It's Just Abbey

What did I do this weekend? Well, let me tell you! I raced!

I had been planning a 5K race in Tiffin (10/24/09) for a little while. Then I discovered the Nike 10K Human Race. They were doing a race in Columbus at OSU’s campus at 7:30pm on Friday the night before. What to do? What to do?!

Both. Duh.

Nike 10K Human Race

I loaded my car up and did a road trip down to Columbus. It was raining a lot so packed extra clothes and towels. Those would prove useful. I also randomly picked up a GPS. What can I say? I am a gadget junkie!

I got there safely and quickly. I got a parking spot right between the start and finish line. Around here we call that rock star parking. I went straight to packet pickup and nabbed my shirt. Then I wandered around OSU for the day blending in with the locals. It was kind of rainy but nothing a hoodie couldn’t shield me from. Grabbed some coffee and carbs periodically because I had to stay as energized as possible! Pumpkin spice lattes. ::drool::

Race time came around and I changed into race clothes in my car since I didn’t feel like abandoning my parking spot or hauling a big bag around looking for a bathroom. I had to have the shirt on the outside of my clothing since the shirt itself was the bib number. Debated wearing a hat and ultimately decided my hat was a must have. Go Chiefs? Inhaled some Sports Beans and headed to the start.

There were TONS of people. Everyone in red shirts and really excited! It was intoxicating. Bunch of rowdy college kids just shouting and wooting. And let’s not forget the “O-H!” followed by “I-O!!”

The race started and we were off!

And like it was scripted, the rain just POURED! It came down in sheets as soon as we started. Everyone freaked out and started protecting iPods and headphones. We were expecting rain, but not the Great Flood! But me, I happen to love the rain. I shot my arms out to the sides and looked up into the rain to soak my face. I’m a weirdo like that. It’s moments like that a person lives for. Then, out of nowhere… It wasn’t even 3 minutes and the rain just stopped. It was crazy. Everyone was screaming and puddle splashing. It was chaos for the first kilometer. I ran and ran. Tried hard to find a pace and I did pretty well. I found my center/zen/happy place and just ran.

Hilarious things I heard on the run:

“This is just like the Naked Mile! Except its 6 miles and we are in clothes!”

“WHAT AM I DOING? I GET WINDED WALKING UP STAIRS TO CLASS!”

“O-H!” “Shut up!” (It did get old. Fast.)

I don’t have much exciting news to report honestly. I pushed myself pretty hard and didn’t hurt too bad. I was feeling amazing the whole race. The only thing I found odd was that my Nike+ wasn’t lining up with the mile markers. I wasn’t sure if I should be worried so I just kept running and ignored it. The timer on my iPod worked so that’s all that mattered.

I did try to run through the water stops. Meaning, I didn’t stop running to drink from a cup of water. First lap I did awesome. Second lap… well, I didn’t break stride as I choked on water! Progress!

I came around the corner, and I saw the beginnings of the finish area. And then the voice in my head just shouted, “Uh Abbey, if you haven’t yet, you should probably think about dropping the hammer!”

So I dropped it. Right there.

I came across the finish line and hit STOP. I threw my devil horned hands into the air and whooped. I looked down at my iPod.

54:57.

No, wait, what? I asked the girl who finished near me she had a similar time and a correct reading of a 10K. Mine read 9.2K. Holy crap! I am the fastest person ALIVE! Someone handed me a glowstick necklace and I raced to my phone to call everyone I knew. I was just hoping to finish around 1 hour. I did way better than I intended. Being my first 10K race ever, I will say I am pleased with the outcome. I got into the car and drove home. I had another race in 12 hours. I wore the glow stick around my neck the whole way home. I got a few odd looks on the highway. I got home, showered, and curled into bed. I tell you what, late night races make it hard to sleep.

Heidelberg University Homecoming 5K

I woke up early and was a bit tight but not sore. Ate some oatmeal and out the door I went!

Okay, so this race was a little less intense. Maybe 30 people. Maybe. Lined up in the freezing cold weather and with a scream of a siren we were off! My legs were not too pleased but they carried on. I flew solo without my iPod. It was an experiment. Was my iPod helping or hurting? It was clear last night that it needed recalibrated and there was no way I had time to do it between then and now! I had a harder time finding my pace. A steady baseline kind of helps but no worries, I found a pace. I passed quite a few people which was new to me and made me feel pretty decent. I made sure I was a good sport and didn’t laugh like a crazy person every time I cruised by someone.

I ran and ran looking for mile markers but they didn’t have any. They said that there were but the people that were standing around didn’t specify if they were there to block traffic (which they did a poor job of) or to tell us a new mile. It was bothersome but I carried on. I mean, it’s Tiffin. I wasn’t expecting much.

Our turnaround was though a graveyard. Okay, not gonna lie. That was weird. Running makes me feel so alive. Running through a graveyard… well that was just unsettling. I picked up the pace a bit just to get out of there. I didn’t have the energy to let morbid thoughts plague my run. (Although to secret hope of a zombie invasion did sneak into my brain…) Somewhere around mile 2 my shoe came untied. Rookie mistake! Stopped to tie it and double knotted the other just to be careful. I headed to the finish.

My gas tank was clearly on E. I was running on fumes. The finish line was on a track and I gave it all I had left to make it all the way around. I haven’t run on a track since the 8th grade. Yet another weird feeling. I crossed the finish just in time. My legs wouldn’t go another step. I grabbed some water and waited in the cold with my boyfriend and my dad so get the results. I won a shirt in the raffle and found my time.

28:22.

Not bad for two races in 12 hours. My 5K PR is 28:00 so I got close, but no cigar. Not that I care. I raced a 10K in 54:57! That’s the best feeling in the world!

So I am thinking about a Garmin 305. My Nike+ doesn’t like my inability to keep a steady pace for an entire race. I’ve tried recalibrating it a few times but nothing. It worked out swell when I was starting out but I think it is time to move on to a new tracking system and data management. Another new gadget. Seriously, I need help. Probably the licensed therapist kind!

I feel amazing. I love racing. While I may not do two races back to back again, I love the high and the atmosphere. Big or small, every race is awesome. My legs complained all through Sunday and for some reason my right bicep was killing me. Not sure how I managed that… If I run super hard and I pull an arm muscle, I may be doing something wrong. Ha.

I am trying to talk myself out of running the Toledo Marathon again as a redemption run but my constant progress really makes me want to try again. Maybe I will, but only if I can qualify for Boston. Meaning, I’ll probably race Toledo in, oh, 2015!