Beach to Chowder 5K

The Beach to Chowder 5K was yesterday and it was really great!  As you read this you may think that isn't sounding so great but you'll get at then end what was so great about it.  Our time was around 45 mins total which was faster than my color run time. And my BFF said we were mainly walking the color run and we were mainly running this one. The things that slowed us down were a calf cramp in the first mile for me and then the dry sand really slowed us down.  

Anyways, let me start at the beginning….

We got all checked and and were waiting to start.  My BFF stated that I didn't seem as nervous as I was before the color run. I confessed that I was a little ill that morning w/ nerves but I feel more prepared this time around. 9:15 came and we were off!!! my BFF has a garmin vivofit that tells you your average speed per mile you are running or riding etc and it keeps track of your distance and steps. So she looks down and tells me were at a 11 min mile pace right now. That statement instantly makes me think slow down!!!  I say so that is why I feel purple and we laugh.  As soon as we hit the dry sand all running stopped I had to walk through that, however it was only about 50 yards of dry sand to get through.

Reaching the compact hard sand was a relief but still much more difficult than pavement or my treadmill. we are maybe about 1/2 way thru the first mile and I get a cramp in my calf and my arches are hurting, this sand is kicking my butt.  I knew I was expelling more energy than normal while running because I got to the point were I had to stop because I thought I was going to throw up, I was starting to make the hurling noises and my BFF yells NOT IN THE PATH GO TO THE WATER!! LOL! I kept my breakfast down and kept going.  I thought we'd never make it to the 1/2 way point.  

We finally reached the mid point and turned around. BFF said she has this 11 min motivational remix for running and she wants us to do a mile in 11 mins. I don't answer here, I think she is nuts.  I am thinking I've already almost thrown up and I feel purple, so I don't answer her. I starting thinking & I know I can run for 25 mins on my treadmill and this is 11. I tell myself just to keep your feet moving for the 11 mins. If I don't make the mile Oh well but at least I will have been moving and maybe I'll surprise myself and make it.  She started the music and checks her vivofit for milage and we were off. I focused on my breathing and my feet. Looking never more than just a few feet in front of me. During these 11 mins BFF asked me couple times if I was breathing to which I just shook my head, talking and breathing is still not an option while I run. I guess I was turning pretty purple, the swedish in me will turn my face bright red in 2.3 seconds for any reason so putting a serious effort into something takes it to a whole new shade of red, nearing what I call purple.  So we pass the mile 2 marker and she is a great cheer leader, she can talk and breath while running, telling me we're doing so great she isn't even going to tell me our speed cause she doesn't want to freak me out. ;-) Anyways, when we hit the mile she is like arms up in the air freaking out saying we did it and the music isn't even over yet. I manage to tell her to keep her mouth shut. I told her don't tell me the time until after we finish because if I know I will want to stop and I will want to throw up. I wanted to keep running until the song ended and I did.  Again so much of this sport is getting out of your own head.  This isn't a sport where you can focus on your opponent. When I played volley ball my focus was the ball and how the other team played. Finding the weak spots to put our plays into and figuring out where to make sure my serve hit because they had a hole they couldn't fill. Running is a sport where your have to focus on you. Your opponent is the cramp in your calf, your brain telling you to stay in your comfort zone, or it telling you, you can run a mile in 11 mins. Running is just you, you are your opponent, team member, capitain & MVP.  You have to not listen to the voice telling you, your not able and listen to the still small voice that says you can keep moving those legs.   

WE FINISHED!!!!!!

After we crossed the finish line I said OK tell me, how fast did we do that mile. She made me guess, keeping in mind how much time we had left on the music after she told me we reached it my guess was 9:50 and I was wrong it was 9min 40sec!! HOLY CRAP WHAT!!!!!!!!   HECK YES I AM AWESOME!!! LOL!! I still go through the whole thought process of something surely must have been malfunctioning, there is no way I could have managed an under 10 min mile.  But I have to then again get out of my head and remind myself that the numbers don't lie. Our first mile was hard, we rocked the second and the third was slower after pushing ourselves for that 2nd one but that is no reason not to OWN that 9:40 mile! We met up w/ our families and BFF made my DH guess how fast I did a mile. DH knowing my previous fastest time on National Running Day so he guesses 12 mins. She says NO WAY FASTER, he then jumps his guess to 10 mins and she says nope faster than that. So we tell them and he is very proud and texted his buddy right away to brag. So all in all and amazing 5K, we finished and I have a new fastest mile to claim.