The sounds of “Eye of the Tiger” awoke me as my alarm went off at 6:30 a.m.
Race morning! I can almost hear the blare of trumpets in my head on race mornings.
I walked into the kitchen to get the coffee started, and took a quick peak at the thermometer. 18 degrees.
Hmmph. That’s cold. Er, I mean, invigorating…
John and I were running the 10 mile Exodus Holiday Run, hosted by Exodus Wellness in Ocean City, NJ. To give you a sense of the spirit of this race, the announcement from Exodus Wellness founder Amy Godfrey started with the headline, “It is in the giving that we receive,” and she described the race as “intended to bring the people of the community together to share in the spirit of the holidays. Thank you for being a part of this special day.”
Instead of an traditional entry fee, participants were asked to bring donations for mothers and babies who are staying with the Covenant House in Alantic City, NJ. The race was irresistable: a decent distance, a great cause, and friendly community-minded people.
Let’s do it!
We arrived at Exodus Wellness at 8:00 a.m. to sign up and give our donation of diapers and wipes (exciting, right?). The scene was deliciously low-key and all of the staff and volunteers were incredibly friendly. It was cold out, but all of the people we met gave me a warm feeling.
My plan for the 10 miles was to start conservatively and run negative splits. I’m still hesitant to run too fast because I want to make sure my hamstring is fully healed before I get serious with speedwork. I want to start IMLP training as healthy as I get.
Because it was so cold, I started off in the first quarter mile a little bit quicker than I wanted. I guess I was hoping I would start to feel my toes if I ran fast enough. While I wasn’t sprinting, I would be meeting my lactate threshold a bit sooner than I wanted too. So, I backed it off, and fell into running with an older gentleman, named John, for about 2 or 3 miles.
He looked like a seasoned runner, so I asked him if he had been a life-long runner.
“The last 6 years. But, I was a tennis player.”
“Oh! so, a life-long athlete, then,” I said.
He laughed. “Something like that.”
Then, he told me a bit of his story. He had retired from construction, which “was hard on my body.” He didn’t eat that well, didn’t exercise, didn’t take great care of himself. He suffered from kidney stones. Had to take various medications to help with ailments.
“And, then, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. So I started walking and changed my diet. Then, I jogged a little bit. Then, I did a 5k, then marathons, and well, you know how it goes.”
Indeed I do!
By changing his diet and adding exercise, he was able to forgo medication that he needed previously, and hadn’t had a kidney stone since. The power to heal ourselves lies within us.
And, here he was, now running a 10 miler with me, during which I did my best to talk him into running an ultra. He seemed game. Life tastes awesome if we only take a bite.
The course was an out-and-back route that was well marked with bright green mylar balloons and friendly volunteers. Most of the route was on the Ocean City Boardwalk, which normally would be a perfect running surface. Today, however, it was slick from frozen morning dew, as well as remnants of icy snow from a dusting we got a few days ago. I found the trick was to keep my footing light and fast, and run as straight a line as possible. Even so, I found myself slipping out at times, and had to slow at certain points.
Because the route was an out-and-back, I was able to see my husband John as he was heading back. He was in third place overall! I held up three fingers, and said, “You’re in third place!”
Then, I saw the first place female, who was in fourth place overall. She had at least a half mile on me. I kept looking for other females, but by the time I got to the turnaround, I didn’t see any others.
Huh? I’m the second place female?
More surprising still, I was in 6th place overall. To be clear, this was a small race (about 30-40 runners), but I was still shocked.
By the time I got to the turnaround, I had been steadily running negative splits, starting with an 8:15. At the turnaround, the average was down to 8:06. I wanted to go sub-8 minute miles. So, with 5 miles to go, I kicked it up, and watched my average pace drop steadily. I made a game of it. I would pick a marker in the distance, and then see if I could lower my overall pace by a second by the time I got to the landmark. By the time I was about a 1 mile from the finish, this “game” placed me at my lactate threshold (heart rate = 171 bpm), and I had successfully run negative splits for the entire race. Training goal accomplished!
Coming into the finish line, Amy was there with a bull horn, and was playing the siren for each finisher.
“You can do it!” she cheered. “You got this 10 miler!”
I finished in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 49 seconds for an average of 7:52 min/mile pace (according to my Garmin).
After the race, we chatted with the other runners–the best part of racing, if you ask me. We chatted with some friends, and met a few new ones. One of these new friends, Steve, is planning a NJ Shore 50 mile run for September. John and I were practically frothing at the mouth. I think it’s safe to say we’re in for that one.
We also found out about another great race, put on by two of our friends Tom and Jim. Cape-to-Gate is a 48 mile relay race that goes from Cape May, NJ to Margate, NJ ending up at a local watering hole, called Robert’s Place. Post-race refreshments, anyone? I’m already putting our team together.
TRACY – YOU ARE IN WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT! Who else is in?
As promised, this race was a perfect opportunity to join the community in the spirit of the holidays. Thanks to the race organizers and volunteers for a special morning for a great cause!
