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April 16, 2005, 8:00am: Getting Lost on Our First Team Run
| GOAL: |
5.5 miles |
| LOCATION: |
Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park, Creve Coeur, Missouri
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| CONDITIONS: |
55° and sunny |
| RESULTS: |
6 miles |
TIME: 1:09:13
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PACE: 11:30/mile
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When is the last time I saw 6:30am on a Saturday morning? Probably back when I DJ'ed on the Landing, coming home from a late night of partying and clubbin. Well, these are different circumstances. I'm not tired and my head isn't spinning. I'm awake, getting a small breakfast and ready to run 5.5 miles with the team in training. I kinda like the new approach.
Preparing for the Long Run with the Team
Our coach, Rich, suggested in an e-mail a couple of days ago to eat a small breakfast and to drink water first thing in the morning to avoid dehydration during the run. So, I toasted a bagel and drank about 12 ounces of water. It was just enough to get my body moving, but definitely not overkill like a Cracker Barrel breakfast or anything like that. I was ready for the run, hoping I would be successful.
The team met under an Arthritis Foundation tent, we re-introduced each other and Smash gave everyone a pair of tickets to the Funnybone Comedy Club, in appreciation for being a part of the team. Rich gave me tips on a running/walking combo, and showed me a map of the park, since I had never ran it before. There were about 15 of us, and some runners were alumni that were training with us again.
The Run
When I started the run, I tried to keep up with two of the alumni runners. They were much taller and faster than I, and after about a half-mile, I slowed down. I started the run way above my pace, and I was afraid I was overdoing it early. After getting at my comfortable speed, Suzanne caught up with me. She has run marathons in the past. We chatted for a mile or so. I never had a running partner, so it was interesting. We were able to carry on a conversation, but I felt out of breath every sentence. I told her I was going to slow down my pace, and also, I felt I was holding her back. She went on ahead, and I put my headphones on and kept on trucking at a comfy pace. The trail was pretty simple. It had an asphalt surface, which was more comfortable on the feet than the concrete walk I'm used to running on at Francis Park. There weren't a lot of unusual turns, and even though I didn't have a map, I thought I knew my way around the lake. At least I thought...
There was a fork in the road, and the paved section went to the right, and there was an unpaved trail straight forward. I wasn't sure which way to go, so I just kept on the paved part. Well, after a quarter-mile, that road ended, and it turned into a residential area with narrow concrete pathways. I saw a golf club, and felt I was lost. So, I stopped running, and backtracked to the dirt trail. I vaguely remember a dirt trail when Rich showed me the map around the lake. So, once I hit the dirt trail, I started up the run again. That part was beautiful! Tall trees and shade. Very peaceful and clean air, except for those smoking on the path...ICK! That's almost as hard to take as seeing people on the bench at Francis Park downing a large Ted Drewes Frozed Custard. When the dirt trail ended and turned back into asphalt, I saw Smash, Shelly and Jan. Jan and Shelly were running the route with walking breaks in between. Smash had make a shortcut...he was lost as well, and just took the path around the lake, instead of taking the turn that goes to the dirt trail. So, at that time, I didn't see it, but Jan had just dove head-first onto the ground, and was cut up a little bit, but was able to continue. I felt so lost, I didn't know what to say. They looked at me weird, and said "We didn't pass you up? I thought you were way ahead of us!" I told them I got lost, and they said I ran an extra half-mile, and I said "Oh, good" and kept running. Smash was just shaking his head. He couldn't believe I was running the whole thing. Actually, I didn't think I would, either.
So, the rest of the trail was uneventful. There was a walk-a-thon just about to start back near our tent, and so I had to run through a lot of bodies to keep my pace going. I finished at a good pace, I thought, even though the extra half-mile messed with me mentally. I downed a 12-ounce water bottle pretty quickly, along with two bananas that were provided for us. All in all, a successful run, and I felt great mentally and physically.
Showing Off the Website to my Sister
Later in the day, I went out to my mom's house. My sister lives with her, along with my neice. Since they don't have internet access, I brought my computer with this website on it, and showed them what I was doing online to raise money for the marathon. They were excited about it, and my sister cried. She was happy I was doing this in her honor. I can't tell you how good it feels to be doing this project.
| THOUGHTS: |
WOW! The team is so inspirational! I feel I'm in great company, and I look forward to next Saturday! No complaints. |
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