Ok. *sigh* Here goes.
The Amarillo Gold's Gym set up a race series this year consisting of 3 5k's. One was March 24th, one was June 25th, and one was today, October 27th. I ran the first 5k in March, but as many of you may recall, or probably don't, Phillip and I moved to Omaha in May, so I was not able to participate in the second race of the series. That's ok. Not a huge deal. It was a big deal at the time, when I thought about what I was actually giving up in terms of winning a 3 race series, but not anymore. After we moved to Omaha, I didn't think it would be possible to make it back to Amarillo twice more to run the other two races in the series. But things happened, and I was able to come back for the third race.
Which leads me to my story.
TWICE. Twice I was late.
When I ran the first 5k, March 24th, I was in the bathroom inside the gym, not realizing what time it actually was. As I walked out the door to the parking lot, I heard the gun go off. The start line was about a parking lot's distance away, at the end of the block, by a stop sign. I walked out and heard the gun and bolted. I knew I was late. I knew I had to put it in full gear to get caught up to the beginning of the pack. I'd say I lost maybe 30 seconds in the delay. Oddly enough, I caught up to everyone, coming in 1st woman, 7th overall, and with a time of 20:14. So do with that what you will, considering I was late...
And then there was today. The temperature was a bit nippy, 38, with 15 miles an hour wind. But it was still beautiful and sunny. The course would be the same as the first race in this series—out from the gym and back. I purposefully went to the bathroom early, and hearing over the loudspeaker that there was a minute to start, I started walking out to the start line. But let me say this first--when I arrived at the gym, I saw a friend of mine and we went for a warm-up run; therefore, I forgot to pick up my bib number. As I was walking out of the bathroom, I remembered I still needed to pick it up. I picked it up as I headed out the door. When I walked out the front doors of the gym, THIS time I see the gym manager walking through the parking lot. I give her a weird look and she says, "Oh they already started." I was like YOU'RE KIDDING! It happened again???? I started hauling, literally running as fast as I possibly could. This time, however, I was at least .25 mile away from the LAST runner. So, you can see, I lost A LOT of time. I don't know how much, never will, because in the rush I forgot to start my garmin. Oh, and I didn't get to pin my bib on my shirt. I carried it. The whole race. And I just handed it to them at the end. Everyone that was there the first time was there this time (a bunch of runners I know in Amarillo), and they all just laughed and said it wouldn't be me if I weren't late. True, I run late a lot, but never for a race. Only this series, which I am convinced was a curse or something. Just kidding, but really. I was secretly pissed. I mean, I'm competitive. I wanted to win this race too, dammit.
Anyway, I ended up getting 14th out of 64 runners, and I won my age group 20 – 29. Pretty good for starting at least a minute, minute and a half, hell, maybe even 2 minutes after the gun. My time is another story. I finished in 21:04, and I know that's got to be at least a minute off, maybe even two, like I said. I was .25 mile away from the very last runner! For god's sake.
Anyway. I'm just mad at myself. Not so much because of my placement or my time or anything. That's completely my fault and I know it. It's happened before. But the fact that I really, truly, will never know my time because I didn't start my garmin. THAT'S what irritates me to all hell.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Gold's Gym 5k
Well, I'm here in Amarillo, and there is a 5k at the local Gold's Gym at 9:00 am
this morning. Guess who will be running?
More about it later--
this morning. Guess who will be running?
More about it later--
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Chicago Times
Ok, I posted a blog on my race this weekend, so I figured I should also include a general summary of our overall trip to Chicago. It was the first time we had been to the city, and it was soooooooooo great!!
We arrived into town Thursday, October 18th, at 7:40 am. It was kind of cloudy and cool, and we hurriedly jumped on the shuttle to our hotel. We got to the hotel, threw our bags into the room, and ran out the door to explore the great place which we had heard so much about.
We caught the train downtown and walked around until around 3:00 pm. Believe me,
by that time, we were too exhausted to even do anything else. We went through
parks, along the shoreline of the Michigan River, into several stores, such as Garmin,
Tiffany's, and NikeTown, and just generally had a wonderful overview of the city.
Here are some of the first day's photos, in no particular order--
We arrived into town Thursday, October 18th, at 7:40 am. It was kind of cloudy and cool, and we hurriedly jumped on the shuttle to our hotel. We got to the hotel, threw our bags into the room, and ran out the door to explore the great place which we had heard so much about.
We caught the train downtown and walked around until around 3:00 pm. Believe me,
by that time, we were too exhausted to even do anything else. We went through
parks, along the shoreline of the Michigan River, into several stores, such as Garmin,
Tiffany's, and NikeTown, and just generally had a wonderful overview of the city.
Here are some of the first day's photos, in no particular order--
Comer Kid's Classic 5k
So, I know this is late, but better late than never, right?
