Wednesday, November 15, 2006

At Least I Got Out of Bed

I ran a local Veteran's Day 10K in the cold, wind and unrelenting rain on Sunday, in what the Scots call a scowthering gale. The weather was so bad that of the 1,600 runners registered, only half of them showed.

I decided it to take it easy. I wasn't mentally prepared. Plus, I read in The Competitive Runner's Handbook that one shouldn't run any race within a month of finishing a marathon.

"Leisurely" is an understatement: I jogged slowly with two friends, L. and M. And when I say slow, I mean glacial.
The first 2.3 miles were at 11:20 to 11:30/mile pace! I knew I needed to pick it up when, in only Mile 2, I saw the leaders pass us, coming the other way.

Also, we were completely sodden. The fleece jacket I had tied around my waist was heavy with rain, and water squished in between my toes. My fingers were stiff and cold as icicles. The sooner I finished the race, the sooner I could get out of the elements.

I bade goodbye to my friends and gradually sped up. No spectators lined the course. Just a bunch of wet and miserable runners, some of whom were walking with their heads down in the cold hard rain.

Whew, the headwind was killer in the last two miles. I kept a hand on my head to keep my cap from blowing off. I flew past dozens of runners, putting in a good effort, but not all-out racing. Way too late for a PR.

I ran the remaining 3.7 to 3.8 miles or so in 28:36. Good enough.

8 comments:

  1. I would have rolled over in those conditions and suffered the cold side of the pillow.

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  2. That seperates the women from the girls (and boys) ...

    David - are you paying attention!?

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  3. I don't do rain. I'm impressed you got out there and did it. Ditto with the final 3.8 mile time too.

    Hope the t-shirt rocked.

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  4. Who you callin' glacial! Good job on your race. :-)

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  5. Had I not been otherwise spirtually engaged, and warmly ensconced, several hundred miles away, i would have SO been there for you.

    And regarding your pace? Welcome to my world.
    :)

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  6. Most impressive. I don't think I'll be racing until December.

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  7. A couple of years ago I signed up for race and awoke to big, pelting, hard rain. So, as any die hard would do, I turned off the alarm, pulled up the covers, and went back to sleep.

    I still feel guilty when I wear the race t-shirt, even if it's only around the house.

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  8. Hi Bex!
    Do you remember me? This is Corinne who used to have the Livin' Las Vegas Loca blog. Well, after a long hiatus I am back. I haven't forgotten about you. I see that you are still running, that's great. I have a new blog on Myspace if you want to check it out.

    I hope everything is going well with you and your husband. Take care. :-)

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