I've been running for about 8 months now and typically go 5-6 nights a week. I haven't been training for any race in particular, but had the opportunity recently to enter a 5K so I bit the bullet and signed up. A 5K is a little over 3 miles. My jogs up until that race had been 1-2 mile stints in preparation so I was a little nervous about finishing this longer distance. About 3 weeks ago, my daughter Laura and I, started running together. She was tougher on me than I was on myself and she helped prepare me for the upcoming race with a new technique which consisted of a 30 minute run where we would sprint for 30 seconds every 5 minutes during the run. It was definately a painstaking process but in time, I could tell my endurance was increasing.

The race was in Alabama, where I joined my friend Terri in this annual event to raise money for a local charity. I thought Alabama was supposed to be mainly flatland like central Arkansas, but during the last half of the race, I found that out to not be entirely true. I was in the 45+ age division and I really wanted to do well in my first race. I scanned the crowd to see who my competition would be and picked out who I thought might be the "rabbits" in our division. I edged up close to the starting line and waited for the starter. Running with people, a mass of people, is different than running by yourself. Its hard to not over-pace yourself as you all lunge for positioning early out of the gate. I disciplined myself early and didn't get too depressed as 20-30 youngsters passed me like they were shot out of a cannon. I settled in on my pace and was content. About the one mile marker I could count about 20 people in front of me and felt pretty good about my pace and position. The course was fairly flat until we started mile two. I suddenly felt about 25 pounds heavier and thought my lungs were shrinking as I drudged up "heartbreak hill" number one. I could have been convinced that it was Mount Kill-A-Man jaro at that point. I thought it would never end; but it did. Coasting downhill was a welcomed relief but topping the first hill only gave me a glimpse of the future hills that would await me. I considered slowing down to a walk a couple of times but I could hear Laura's voice urging me to labor on and I did. I stayed behind a stocky little high school girl who I was sure would give up any minute but didn't. She inspired me to hang in there because she didn't look like the typical runner prototype but never slowed for a minute. I was determined to beat her in this race. As we approached the last several blocks of the race, I was able to reach deep within my soul and find the energy to sprint and pass my younger competitor. When I passed what I thought was the finish line I was directed by an official to turn right and go one more block where the "real" finish line awaited me. My error in judgement allowed my younger counterpart to overtake me in the end and finish 18th overall and give me 19th place. I congratulated my running buddy for motivating me to run hard and immediately put away a couple of bananas and some gatorade. My time was 24:26 and my goal was to finish under 30 minutes so I'm happy. I won't tell you Terri's time but she finished strong and helped raise money for a good cause. I was very proud of her because she's the first to admit she isn't a runner although she walks periodically and has a runners stride. Next up; the MADD Dash in Searcy. I'm looking at knocking a couple of minutes off my time in this one. The guy who won the 45+ division was 58 years young and finished in around 19 minutes! I was high on him. We talked after the race and he gave me some good pointers. Moral of the story; You can do much more than you body tells you sometimes. Practice the 3 "P"'s in life and you'll finish strong. Preparation. Patience. Participation. See you at the finish line.