We just got back home, got settled in, all that, so it's
just now relaxation time...
I ran a 5k in Chicago this weekend, Saturday morning at 10:00 am.
I met some friends there, both of whom I know from a running forum where I post regularly, both of whom I met for the first time today, and both of whom live in Chicago.
After walking around in downtown Chicago for 8 hours on Thursday, and then (maybe not-so-wisely) running 16.4 miles Friday,
I honestly didn't think I could pull it out Saturday. I was almost right.
Almost.
Phillip and I finally arrived at the race at 9:00 am, after an hour-long, COLD bus ride across town from our hotel to the race site, the University of Chicago. I picked up my race packet, my shirt, and my chip, and walked across the lawn. Leslie yelled out "Tonya!" and I thought, "Hmm. That's weird." I guess in my cold stupor I had kind of forgotten that at least two people might recognize me when we got there. I looked over and recognized her face immediately. She said Dave was not there yet. He arrived only moments later, all meet-ups went well, and pictures were taken, etc., which I will add soon.
As we were all lining up for the race, Dave and I started towards the absolute front, with Leslie in the middle somewhere. When the race started, I started off faster than I ever have in a 5k, and I could feel it in my legs. I thought it was going to be over for me after the first mile.
Anyway, as I passed a few people by, and others were passing ME by, I noticed a girl to my left, and another up ahead of me, probably a good 100 feet or so. I was intent on beating them both, but I didn't know if I could make my legs DO that. They were just so sore. I ran, not paying attention to much around me, and I passed the girl beside me, left her back a ways. One down.
I kept running, eventually reaching the turnaround at around 1.5 miles. The girl was still ahead of me, but not as far. It would still take some work, though. As we turned at the cone, and I began to run back from whence we came, I saw Leslie. She yelled some encouragement out to me, and I kept on going.
It was around a half mile later I realized I was closing in on the girl, and fast. As I passed her, she said to me, "Nice job," and I said the same. I kept hauling butt though, as not to let her come back at me at the end. After about .25 mile, though, I never heard her again.
As I ran the rest of the way in, I heard many people on the sidelines yelling for me, letting me know I was the first girl. Let me tell you, at those times, it is so exciting to be a girl. Right toward the end, Dave's girlfriend (thank you Vanessa) yelled out some encouragement to me and took a picture.
As I ran in, I felt it. BAD. My legs are super sore. I can tell I've been killing myself over these past few weeks with a marathon just four weeks ago, a 10 mile race just 7 days ago, and this 5k, not to mention winning every single one of them. Yes, I did win this one in Chicago. My time, though not a PR, was 19:24, and I was 9th place overall. I don't know how many participants were in the race, at this point, but there were 400 chips there for pickup, so who knows.
All I know is this:
1. I'm not doing anything more for a while, probably, as my legs need time for recuperation.
2. I love my Cool Running friends.
3. My husband is the best supporter. Ever.
P.S. Phillip did not run, so he was our photographer. He got some great photos!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Richfield 10 Mile Run Results
Here goes. It's long, so you've been warned.
Today I had my first 10 mile race, and man was I nervous.
The only goal I went out with was a time of 70:00, and I'd just
try to come as close to that time as I could. I didn't care if there
were girls in front of me, behind me, beside me, whatever. I just
wanted to run 7:00 min/miles.
Last night it started raining around 5:00 pm, and it rained all
night through this morning. It was POURING when Phillip
and I left the house at 8:00 am. We arrived at the race, picked
up our race numbers and shirts, and sat in the jeep to wait,
out of the rain. It stopped raining JUST AS the race was about
to start, luckily.
Started out at 9:10 am, a little late, and the course ran on long
country roads, south of Omaha. I started, sort of at the front,
but not too eager, since I only had a time in mind, nothing else.
The gun sounded, and off we went, me gaining quite a bit of ground
after just the first few minutes. I was in the lead with probably 10 - 12
guys, and just one other woman. She was ahead of me probably 10
feet, and she looked somewhere around the age of 40. I wasn't
worried. If I passed her, fine; if not, fine.
Around 1.5 miles, I was wondering about all the people passing me,
but then I remembered that those were probably people trying
to PR for the 3 mile race going on at the same time (which
Phillip participated in).
There was water at miles 3, 5, and 7, and the woman in front of
me grabbed a water at the 3rd mile. I did not (I usually don't drink
at all during races). She couldn't get hold of the cup properly to
drink, it looked like to me, so she slowed down to a walk. I just
kept on trucking.
There was a guy alongside me the rest of the way through miles
3 and 4. He had just been to the Boston Marathon in April, and
this was his first race since. He was probably in his 30s, and
he and I were running beside one another, straight into probably
20 miles an hour winds. It was cold--it was about 59 this morning--
and awful. But I kept on going, eventually passing the guy.
