Goal: just race
Result: 19:15 for second female
I'm writing this post months after racing, so I'm hoping that I remember all details correctly. I've been working on staying aware during races and I'm much better than I used to be, but pain still fogs things up in my brain. I did this race as a way to bond and hang out with my Buckeye cross country girls. I didn't taper at all and just replaced my tempo run with this. This race was run during a 78 mile week in the midst of Akron marathon training. I was leary about returning to cross country. My last cross race was at GLIAC in October of 2004. It was a mud hole mess on the course and I ran somewhere in the low 25s for 6k. Yeah. Really slow. My fastest 5k that season was a low 20 for 11th in the open race at the All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan. My cross country pr is 19:20 (I think) on the Wisconsin-Parkside course from 2001. It is so hard not to recall these dreadful experiences when I go back to a similar racing surface. I have to remind myself that I am nowhere near the same runner that I was back then. No matter the racing surface.
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| And we're off! Photo credit: Randy Porter |
I got terribly lost getting up to the racing site and was almost not there in time to watch the boys race. I had time to warm up with Holly, one of the Buckeye girls, and then we headed to the line. I was as nervous as usual and not able to go into coach-mode at all. I was just one of the girls and a bundle of race nerves. My run outs felt really sharp though and I was feeling fast in my endorphin racers. I made the decision to go out with the fast-starting teenagers, no matter what kind of pace they threw down. YouTube Video of start and finish I wasn't wearing a watch but I'd estimate that we did about a 75 second quarter to get out. It didn't slow down that much for about another quarter, then comparatively things came to a screeching halt. Shannon from Keystone was the only girl left to catch and as we swung back up to the spectator area I drew up on her shoulder. "Just stay right here," I commanded myself and settled into her rhythm. We passed all the spectators and I heard a lot of "Go coach Renee!"
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| Pacing with Shannon in the first mile. Photo credit: Randy Porter |
As we dropped into the woods I started feeling a little breathless and tight. I decided to let Shannon move ahead and I slowed off the pace. I wish that I hadn't because I think that was what kept me from breaking 19:00 in this race. We went past a group of the Buckeye boys and one of them shouted "Don't beat my time!" Ha, I totally did. The mile was 5:58-6:00 and I was a little surprised because it felt way faster than that. This is really only because of that fast first half. Drains the legs! In the second mile we had to go through a narrow, dark section of the woods and through a sharp left turn. I could hear someone creeping up behind me and I figured that it was Sara, a local fast runner that I've raced in a half marathon before. I didn't look behind to check. We started back tracking through the woods and began passing a bunch of runners coming the other direction. A few of the girls cheered for me but I was in full-on pain face mode and didn't respond for the most part. I was gaining on Shannon with every stride at this point and Sara was right behind me. As we came out of the woods, one of the boys shouted, "Don't let her catch you!" but I was fully focused on Shannon and catching her, not caring about the woman behind me. We ran up the hill, onto the grass and I tried to move. The grass was pretty long and I felt like I was moving through quicksand. I needed spikes! I was sure I could catch Shannon and tried so hard to kick up to her. At one point, I was so close I could have touched her, but she knew I was there and started her own kick. I've watched her run a 5:09 1600 all alone and I know how fast she is. I tried to go with her, but I was out of gears and she was not. She ended up winning in 19:11 and I trailed in at 19:15. It was still a good effort for me and an official cross country 5k pr. As soon as I finished, Sara sprinted in behind me in 19:16.
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| Kicking for home. Photo credit: Randy Porter |
I ran back to the woods area to cheer in all the girls and ran all the way back to one of the junior high girls and jogged with her. I was so glad I raced with the girls, but I definitely prefer to just coach at meets. At our icebreaker meet I was very glad that I was cheering and writing down splits, not racing!
Another cool video of the race by BumbleMedia
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