Up and Running!

Thanks, guys, for checking on the link to my photo and essay on the GW Parkway Classic. Now that it's up and running, everyone can read it (and find out my true identity).

Please be kind when doing so - I wrote that baby in 30 minutes, under deadline. Being a reporter has its advantages ...

Oh, and that woman who (I allowed to) beat me the other week in the GW Birthday 10K? Apparently, she borrowed a friend's bib, because in the race results she's listed as a 43-year old man. (!!)

And the race organizers listed us as having the exact same time after all: 50:56.

Bex Represents!

So the cool new running thang that I referenced last week?

What it is: A local running store, Pacers, has partnered with New Balance on a well-known Washington, D.C. area race, the George Washington Parkway Classic, a 10-mile race.

But wait, that's not the cool thing.

The cool thing is that the race has a "Break Your PR Challenge." You submit an essay about how running has changed your life, and if your essay is compelling enough, you get picked.

And I was one of the nine people who did.

The winners get:

• Free entry to the race
• Free New Balance uniform for the race: shoes, shorts, and technical shirt
• Free coaching from the Pacers coach, who leads a group of semi-elite/elite local runners
• Start at or near the starting line of the race, along with the elites
  
• Your essay and photo on the GW Parkway Classic website

Winners must:

• Attend the race exposition and dinner with Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier, former elite runner and training coach Dick Beardsley
• Attend the post-race award ceremony, press interviews, and other photo opps
• Update our progress on the race website
  

If you break your PR, then we:

• Get two more free pairs of running shoes over one year
• A GW Parkway Classic jacket

However!: Race organizers announced the winners on the race website a week ago, and if you click on their names, you can read and see everyone's photos.

Except for mine and one other woman's.

When you click on my name, you get "HTTP Error: Page Not Found." (I'm the first winner listed.) You can read a tiny snippet of my essay in the race press release posted online. But that's not the same as reading the whole thing.

I and a friend told the race organizers about the error 7 days ago, which they said they would fix very soon. But they haven't yet.

Sigh.

I was waiting until they fixed the error to announce my winning here. But I'm tired of waiting. So I'm going to post my essay and ugly mug here later today (this post is already too long).

And if you happen to tell the race organizers that you can't read all of the winners' essays, I won't stop you.

10K Race Recap

I ran my first race of 2007 this frigid and frozen February morning. The great thing about this little 10K was that I could actually jog to the starting line - about a mile from my house.

And the bad thing? Well ... actually a good thing for the race organizers, but the GW Birthday 10K was pretty crowded. While I love seeing fellow runners - and there were tons of us skinny people in tights and fleece caps, shivering so hard our heads vibrated - there was no room, at least in the first 1 1/2 miles, to stretch out and really race on the narrow two-lane road.

The race also was not chip-timed, so if you got hemmed in in the back of the crowd, which is what happened to me and E., there was not a snowball's chance in hell to PR. But these are minor grumblings. All in all, the race went off without a hitch.

And ... we're off!: As I was trying to synch my race watch, a starting gun and an old-fashioned musket (!) sounded. One advantage of being in an area full of Civil War re-enactors. E. and I didn't cross the start line for about 15 seconds.

Then we got stuck in a sea of Lycra. We had to jog that first mile. I tried to squeeze through groups of people, but I almost inadvertently (?) got elbowed in the ribs, so I backed off. I glanced at my watch at the Mile 1 mark: 9:32/mile. I needed to run a 7:49/mile or better in the first mile to PR. My hopes of running a fast race faded for good. Ah, well.

Huh?: As the trails had a good 3-4 inches of snow and ice, race organizers re-routed the course. So instead of an out-and-back course, we did two 3.1 mile loops. I didn't realize that at first, so when I saw the top 3 men sprint by me going the other way, I thought, "What the hell? I know I'm going slowly, but I'm not crawling."

I lost E. after Mile 2. As I wasn't going to PR, I decided to do a good tempo training run (about 8:00/mile) and enjoy the scenery. I clapped for the top male and female runners as they flew by and cheered on the ones at the back of the pack. I was the only one yelling encouragement to the other runners, but I didn't care.

The two-loop course also meant we climbed and descended a hill four times. I passed a good number of folks on the hill, though my stomach hurt from the coffee I drank this morning.

Breathing room: Once the roads opened up around Mile 2, I breathed a sigh of relief. I kept my tempo pace and steadily passed some folks. Many of the races I run have few spectators, and this was no exception. Besides a few chilled and bored-looking cops, nobody stood on those windswept, icy sidewalks. Not that I blame them.

At the Mile 6 marker, one runner who had already finished cheered people in the home stretch, which I was extremely grateful for.

"C'mon No. 6XX!" he said. "Good pace!"

I flirted with the idea of sprinting to the finish. There was nobody around me for about a dozen yards. Or so I thought (foreshadowing!).

The pitter-patter ...: Before I decided, and with about 30 yards to go, I heard the sound of rapid footsteps behind me. The dozen spectators on the sidelines perked up and started cheering. In the corner of my eye, I saw a woman come alongside me. She was my size and Asian-American, like me.

I sprinted. In reply, so did she. Our ponytails flew in tandem. It was the battle of the 5'2" China dolls. I picked up my pace even more. So did she. I was only one step ahead of her. I started smiling, appreciating her hubris, and almost laughed. We had the same competitive spirit.

In either a display of generosity or a sign that I lost my killer instinct, I stopped surging in the last few feet. I glanced at her and said, "Go girl, you got it!"

Her final time: 50:55.
My final time: 50:56.

I congratulated her afterwards on her good kick. She said "Thanks! I saw your red jacket ahead and you helped pace me to the finish."

Note to self: Do not wear red jacket next time, lest you want to be a target. E. came in four minutes later, shiny-faced and happy.

Feeding frenzy: Afterwards, I was ready to run another few miles. But I decided to do a longish run tomorrow instead. E. and I jogged the mile back home, where I fixed and ate a huge mess of eggs, soy sausages, and rice. After I finished, I gazed at my empty plate.

Still hungry. I rooted around in the fridge. Found a mini BBQ sandwich. Inhaled it cold.

Hey, at least I didn't eat a doughnut.

Checking In

Hi y'all. Much has happened over the past month or so.

Some travel. Lots of work deadlines (and they just keep comin'). A little music-making (I bought a v. cool digital keyboard and now re-learning J.S. Bach's Inventions and Sinfonias and a Brahms etude). A good amount of running here in the frigid environs of our nation's capital (here's a photo of me and Nelson a couple of weeks ago).

And almost as much doughnut-eating. The employees at my local Dunkin' Doughnuts know I favor the chocolate-sprinkle variety.

It's only mid-February, and I've already fallen off the New Year's Resolutions bandwagon on two counts: Blogging at least three times a week and limiting my sweets intake to only twice a week.

But to make up for it, in the next week, I'll have a pretty cool announcement. Related to running. But gotta keep it under my (neon) hat until the powers-that-be make it public.

My first 2007 race is this Saturday: the George Washington Birthday 10K in Alexandria, Va. It'll be a good check of my fitness level. And depending on the results, I may just have another doughnut ...