I've done this Turkey Trot 5k for the last 3 years. Last year I got what was, at the time, my 5k PR there. I was looking forward to this year's race. Then my knee started bothering me. I'm not sure what's going on, but running fast is out of the question. Running slowly doesn't give me any problems so when my sister decided to run this race as her second 5k, I decided to run with her.
My sister is a brand new runner. She started about 3 months ago. She ran her first 5k about a month ago at just over 40 minutes. She has improved so much this past month that she wanted to shoot for 36 minutes. Since we don't live near each other and I hadn't seen her run before, I had no idea if this was reasonable or not, but thought if she had a shot, I would try to help her get there.
My sister doesn't have any of the usual runner tools. She wore sweatpants and a coat, doesn't have a watch, etc... I decided to keep an eye on the time for her. It was kind of chilly at 22 degrees with winds around 15mph, but we were ready and I was trying to help her not be so nervous before the race. I also decided I was going to let her dictate how the race was run. I wasn't going to be pushy.
Mile 1:
The good news is that the course couldn't be any more flat, so we didn't have to worry about hills. We started off at her pace. At around the 1/2 mile mark, I saw we were averaging around a 12:17 pace. I let her know, but did not pressure her to speed up. She sped up. We finished the first mile in 11:52.
Mile 2:
Being a new runner, and even though I had told her how I was going to dress for the race, she had overdressed and was getting warm. I offered to switch gloves with her. I had light gloves and hers were very heavy. We switched and I promptly took hers off and just held them. The lighter gloves seemed to help a bit. She stopped to walk once very quickly for about 10 seconds but was right back at it. We finished mile 2 in 11:33.
Mile 3:
My sister started getting VERY warm during this mile, but didn't have anything on she was willing to throw away. I offered to carry her coat and I think she would have agreed if it was earlier in the race, but she decided to carry on with it. She stopped twice for a quick 10 second walk, but, again, got right back to it. She looked so determined it made me smile. We finished mile 3 at 11:26.
Last .12 (just a tiny bit long. We did a great job of running the tangents):
I saw our time and saw the finish line in sight. I told her that if she could really sprint (actually I believe the words were "haul ass") faster than she'd ever gone, she could finish under 36 minutes. By God, that's exactly what she did. It surprised the hell out of me and she actually pulled ahead of me for a second. She ran as fast as she could and I let her cross the finish line a second ahead of me. Our pace for that .12 was 8:55! The final time per my Garmin was 35:56 but her official time was 35:54.
It was so exciting to see her dig deep and accomplish her goal. I think seeing that she could do that has made her a lot more interested in continuing to improve than she was before. I never thought I would say that I am glad my knee wouldn't let me run my best race, but I really am glad. Seeing that sense of accomplishment on her face felt even better than when I accomplish things myself.
uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI
The last sentence sums is up perfectly! That is why you run. . Well done to both of you.
Aww... what a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving! It must have felt great for you to be there for your sister and how grateful to you she must have felt when she saw her shiny new PR! Congratulations to her on a great race and to you on being an awesome sister!
P.S. It took me quite a few number of races before I understood how to dress properly for a variety of temperatures. Next time she should seek your advice before a race. :-)
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
My sister doesn't have any of the usual runner tools. She wore sweatpants and a coat, doesn't have a watch, etc...
Bless her, that is is really a cool race report!
Keep this memory in mind for the time in a year or two when she knows everything (like we all did) and starts to tell you what you are doing wrong. lol
Good stuff WIP!
Nice RR - it's wonderful that you were able to share that with your sister!
Now you know what to get her for Christmas - a nice running jacket, maybe a pair of tights!
Dave
Congrats to your sister, and to you for support!
It is nice to pace someone, especially a family member or spouse, to a great race. Congrats to both.
Damaris
As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.
Fundraising Page
Awesome race report and a memory you and your sister will always share.
Barking Mad To Run
Kudos to you and your sister!
I hope she can get some "regular' running gear, I'm sure she would do even better. And feel more comfortable too.
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt
Great report, Work.
Cool that you've apparently got your sister hooked on running, and that you were able to run with her on Thanksgiving. It was very kind of you to be her pacer and support, well done!
What a great race report. It sounds like it was a lot of fun.
Now that's a great race report. I'm looking forward to the day when one of my daughters wants to run their first 5K.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).