Another One Bites the Dust

Wingnut runs warily down the street with the brim pulled way down low

Ain't no sound but the sound of her feet, machine gun's ready to go.

Are you ready? Hey, are you ready for this?

Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?

Out of the doorway the bullets rip to the sound of the beat, Yeah

Another one bites the dust, Another one bites the dust

And another one gone, and another one gone

Another one bites the dust

Hey  I'm gonna get you too

Another one bites the dust

OK, so the words changed a little, but you get the feel of the mood I'm trying to create here. I had a little swagger yesterday morning heading into the 5k Turkey Trot. I had the latest PR on tap. The string of PR's started with the 10 miler, then the 10k and 4 miler. 5k was left on my list. It felt a little cold out, but I knew once I was running, the flames from my shoes and the burning rubber would keep me warm.....OK, OK, so I'm not that fast but a girl can dream can't she?

Me and my target (I'm on the right in case you were confused)

Wingman and I hung out in the car for a little while before the race and went through the goodie bag. I did this race last year and knew the race organizers always put some nice stuff in there. And this year they did not disappoint.

Once we got closer to the starting time, I changed into my running shoes, put on my gloves and made my way out to the starting line. I found a nice place closer to the front. My only gripe was the race start was 15 minutes late. That meant I was standing around for an extra 15 minutes waiting. I kept looking at my HR on the display and it would not stay up. I kept hopping in place to keep it elevated and was worried that I was wasting energy. I didn't want to leave my spot because there were over 1,000 people at this race. 

When the gun went off I was flying down the road. This race is really short so there's not much strategy that I can use. Just go out fast, hard and try to hold it. I weaved through a few people and stayed out of harms way of the faster runners passing me. There were a few turns on this course, but not nearly as many as last weeks race. We cruised down towards the Great South Bay and then back north. When I came up to the 1 mile marker, I saw what my split was. I really wasn't sure what my pace would be for this race so I just figured I would keep running as hard as I could. I also looked over my shoulder (which I usually don't do) and what do I see? Wingman is right behind me. I did a double take as I was surprised to see him running with me. Not only was I chasing my own PR, but I was looking to break the House Record that he happens to hold. Panic set in. What if he stayed with me the whole time? Would he keep quiet behind me and then pounce near the finish line? Oh no, not on my watch! I was now running scared.

I knew now I could not slow down. I kept going and a little further down the road I looked back again and I didn't see the Wingman. But I didn't rest easy. I didn't look far over my shoulder so he could still be lurking. When we rolled through mile 2, I knew I was still making good time. I did some quick math to see what time I would possibly finish in. I knew, barring a meltdown, I could PR, but would I steal the house record as well? Only time would tell.

The last mile was hard. It started with a slight decline so I used it to get some free speed. The it flattens out and goes around the block. The around the block section disoriented me. I was tired and when I was running down the last straightaway, I swear I kept thinking we had to make one more left turn to get to the finish. I kept running down the road and then about a few hundred yards from the finish, I saw the finish line. No left turn necessary. 

I put my head down and just hammered it home with whatever gas I had left in the tank. I knew the PR and house record were in the bank. I crossed the finish line and felt a little sick from the effort. At that point if I bent over to take off the timing check I would have taken a header. I walked it off a little and then took the chip off. Wingman came over a little after me and had a great race as well. We both had finishing times better than we expected.

It's been a wild month of running for me. 4 PRs for 4 different distances. I am excited with the progress I've made and how it will play into my plans for next season. It's been a long time coming. Over the summer I was growing frustrated with my running times. 

".....it doesn't get easier, just faster."