Fall Foliage 5K update. OR: My Epic Comeback

I won't come right out and admit to it but I may have been toddling around my house for a few minutes on Saturday morning gloomily moaning about my upcoming race FAIL. Clearly tired of hearing my bellyaching my Huz said to me, with irritating and completely unreasonable logic "Really, if you think this is going to be such a mess why don't you just STAY HOME???" Looking at him in complete disgust I replied that that certainly did not make any sense, who would do such a thing?!, and that was not how I operated thank you very much!! (which he knows. but the man can only take so much of my agonizing before he can't take it any more.)

As is the norm around here my Huz and Dad accompanied me to the start of this (now infamous) race. They are a highly skilled, not to mention highly paid coaching team. The helpful words that come out of their mouths are priceless and without them I might not know to "Run fast because it's cold and we're going to leave without you..." Or "Hurry back so we can drink a beer." (wiser words were never spoken.)

Despite my dubious level of fitness and my firm conviction that the race was going to be pure embarrassment I felt better as soon as I took off my 145,000 layers and headed to the start. I lie, in reality I felt freezing, slightly horrified and concerned that my butt was going to sustain serious frostbite, or at the very least some serious muscular pain. I digress.....

I had a good start with none of the ipod or shoelace issues that I had been bothered with earlier in the year. A bunch of boys took off for the front and since I don't bother chasing people who run a 5 minute mile I trudged along and set a decent pace for my freezing self.

It was a fairly flat course, with a medium sized speed bump around mile 1.5 Since I regularly trained on the icy and oxygen deprived slopes of Mt Kanchenjunga this summer this hill was no big deal, even in my current flabster condition. It did get the best of quite a few runners though so at this point I was able to start passing people. Which I like. Since it was an out and back course I was able to see the competition heading back to the finish like as I heaved past the first 0.1 mile marker (noooo, it wasn't that bad.) This was the point that I discovered that I had passed all but one girl- but the lone lady in front of me was a solid 15-20 seconds ahead. Doooom!!

My breathing got a little heezy and wheezy around mile 2.5 which I blame fully on 3 things- my horrible out of shape cardiovascular system, the remnants of The Sick that I have had and the fact that the wind was whipping in my FACE at 60 MPH. No shit, I have never felt wind like that while attempting to run. It pretty much tried to shove me back along the race course, which was met with my frantic cries of agony as I did not want to run any farther then absolutely necessary.

As I sped wildly to the finish I could easily see girl #1 in front of me but didn't have enough gas left in the tank to even take a stab at chasing her down and kicking her ass. Oh well. Next time?

I did, however, have enough energy to showboat like a fool as I ran to the finish line- seeing that I was going to come in at no more than 23:00 got me excited! (what can I say, I'm a show off and not afraid to fist pump and shout WHOO HOO for myself. Yeahhhhh.) I probably need to stop carrying on like that if I am ever to be seen as a serious, highly competitive and feared runner. (pffft...)

The post race festivities were very cold. It's always fun to run in one's own town because you see your friends and neighbors and can catch up with them and all that good old fashioned small town nonsense that I'm so cornily fond of. Good times, good times. I was terrifically pleased to win a gigantic jug of maple syrup for my mind boggling achievements, and a medal as well which has been proudly hung in the best place imaginable (the bathroom. Yes, really.)

All in all a good day. I most definitely could feel a few sore muscles the next day- very unusual post 5K but this was an unusual race, so I'm not shocked. No big problems from the Shin Issue though which was my biggest concern.

I did run in a brand spanking new pair of shoes too- Mizuno wave precisions- which are the freaking bomb diggity thank you very much..

So. I'm back in the saddle so to speak and hope to continue forward with a good Fall of running. (please running Gods. please!)