Swamp Rat Race - 6/16/2007

This is what I wrote in my Running Journal on that day:

Swamp Rat Race - Time 38:08

This was a hard race for me today. I did not feel good the day before. My stomach was off. The thought of putting food in my mouth just made my stomach flip-flop. I was able to put 1/2 a hamburger that Ron made down, but the thought of anything else just would not cut it.

Then the night was so long. I just kept on waking up. I could not sleep if my life depended on it. Other than taking a sleeping pill (which I did not) my body was not going to sleep.

Up came the sun and I started getting ready for the race. Brian was coming with me because Andy has his last swimming lesson for this session and he does not want to be any where near this event in case I make him do the fun run. Ron took Andy to swimming.

So around 7:15, Brian and I leave for the park where the race is being held. We meet Teresa and Rob, who are running in the race with me, along with my Ma and Dad, who are always there for their daughters' moral support.

We pick up our race packets and start stretching. We have some time, so we fool around with Brian. I start looking around and I see Shannon!!! It is great to see one of the girls from our "pack". She has her greyhound with he also. She was there to support her boys, but she was there for me too.

The Girls and Boys 1 mile fun run went off without a hitch. These races were huge!!! In some ways I was glad that Andy did not enter this race. He would have been lost and get upset during the race. The fastest boy's time was 5:50 and the fastest girl's time was 6:28. I could not do that time for one mile in my dreams!!!

Now it is time for the 5K. Teresa, Rob and I line up. I just did not feel right. I felt OK, not sick or anything, but I knew that this was going to be hard.

The gun goes off and off we go. The way we lined up, it looked like a mass of people running to a little space. At this time, I'm thinking "Oh My God!!! I'm in trouble". Teresa and I had a pack that she was going to run her race. So she ran with Rob and they took off. So I ended up running by myself. Everybody around me had their MP3's or Ipods. I didn't even think to bring mine. So now I don't have a partner or music to pace me.

I get thought the first mile at 10:37, I think I'm doing great. By the time I get to the turn around, I don't have a steady pace, my mouth is so dray and I can't steady my breath. I get a drink of water at the water station, swish the water in my mouth and spit it out. Well that was the kiss of death. My strength was seeping out of me. Two men came up behind me and started talking to me. It got me to get a steady pace but it was too late.

One of the gentleman, and I mean it in every sense of the word, sped up and the other gentleman stay with me. We talked and tried to just get thought the race. Paco was great he tried everything to keep me going, but at one point my body was giving up because of not having any food in my system. I had to stop and walk or I knew that I was going to faint. So i told Paco to go ahead and I walked. But I knew the outcome would not have been good if I kept on going and did not steady my breath....All I could think of is being so dehydrated and just stumbling around like a friend did in a race when we where in High School.

So I walked for around 2 minutes (I think) and got to the last corner. I started running again. Not at a fast pace, people were passing me. I did not care, I just wanted to finish. We get to the last turn and there was the finish line. I try to go faster but it was stone, not pavement. I don't want to fall down, so I decide to just go a little be faster than what I was doing. Right before the finish line, I see T, Rob Dad (of course taking my picture) Ma, and Brian. I'm almost done. I cross the finish line. I 'm done, gasping, looking for water and thanking God that it was over!!!

My time was so bad that Shannon thought she missed me when the time went past 36 minutes...But does that matter to Shannon, NO, She was just please that I finished and I was OK.

OK, I realized that my time was bad, but this is only gives me some incentive to strive, work harder. I have sent in my registration for the Caz 1 Mile Fun Run with Andy for the 4Th of July. I already filled out my registration for the Willow Bay 5k (Teresa wants to win the sister-sister category) and I gave it to T to mail in with hers. I have my registration for Harborfest, Bud Run 10K and the 10K run in Oswego.

This is not going to bring me down. This is only going to make sure that there will me more mile on the goal sheet on the fridge. As All My Tomorrows said "6.2 or Bust"!!!