As I rounded mile 5, which was a turnaround, I got to see who
was behind me. The woman that was in front of me was probably
30 seconds behind me, and there was a girl from Team Nebraska
probably 30 seconds behind her. (Team Nebraska is a team of a
bit more elite athletes who compete in multiple sports, and you
have to be accepted or qualify to be in the group). Whenever I
saw the Team Nebraska girl, I knew I had to keep up the pace.
I was not about to let her beat me. I have always beat those
Team Nebraska women when racing against them, and I wasn't
going to let this girl beat me today.
Kept going, and around 5.5 miles a cyclist came along and
told me I was in first place. He rode just a few feet ahead of me
the rest of the race.
After mile 6 I never saw anyone again. I passed a couple of
guys somewhere between mile 7 and mile 10, but I was
alone the rest of the run. It was kind of nice, really.
When I ran in at the end, they handed me a number. It said 10.
I finished 10th overall, and first woman. My time is not official
yet, as I don't have the official results at this time. However,
my garmin said 1:08:36. (Official--1:07:13)
YES!! I made my goal, AND I won. Nothing wrong
with that.
Today I had my first 10 mile race, and man was I nervous.
The only goal I went out with was a time of 70:00, and I'd just
try to come as close to that time as I could. I didn't care if there
were girls in front of me, behind me, beside me, whatever. I just
wanted to run 7:00 min/miles.
Last night it started raining around 5:00 pm, and it rained all
night through this morning. It was POURING when Phillip
and I left the house at 8:00 am. We arrived at the race, picked
up our race numbers and shirts, and sat in the jeep to wait,
out of the rain. It stopped raining JUST AS the race was about
to start, luckily.
Started out at 9:10 am, a little late, and the course ran on long
country roads, south of Omaha. I started, sort of at the front,
but not too eager, since I only had a time in mind, nothing else.
The gun sounded, and off we went, me gaining quite a bit of ground
after just the first few minutes. I was in the lead with probably 10 - 12
guys, and just one other woman. She was ahead of me probably 10
feet, and she looked somewhere around the age of 40. I wasn't
worried. If I passed her, fine; if not, fine.
Around 1.5 miles, I was wondering about all the people passing me,
but then I remembered that those were probably people trying
to PR for the 3 mile race going on at the same time (which
Phillip participated in).
There was water at miles 3, 5, and 7, and the woman in front of
me grabbed a water at the 3rd mile. I did not (I usually don't drink
at all during races). She couldn't get hold of the cup properly to
drink, it looked like to me, so she slowed down to a walk. I just
kept on trucking.
There was a guy alongside me the rest of the way through miles
3 and 4. He had just been to the Boston Marathon in April, and
this was his first race since. He was probably in his 30s, and
he and I were running beside one another, straight into probably
20 miles an hour winds. It was cold--it was about 59 this morning--
and awful. But I kept on going, eventually passing the guy.
As I rounded mile 5, which was a turnaround, I got to see who
was behind me. The woman that was in front of me was probably
30 seconds behind me, and there was a girl from Team Nebraska
probably 30 seconds behind her. (Team Nebraska is a team of a
bit more elite athletes who compete in multiple sports, and you
have to be accepted or qualify to be in the group). Whenever I
saw the Team Nebraska girl, I knew I had to keep up the pace.
I was not about to let her beat me. I have always beat those
Team Nebraska women when racing against them, and I wasn't
going to let this girl beat me today.
Kept going, and around 5.5 miles a cyclist came along and
told me I was in first place. He rode just a few feet ahead of me
the rest of the race.
After mile 6 I never saw anyone again. I passed a couple of
guys somewhere between mile 7 and mile 10, but I was
alone the rest of the run. It was kind of nice, really.
When I ran in at the end, they handed me a number. It said 10.
I finished 10th overall, and first woman. My time is not official
yet, as I don't have the official results at this time. However,
my garmin said 1:08:36. (Official--1:07:13)
YES!! I made my goal, AND I won. Nothing wrong
with that.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
October Events
I have a whole list of events going on in my life right now--and I have to say, at least they are
positive events, considering the last few weeks of my life...
So, let's get started.
1. Tomorrow morning at 9:00 am I will be running my first race since the marathon. For those
of you who don't know about the marathon (GO BACK AND READ ABOUT IT!)
it was a real winner, and it was just a mere 3 weeks ago.
This one is a 10 mile run--should not be too difficult for me, considering I just ran a marathon, and
because I run at least 8 miles a day, sometimes up to 17. Since this is my first 10 mile race,
I'm not expecting too much, but I would like to finish in no more than 70 minutes. We'll see if
that actually happens, because 70 minutes means I'd be running a pace of 7 minute miles,
and while I've run faster than that in 5k's and 10k's, that was only 3.1 or 6.2 miles. Not 10 miles.
