My 10th race this year. DONE.

Guys.

I am frozen.

Dear Weather Man, I don’t know where you get your information from. It FEELS LIKE -20. 

Anyways I hoped by showing you what it is like here you miraculously feel better about wherever you are : )

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Yesterday I ran in my very last race of the year & thankfully it was inside !!!

The race was held on a track that wraps around our local ice skating rink. I was nervous for some reason about running on a track. I didn't run on a track in high school and since picking up running I honestly have never stepped on one. I figured I would go faster because I wouldn't be fighting hills, wind, and snow but we still went on Saturday for a trial run.

Let’s just say this.

It is better than the treadmill but it wasn't great.

I did seven miles on Saturday. I took it really easy but it didn't really feel easy. 7 miles was 25 times around that damn circle and it sure felt like it. I left feeling great about what I accomplished but all I kept thinking was I had 45 laps to do the next day. I was hoping that the enthusiasm of race day would pull me through because I can honestly say I didn't feel excited at all. I can usually find a positive but it is a different kind of mind game to go around and around like that.

Well there were two heats for the race. The first one started at 8:30 am and the second at 11 am. The first heat’s cut off was 2 hours, the second heat’s cut off was 3.5 hours. Back when I signed up I thought for a second about joining the second heat but I have finished all my half marathons in less than 2 hours and this was about a mile less, plus again, no hills and no wind so surely I could get under two hours, right?

When I got to the track on race day, you could just feel how experienced these runners were. I immediately regretted running the first heat. Jacob told me to just breath and let the people around me inspire me. I tried and for the first seven miles I felt okay. I did just over 7 miles in 60 mins & then it happened. I past Jake, asked what lap I was on and he gave me a puppy dog face & said nothing. Next lap I came around and asked again. He said that the computer was frozen. They had missed a few of everyone's laps. He didn't know.

good thing this is blurry. it doesn't look like I am having much fun.

Instantly I regretted AGAIN not going with the second heat. If I had more time... sure! I could slow down, get in a few more miles, whatever!! but I was running with Olympians basically. I was barely going to finish the 20K in 2 hours anyways and now I had to run extra!!! I just knew I was going to get kicked off the course. Cool. Talk about a major hit to my ego.

So finally I hear the announcer say 5 more laps for me. I do the five. I am coming in and I cross the finish line and the announcer says my name again and that I have two laps left. UMMM hell to the no. I was done. No thanks. I know I did 45 laps, probably closer to 50. Math is not my strong suit but I know how to count, especially to 5.

What lesson did I learn, you ask? This race proved I put too much weight on numbers. I think I was miserable on that track because my Garmin didn’t work and I lost count of the lap I was on, faster than you can say the word lap. Then when the race officials broke whatever they broke, I was ready to scream! I guess I just wanted to know and have the satisfaction of knowing that I ran a 20K. Likewise, I wanted to know the official time it took me, but so what! It happens. 

Mistakes happen and what matters the most is that I wore 10 bibs this year. I crossed 10 finish lines and I worked really hard on myself in the process.

Running continues to challenge me and change me. I wake up every day with the ability to run. That’s pretty awesome.

On Sunday I got to run along-side some really, really great runners and even though I felt like an amateur : ) I was brave to stick it out and not let being one of the last three people on the track get to me.

I didn't get a medal but I got a big smile and a huge hug from my sweet coach of a husband….oh and this...

 

went in NO snow, came out to almost 6 inches.

Please tell me!!! Has anyone else ever ran a race on a track? Do you train on a track? What do you like/hate about it?!?!