Pinch Runner on First

Today I ran my second race ever as a woman. No dress was involved this time, though I did wear tights (of the running variety). OK, actually, as it turns out, I did run as a man, that is registered in the men’s division. Damn. I had such high hopes for this blog; such a good start (came up with that lead three days ago).

Let me explain. I had intended to run the Run Your Ice Off Hard Core 5K in Kewanee on New Year’s Eve Day, as I did last year with my amazing running friend and butt-kicking motivator Carmen. But as it happened I had to work yesterday. Then I realized I could join my friend Amy at the 2013 Resolution Run in Peoria. Well, circumstances being what they are – and by that I mean simply that life is fluid and circumstances change in an instant – Amy had a change of plans and was heading north for New Year’s. But I could have her registration.

Cool enough, even if I was a little bummed to be running alone. But we didn’t know how to go about transferring the registration or if it was even allowed. Amy emailed the race director. No reply. Do I print her registration confirmation and take it along to prove I had permission to be Amy? Would that fly?

I checked the race website and followed a link to ChronoTrack, the company handling results. I thought it was the company in charge of the whole race. I emailed. The reply was that I needed to contact the race director. The website failed me. Or I failed to interpret it and find a way to contact the race director. Enter Facebook. I was finally able to track down Race Central Race Management, liked ’em and sent a message.

RC Race Management replied: Rob, Our apologies! The message from Amy was in our spam folder. We have you switched and you are ready to go!

Awesome! Except for my thoughts of running as a woman. Of Amy garnering my time (would have been 18^th in the women’s division). Of somehow turning this story into something funnier than it is. OK, turning it into something funny at all.

Oh well. I showed up about an hour and a half early, just in case my new Tomtom got the directions wrong (it did have me driving in circles as I tried to exit the park). The first ever (they called it the first annual, tsk tsk) Resolution Run was in Glen Oak Park at Glen Oak Zoo in Peoria. And the course was kind of a bitch. At least for an old, out of shape guy who’s put on winter weight like a grizzly.

There were hills. Four of them. All uphill. How can that be, you ask? Well, I think they modeled the place after an M.C. Escher print. All right, fine, I lied. There was one downhill and one uphill and the course took two loops, thus two down and two up, or four hills in all. Thankfully the downhill wasn’t as stressful on my knees as I feared. And I managed to keep my footing in the snow. My pace increased and my effort eased with gravity on my side. That was a nice gift.

Uphill, while clear of snow, was harsh. I managed to “run” up it the first time, only to walk a little at the top. The second time I made it about halfway and got pooped. I walked a couple hundred paces and started running again just before the road leveled out again.

The hill killed my time. I’m sure I could have done much better on a flatter course. I have. My time was particularly slow for me. I did kick it into gear for most of the final tenth of a mile. I mean, I stepped it up a notch at the 3-mile mark, slacked after a hundred steps, then fired the afterburners when I hit the final hundred to burst across the finish.

Sounds dramatic and impressive, no? Yeah, well, look at my time.

It was a great way to kick off the new year and I’m glad I did it. I’ll gladly do it again next year, unless I chase to Chicago for the Polar Dash or something.

Race Stats

Weight: 200 lbs.

Bib: 306

Time: 31.56

Pace: 10:17 mile

Place: 44^th overall (120 runners)

Div: 27^th in men’s (41 runners) (Would have been 18^th in the women’s division.)

Odd: Finished 5 seconds behind Tim Allen (don’t think it was the actor). I am listed as being from Dunlap because my friend Amy was the original registered runner and they didn’t switch the town when they switched the name.

Today's Stats

Temp: 21 degrees F

Distance: 3.1miles

Weekly Total: 3.1miles

Treasure: 1 race hoodie; 1 RC Race Management coffee/hot chocolate mug

Music:

Just What I Needed – The Cars (blaring over the PA system as we started)

Broken – Lifehouse (stuck on repeat on my iPod throughout the race)

Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People (blaring over the PA system as I finished)

Other music over the PA before and after ranged from Lady Gaga to Katy Perry to some growly grunge or something that I probably should have recognized but didn’t. There was more, but my body was cold and my mind addled so I didn’t adequately catalog the tunes.