I woke up on Saturday morning feeling a hell of a lot better than I did on Friday. Apparently the meds I was prescribed were doing what they were supposed to do. I had what looked like a very busy day ahead of me and I was ready to get started.
First up was to take my youngest daughter to dance class at 9:30AM, oh and have my older daughter accompany me so that my wife to do some food shopping and other necessary household duties, all of which keep the household running smoothly. Dance was pretty uneventful except for the last 10 or 15 minutes when I was able to watch a run through of their June recital. It is going to be really cute; about ten 4 and 5 year old girls tap dancing to a song from "The Lion King."
Next up, waiting to see if my oldest daughter was going to have a lacrosse game. The end result - called off at 11:30AM because of the "threat of heavy rain." This proved to be a very wise decision. Upon finding this out, the girls and I decided (actually I decided and they fought the decision) to take a drive to Rutgers to pick up my race packet for the UNITE Half Marathon....the race I would not be running because I was not even close to being in race shape. We had a good time though, driving and walking around my Alma Mater, despite all of the rain. They girls were great the whole time.
The rest of the night was uneventful, except for the thunderstorms that kept the girls up a bit later than normal.
Sunday - Stateliner Spring Classic 5K
Stateliner Spring Classic 5K was my first race since Ironman Arizona, and I can honestly say that I don't think I have ever been less prepared for a race in my life. The only reason that I was even going to do the race was because two of my old friends from Chubb (Bill and Chris) were doing it and it was a chance to catch up with them.
I have been riddled with injuries and illness for the better part of the past four months and my training has been limited to about three days a week. I went in hoping for something around 23 minutes and anything lower would be a bonus. At the start I told Bill and Chris that I was going to try and stay with them for about 1/4 mile and then I would just settle into my pace and try to have fun.....and that is exactly what happened.
Mile 1 - I was passed by quite a few people, which is a very different feeling for me. Granted I am not the fastest runner, but I do normally run a 5K at about 6:45/mile pace. Runners were passing me like I was standing still....I was OK with this. The first mile is pretty much uphill and I was just hoping to be around 7:30 by the mile marker, and that was about where I ended up, maybe slightly faster.
Mile 2 - The course flattens out there and it was at this point that I started to pass many of the overzealous teens and young ladies that went out like, well inexperienced kids. My pace improved and I believe I was right around 7:12 for that mile.
Mile 3 - Ah, finally the downhill payback, but why wasn't I going faster? I guess I just didn't have it in me or just didn't care to push myself too hard for fear of injury or making my "strep" worse. I chose to cruise down the hill, not getting passed by anyone, but also not catching anyone either. 7:01
The Track - I entered the Phillipsburg track on the heels of another runner with another runner about 20 yards ahead of him. Any other day I would have busted ass and caught both of them and been dry heaving at the finish. Today was a different day, I didn't want to be puking at the end, I just wanted to glide in to the finish. And....that is exactly what I did. I just glided into the finish, happy to be done and happy to have finished with a time of 22:20, a 7:12/mile pace.
I definitely could have run at a much faster pace. I definitely could have really bombed the last mile downhill. I definitely could have caught those two guys on the track. I definitely could have pulled a hamstring or tore my Achilles tendon. I chose to take it easy for once in my life and just enjoy the day. It was a good day for a race.
Post-Race
The three of us hung around for the raffle and awards. I won two tickets to the Wurst Festival at Shawnee Mountain (they will probably be re gifted). Chris took second our age group and Bill took third; a solid job by both of them. After that is was off for a hearty breakfast at the Key City Diner, where I had a much deserved plate of French Toast (so good!). That was followed with a tour of P-burg and then home.
At Home
On the drive home I tossed around the idea of going for a run with my oldest daughter (she is in the running club at school). She is supposed to be running during the week and gets to double the miles if she runs with a parent. So when I got home I asked her if she wanted to go running with me. She said yes and off we went (with me pushing my 5 year old in the jogging stroller). We ran to the park near us, they played for a little bit and then we ran home. It was awesome to be able to go for a run with my 8 year old. Who knows, maybe it will be another of our things.
That is about it for now. Work is calling me. I have about two weeks to get ready to run the Broad Street Run in Philly (May 1st). That should be an experience. Adios!
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