Happy Sunday Friends! I started my day running in the Surf City 10 Miler along with my pal April, who ran in her first 10k, along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach. It was an awesome race and I felt the best that I have been in months! To me, there are certain steps that I go through when doing any type of group race:
- Mentally preparing the days leading up to the run
- The starting line
- Miles 1 thru 3
- Miles 4 thru 7ish
- Miles 8 +
Mentally Preparing - For those of you who are familiar with Huntington Beach, you know that from Beach Boulevard up to Bolsa Chica is a really, really long journey in running terms. I kept thinking to myself.. Holy crap that is a long way to run, let alone turning around and coming right back. But I knew how beautiful it would be and kept a picture of the beach and ocean in my head. For me, I always need to do a final long run about a week beforehand that is within 1 to 2 miles of the race goal. That helps to mentally prepare me by providing the confidence that I need to know that the race goal is doable. I also try to eat healthy and get plenty of sleep the night before.
Starting Line - My morning breakfast always consist of the same thing before a long run. It is a PowerBar Protein, a banana and a half a cup of coffee. The caffeine really helps get my blood flowing. I try not to drink too much water so I don't have to pee during the race (nothing sucks worse!!). We arrived when it was still dark and I found my spot next to the 10 minute mile pace sign. I looked around at all of my fellow runners and started to get that adrenaline pumping when the countdown begins. You start off with a very big huddle of people but then slowly it all scatters out and as everyone finds their pace.
Miles 1 through 3 - This is kind of the warm up for me as my body starts to adjust to the road and realizing the shock that it is in for. These are not easy miles as your body adjusts to the pavement and running pace. What I tend to do when I am running with a large group of strangers is look around for a particular person who has a similar pace as myself. I give these people nicknames in my head and they became part of the Jaime Running Team. : ) For this particular run I had Mr. Baldy with awesome calves, the black-haired TuTu lady, and the Blondie with orange shoes. They became people I would see throughout the run and helped me keep my pace.
Miles 4 - 7ish - For anyone who runs longer than 10 miles you know that these are the magic miles. Your body sort of hits a groove and they are relatively quick and easy to get through. I was pacing with Mr. Baldy and he was a great pace setter for me. I was super proud of myself at Mile 4 when I was running along side the 10 min mile pacer! My time was exactly 10 minutes.. but she quickly sped ahead me near the halfway mark. Around mile 5 I spotted Mr. Foxy... Don't worry honey it was not like a love at first sight... he was literally dressed up like a fox complete with a nose, tail and ears! That annoying song "What does the Fox say?" instantly jumped into my head and Mr. Foxy helped me get through miles 5 & 6 quickly because I was laughing to myself thinking of my kids dancing around to the song (if you have not seen it, check it out YouTube). Mile 7 sucked because that's when I hit the climb up near the HB cliffs. But luckily I found Mr. Baldy again and got my pace right back up.
Miles 8+ - This is when I always have to dig deep. My legs are heavy and painful. I actually found April right as I passed the 8 mile marker. I paced behind her for about half a mile before I finally caught up to her and grabbed her hand. I scared the crap out of her, but the motivating smiles we gave to each other was wonderful and kept me going hard during my last two miles. Crossing the finish line felt great and I felt strong even though my legs felt like they were going to fall off. I found Mr. Baldy and thanked him for being on my team even though he had no idea who I was! : )
For this run I would like to thank my running buddy April, Sunny Hills Class of 1994 Runners, and Gwen Stefani. Without you guys I could not have made it through the 10 miles!!
