Notes
In hindsight, the fact that I pulled anything decent out of this race is incredible, due in part to being sick and then really messing up more than halfway into the race
I woke up Thursday morning feeling terrible, very sore throat and lightheaded. Had a pounding headache during my morning run before we left, felt very drowsy through the whole trip and at the hotel. Friday was only marginally better, but still felt drowsy, body felt heavy during our run through the course. It all basically turned into "Keep taking Dayquil, sleep well, and cross your fingers."
Woke up Saturday at 6, throat was still sore, but thankfully I wasn't drowsy. Made a slight change to my usual race preparations and ate more for breakfast than I normally do (I usually only eat an RX Bar, this time I had that plus half of a bagel and some peanut butter). Took some Dayquil, took some Vitamin C, got dressed, then hopped in the van for the ride to the course.
Throughout the whole two day trip I was legit wondering if I would have to readjust my expectations for the race, given how bad I was feeling. For weeks I'd targeted this as the last chance I'd have to break 30, and here I was the morning of, with a sore throat and iffy-feeling body. Then we got to the course and it was windy. Sometimes you wonder if the universe is conspiring against you.
I did my best to get a good shakeout/warmup in. My legs felt weird, but not much I could do other than grind through it. Talked race strategy with Josh, who told me I could wear my watch if I really wanted, but I decided against it (mostly due to peer pressure from Cody, but hey). I did well without it overall, though I wish I would have worn it, but more on that in a bit. I knew Matt (Dickinson) and Patrick were both going to run sub-30, figured I could pace just behind them and press on depending on how I felt.
We got to the starting line, and despite physically feeling a little low and my throat being sore, mentally I was very focused and checked in. Went over my plan in my head, wished good luck to all the boys around me, said a little prayer and dedicated my run to a relative who'd just passed away Friday morning. Gun went off, we went out.
Over the past couple of years, as I've improved as a runner, I've gotten better about starting a little conservatively and then picking it up as the race went on. It was no different here, though honestly, I probably could have given it a little more without pushing myself. I ran a 5:57ish first mile, which is solid, but I'm pretty sure I lost some seconds due to how packed it was at the beginning. It was tough trying to get around people (even only half a mile in, it was immediately clear that some of those guys had gone out way too quickly and were struggling already). Didn't sweat it though - Matt and Patrick weren't too far ahead of me, and I knew as long as I stayed steady I'd get chances to move up.
To be honest, I felt strong through the first couple of miles. My quads felt heavy, probably from being sick, and my throat was scratchy, but I felt like I cruised the first two miles at a solid pace. Having teammates on the sideline cheering really helped too - I feed off of people's energy, and I appreciated everyone that cheered me on. Big shout-out to my training partner Norb, who I feel like I saw a bunch of times along the course.
I had no idea what I was pacing after that first mile, but like I said, I felt great. Dickinson was out of sight, but Patrick was maybe 15 or so seconds ahead of me, which I figured meant I was on track. So far so good
Then came the big goof. At some point during the race I saw the 5K marker for the women's race. Except I missed the part where it said "women" and thought we were just over 3 miles in already. When we came around the bend a little later, and through the crowd, I was like "We need to start stepping it up". So I cranked it up a gear, then kicked and passed up Patrick. Then I saw the saw 4 mile marker.
Me: "Oh shit"
This is where the watch would have come in handy. I honestly thought we were closer to the end than we actually were. I slowed it down a bit and told myself to just hang on for dear life throughout the last mile. It was a grind, physically and mentally, but I was still picking off guys, and I knew I couldn't give up when the end was less than a mile away.
Patrick passed me in the final stretch (Patrick later: "As mid D coach, I couldn't let you beat me". I have no arguments for the time being), and I used whatever was left in the tank to finish strong. I knew I was still under 30, but couldn't quite tell where the timer was at because people were crowding in front of it. Didn't matter. Crossed that finish line and hit my goal.
And I just laughed man. I'd been fighting a sore throat, drowsiness, body that felt like a bulldozer, a windier-than-expected day, and accidentally kicking way too soon. But it still happened. Do I wonder what my time could have been if I'd been feeling 100%, if the weather was nicer, or if I had kicked at the right time? Of course. Am I fretting? No way. Given the circumstances, I ran a good race. Though I didn't know my mile times beyond the first one, I felt consistent (early kick aside), I battled through physical and mental setbacks, and I hit my goal. I was over the moon. I don't even remember who all I hugged out of sheer joy. Couldn't stop smiling. Gave Josh a huge hug and told him I wouldn't be here without him. I could say the same for this team as a whole.
Did a small cooldown with Beckerman after, then we watched the girls race. They all looked really solid, Natalie and Grace in particular having strong races. I know the men's team was disappointed with the 9th placed finish, and I know individually some of them just didn't have their day, but I still admired how hard they worked out there and all the effort they put in.
The Fresh/Soph boys and girls races were a lot of fun to watch too. One thing I've really appreciated about this club is the range of talent we have, and how supportive we are of one another. Our Fresh/Soph girls all had a good race - Annika in particular ran well, I thought, while Audrey, our team MVP, put in a good race too. Shout-outs to Natalie Maguire and Mary Rose for their hustle and spirit.
Grace (Gudwien) and I got hot chocolate and watched the boys. I was really pushing for Norb and Nate to break 30 - they came agonizingly close, but missed it by mere seconds. They'll get it next year though, I'm sure of that. Spencer had a good race too, while Marcus PRed (and I think Thomas did too?). It'll be great to see how these boys do next season with more training and experience under their belts.
After all the races I traded jerseys with a dude from Virginia Tech. Also met a couple of guys from Cali Polytechnic and traded contact info with them. This is one of my absolute favorite parts of this sport: the community.
I was pretty wiped out for the rest of the day and basically lost my voice from yelling and cheering so much. But it was all worth it. I had an excellent time with the team, whether it was playing hot seat in the van, listening to the rap battles (and being reminded constantly how old I am and how much my memes suck), or just cheering everyone on during their races. I'm grateful to be part of this team and to be surrounded by such great teammates (except any of you little shits who keep mocking my age, you damn Gen Zers)
Not much time for a break though: my next goal is breaking 18 in the 5K at the Turkey Trot in Canton on Thanksgiving. It's a course I know well, and I'm really interested in seeing how I do in my first proper 5K after a season of training and racing with the club.
You have all been wonderful, and it means a lot to me to feel accepted and supported by all of you. Here's to a great track season
Last shout-out to Mr. Calkins, who was a great (and often hilarious) driver. Seeing Audrey get embarrassed on several occasions was one of the highlights of the trip.