I mean, even in the marathon I ran a pace of 7:50 minute miles, on average, and that was
hard enough at 26.2 miles. I don't know. You probably don't even care.
On top of my 10 mile race tomorrow, Phillip will be running his first race since June 24, 2007!
The event we will be attending is called the 30th Annual Richfield Run, and it's a 1 mile, 3 mile,
and a 10 mile run. Phillip will be running the 3 mile race. He is very nervous, as he has just
started back up running. He's doing FREAKING AWESOME, and he will do great tomorrow.
Looking forward to coming back here and showing everyone his award.
2. Tomorrow morning, while Phillip and I are out in the (99% possible) rain showers, running
our races, my dad and brother are going to be in Dallas, TX, doing something I can only
dream of doing. My dad got free tickets to the Patriots/Cowboys game, and he is taking
my brother with him.
Are you freaking KIDDING me!?!?! I'm like the biggest Patriots fan ever, and my dad takes
my brother. UUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH. I hate them. Not really. I love them. But
I have been upset about this for 2 weeks now. Jerks.
3. Next weekend, or rather Thursday, October 18 through Saturday, October 20, Phillip and
I are going to Chicago. There we will be doing whatever the hell we want to do, and then
on Saturday morning at 10:00 am, I will be running a 5k that starts at the University of
Chicago. I'm going to meet up with some friends I have recently become acquainted with,
both of whom actually live IN Chicago--Dave and Leslie. They will be meeting us there.
4. The weekend after that, the weekend of Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28,
I will be traveling back to Amarillo to help my dad with some stuff that we still need to work
on. I will also be running a 5k THAT weekend, that Saturday, as a matter of fact. It's
the last in a series of races that are being put on by Gold's Gym in Amarillo. I ran the
first race, because we still lived in Amarillo at the time, but the second one I missed
out on because we lived here in Omaha. Now I will be running in the third race, with
nothing but a fun time in mind.
Pretty neat-o times coming up, and that's just October. Wait until later when I update
with the November events.
positive events, considering the last few weeks of my life...
So, let's get started.
1. Tomorrow morning at 9:00 am I will be running my first race since the marathon. For those
of you who don't know about the marathon (GO BACK AND READ ABOUT IT!)
it was a real winner, and it was just a mere 3 weeks ago.
This one is a 10 mile run--should not be too difficult for me, considering I just ran a marathon, and
because I run at least 8 miles a day, sometimes up to 17. Since this is my first 10 mile race,
I'm not expecting too much, but I would like to finish in no more than 70 minutes. We'll see if
that actually happens, because 70 minutes means I'd be running a pace of 7 minute miles,
and while I've run faster than that in 5k's and 10k's, that was only 3.1 or 6.2 miles. Not 10 miles.
I mean, even in the marathon I ran a pace of 7:50 minute miles, on average, and that was
hard enough at 26.2 miles. I don't know. You probably don't even care.
On top of my 10 mile race tomorrow, Phillip will be running his first race since June 24, 2007!
The event we will be attending is called the 30th Annual Richfield Run, and it's a 1 mile, 3 mile,
and a 10 mile run. Phillip will be running the 3 mile race. He is very nervous, as he has just
started back up running. He's doing FREAKING AWESOME, and he will do great tomorrow.
Looking forward to coming back here and showing everyone his award.
2. Tomorrow morning, while Phillip and I are out in the (99% possible) rain showers, running
our races, my dad and brother are going to be in Dallas, TX, doing something I can only
dream of doing. My dad got free tickets to the Patriots/Cowboys game, and he is taking
my brother with him.
Are you freaking KIDDING me!?!?! I'm like the biggest Patriots fan ever, and my dad takes
my brother. UUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH. I hate them. Not really. I love them. But
I have been upset about this for 2 weeks now. Jerks.
3. Next weekend, or rather Thursday, October 18 through Saturday, October 20, Phillip and
I are going to Chicago. There we will be doing whatever the hell we want to do, and then
on Saturday morning at 10:00 am, I will be running a 5k that starts at the University of
Chicago. I'm going to meet up with some friends I have recently become acquainted with,
both of whom actually live IN Chicago--Dave and Leslie. They will be meeting us there.
4. The weekend after that, the weekend of Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28,
I will be traveling back to Amarillo to help my dad with some stuff that we still need to work
on. I will also be running a 5k THAT weekend, that Saturday, as a matter of fact. It's
the last in a series of races that are being put on by Gold's Gym in Amarillo. I ran the
first race, because we still lived in Amarillo at the time, but the second one I missed
out on because we lived here in Omaha. Now I will be running in the third race, with
nothing but a fun time in mind.
Pretty neat-o times coming up, and that's just October. Wait until later when I update
with the November events.
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