(One of) The Reasons I Run

A Hot Lips Hustle 5K Race Report

It has been a long and fruitful year, as far as running and triathlons go. I haven't really had a plateau or a set back yet. I know its coming, and I'm not really sure how I'll deal with it. It will probably go something, "Blah, blah! Who cares!" :-)

So, yes. It has been a long and fruitful year, and I've been waiting for my first repeat. And it came. And I ran. And it was good.

I kind of like driving to the race location in 20 minutes. I swear that has to be a record. This was even after I turned around and went back to get Dee Dee's change of clothes bag. This year, it was to be a family affair. Dee Dee, Jimmy, and I were running, and Matthew was the official race photog. Matthew mentioned wanting to run the race, but he had a game right after, and we weren't really comfortable with that.

When we arrived at the Lutheran Church in Marietta, I was surprised. We were a bit early and the parking lot was filling up fast. I don't quite remember how many people they had last year, but this year, they had over 400 runners, and in this, the third year of the race too. The cross country teams from Walker High School, Walker Middle School, and Lassiter High School were all taking part. That got me excited, to see this kind of support for one of our local gals.

About twenty minutes till race time, I went out on my mile warm up. My suggested 8:08 pace kept ringing in my ears. As I did my half mile out and half mile bike, I did the run/walk thing, increasing the run time by one minute. The last tenth of a mile, I sprinted as hard as I could back to the race site, stressing out my lungs. At this point, there's nothing to do but make small talk and wait for the race to get started. Dee Dee and I laughed at the dogs that were in the race. They had Hot Lip Hustle race bibs on their backs, and they looked so cute. At five minutes till, I made my decision. I set the Garmin up for a 5K at an 8:15 pace. That is what I would shoot for. At one minute till race start, I canceled the workout and decided to just "do my best".

Eventually, the starter called us over to the start line for last minute instructions. The sheriff's department stopped traffic. With a final countdown, the starter kicked off the race. We were off and running.

The family and I had drove in along the race route. The course itself was very gentle, but mostly downhill on the way out, even if it was ever so slight. I started out as fast I felt comfortable, not really knowing what to expect. I stepped out into the left lane of the road so I could pass the throng of middle packers that started out in front of me. Gradually, I was in the front of the pack. I like the view from up there :-)

My breathing was already heavy and I was working hard when I came up to the first mile marker and crossed it in 07:23. This didn't get me too excited. One, I wanted to have a consistent effort. Part of the process of feeling good the whole race is making the level of effort consistent for each mile. Second, as I said, this section was a slight downhill. I knew that I was going to have to come back this way. At that point, I took a 20 second walk break, before taking off running again.

The second mile was progressively harder. The course flattened out and had some small uphills, and I was beginning to feel it. I decided along the way that I would take a walk break after every mile. I skipped water at the turn around point and headed back. I realized at that moment, that I wouldn't be able to run mile three entirely. I crossed the second mile marker in 8:24, almost a full minute slower than my first mile. I wasn't worried though. I was watching my Garmin. It had my average pace below 8 minutes, and I was excited by that. I extended my second walk break to thirty seconds.

Mile three was tough. I started getting passed by quite a few people, but I didn't care. As I said, these races are about me. As I stopped for my third walk break, a lady, 10 years my senior slapped me on my back and encouraged me to keep moving. I laughed and told her I did Galloway and this was part of the plan. She gave me the thumbs up as she left me behind. For the rest of the race, I used her as my pulley.

Miles 3: 8:27

When I reached the school, I knew that I had about three tenths of a mile left. My average pace had slipped above 8:08 for the first time. I kept my break short, and I took off, determined to finish this with everything I had. As the finish line came in sight, I was really hurting, but I kept my pace high and steady.

"Look at Wes, coming in under 26 minutes, finishing strong!"

I heard the race director shout over the microphone. As I cross the line, I hit stop on my Garmin and glanced at the race clock: 25:10, for an 8:06 per mile pace. I had done it. I had pushed myself further and harder than I thought I could go. It felt wonderful.

Jimmy was waiting for me at the end of the finish chute. He had run the course in 21 minutes and some change. Dee Dee came in 34 minutes, 2:25 seconds faster than her time last year. She looked great too. You could tell she wasn't really struggling this time.


Everybody gets bling and swag bags at races. Some of the stuff you get before the race. Some of the stuff you get after you finish, and only if you finish. I could go out and buy a thousand of these bracelets tomorrow and wear a new one every day. Big deal. But ya know. The little trinkets that you earn?

Those are priceless, and I wouldn't trade them for the world...

Wes

ORN: 3.1 miles, 25:10, race pace, 8:06 mmp, Walk as needed