Hetherington Fun Run 5ishK Race Report

I ran this race with Grasshopper, who already wrote her report.  There's a pic of her looking super perky and me looking suuuuuuuuper tired, too, for your viewing "pleasure".

This was an interesting experience for me.  Only my second, my SECOND(!!!) run in 2013, I knew I wasn't in for any land-speed records.  I was just hoping to get through unscathed and with no unkind words from my knee.  (Success!)

The race is run every year in conjunction with a professional conference, so I had run it before, and knew to expect that it would be 5kish, that it wouldn't be brilliantly marked, and that I'd see all kinds out there.  True, better than in the past, and true.

I also wasn't sure about running with Grasshopper.  She runs a LOT more than me right now.  She is training for her first 10K!  It turned out to be a day of lessons for me.

We started out too fast.  I was hauling ass next to Grasshopper thinking, "Shiiiiiiiit, I'm not gonna be able to hang!"  But as soon as we crossed the bridge she took her first walk break.  And I realized that she's an adrenaline junkie with a too fast start.  So I told her so.  I talked to her about the importance of slowing down to be able to run longer intervals.  The best example that I still have is from the first time I trained to run 10Ks and ended up with my 5K PR.  Basically, I took all of the energy that I would normally put into a 10K and decided to blow it in half the time, resulting in a 5K PR.  Going out too fast does the opposite of that. Heh.

I quickly noticed that the walk break was a little long.  Like... settling into the joy of walking long.  Uh oh!  Danger!  I talked her into running again.

The next time she walked, I formulated a plan.  I would use my tried and true landmark method.  We'll walk to that tree, and then start running until we get to the light pole past it.  And do you know, in the midst of goading her on, I forgot my own struggle?

Grasshopper has quite the mouth on her.  I talked about running.  I talked about random stuff.  I giggled at the things she was calling me because I knew she didn't mean it.  Because sometimes it hurts to learn.  And sometimes it hurts to run.  And as scared as I was about going out there and disappointing her, I realized she felt the same way about me.

And what do you know?  We got over that bridge on the way back and she left me in her freaking dust.  Turns out I had several somethings to learn!  I said this on Facebook, and I had really never thought of it this way before, but what is the point of running if it isn't to learn?  I've learned so much: about how to run, how to pace, how to push, how to trick my mind and empower my body, how to overcome, and how to be proud.  I never know what I'm going to learn when I set out, but I'm always glad I do.

It is time to start running again.