You know me better than that to ask a question like that. Of course!

We also may be running one in a tutu. Details later.

Now if you don’t mind, I am going to soak my feet and drink a beer.