First Run of the New Year

Feeling the heat of the sun beat down on us as we waited for the horn to blare to start the race of our first run of the New Year was exhilarating. The temperature was 51 degrees at the start of the race. The layers that we had piled on were removed due to the warm weather. The skies were clear and crystal blue. It was a gorgeous day. I can not believe it January 1st, 2012. We had  hats, gloves, outdoor running clothes, and jackets. We were prepared for 20 degree weather. When we left the house, it was 27 degrees. The roads were still slippery. As we drove farther south, the sun came up and warmed the earth.

I dropped off my bag at the baggage area after waiting in a long line. I walked out of the building peering into the crowd to find Scott.  I couldn't find Scott and my friends in the crowd. The announcer called 10 minutes to the start. They were no where to be found. I proceeded to the race area scanning the crowd for red jackets and white hats. Little did I know, there were many people wearing the same red jackets that we earned for the Seacoast Road Series. And the white hats were give aways for this race. I walked past the start of the race constantly looking for them until I reached the back of the line. Still, they were nowhere.  "5 minutes to race time" Still no Scott. Finally, above the crowd I saw an orange hat of my friend Gano and flagged them down. They sauntered over to me. Marcia was very happy to find me since we are running buddies. I felt relieved to finally find them. They were waiting outside the door when I came out but I never saw them.

After the panic was over, the race began. We started about 1 minute 10 seconds after the horn went off. There were over 1,000 runners trying to get over the starting pad. It was slow going at first. The route was very mild. One small hill emerged at the beginning of the race and after 1.5 miles, we ran along the Pawtucket River. Since I haven't ran in a month, I thought I was jogging slowly. However, we had a 10:15 split and finished the race at 32 minutes exactly. About 1.5 miles in, I had sharp shooting pain in my lateral knee. Slowly the pain moved medially but continued to be excruciating. After having to walk during the last race due to my knee, I wasn't going to let it stop me again. I know I would be more miserable psychologically if I walked than if I just dealt with the pain. I was very depressed after having to walk, that I didn't want to do that again. I felt like I let myself down not running the last race of the series. I know many people sign up to be walkers, but I feel that to say that I ran it I have to run the whole time. Otherwise, I would complete it but not to the best of my ability.

 So, at the 3 mile mark I was ready to kick it into gear. I tried to coax Marcia into increasing our speed. She did a little bit. After the last turn I increased my pace and unbeknownist to me, my knee pain went away. I couldn't believe it. All my knee pain was gone. So I cranked it up more and crossed the finish line. I received my medal which was I wine bottle topper which is perfect for me.  I grabbed a water and went to find Scott. My knee still did not bother me. I prayed a thank you to God and enjoyed the after glow of finishing the race. Of course, this is a Will Run for Beer Series and it wouldn't be a race without the beer.