Our First Guest Post: My Crazy Running Story

From Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcjams/181791065/ by radiobread

I am excited to post our very first Guest Post from Jen of TEACH MENTOR TEXTS.  One thing I love about starting this running thing is how many people have been hugely supportive--cheering me on, sharing their stories, etc. I so love this one and I believe it was inspired by my post about people running in costumes!  Thanks for sharing such a great story, Jen!


CRAZY RUNNING STORY by Jen

When I started running, it was a big deal for me because I was never a runner…at all. I would walk a lap and then run a lap around the gym in our college field house until I eventually was running three miles without walking almost every morning. It was an even bigger deal when I thought I was ready to actually register for and run a real 5k.

On June 14^th, 2003, my now-husband/then-boyfriend, Chad, and I ran the Kerry Classic 5K in Beloit, Wisconsin. I just pulled up the race results and there were 251 people who finished the race that day. When we gathered to start the race, people were just milling around the starting line. As the countdown began, I noticed a handful of people dressed in head-to-toe Lycra who were crouched down in a stance that appeared to me as if they were preparing to take off in a sprint. Flabbergasted, I looked at Chad and asked if they were going to sprint the entire 3.2 miles. This was inconceivable to me.

When the crowd took off, Chad and I were swept along by these way-faster-than-us runners and finished our first mile in a little over eight minutes. This was also inconceivable to me. I never ran anything close to eight-minute miles. It ended up being a classic lesson in slow and steady wins the race because I realized that starting fast and furious meant I would be tired and slow by the middle of the second mile. I found myself taking a break to walk. Chad, unlike me, was feeling good and decided to go on ahead.

I pushed my way through the race thinking the whole time I had no idea where I was or how else to get back to the starting line without just continuing on towards the finish line. What choice did I have but to keep going? Towards the end I caught up to a man who was older than me and seemed to be struggling like I was. We kind of cheered each other along while the sun, with no clouds in the sky, beat down on us.

It’s hard to describe the elation I felt at turning a corner and seeing the finish line ahead. There was a big sign that displayed the time up high in front of me. To get there, we had to run down the street, into a corral lane and then up to the finish line. Of course, I felt a surge of energy once I saw that I was so near to the end. Just as I was about to make it into the corral I saw a green blur out of the corner of my eye. As this person brushed past me and made passing me seem like a walk in the park, I realized whoever he or she was, was dressed in a complete turtle costume. First, head-to-toe Lycra runners, now this character hopping jauntily over the finish line.

Really, I was just happy to finish. I slowed to a walk and paced near the finish line, stretching, until my now mother-in-law found me. She was asking me questions about how it went and why I was so far behind Chad while I wanted nothing more than to slow my breath and calm my body after the fast run. I stopped dead in my tracks when she proclaimed, “Even the turtle beat you!”

Thanks. Thanks a lot.

I have no idea how I responded at the time considering this was my boyfriend’s mom. I was caught off guard but I think I must have just agreed with her. In my head, I know I told myself I wasn’t in the race to win. I already knew I wasn’t going to come in first. I was in the race for myself. To celebrate the fact that I could run three miles. To be among other runners and feel the camaraderie. Certainly not to beat the person dressed in the turtle costume. It didn’t matter if I was running in head-to-toe Lycra, a turtle costume, or raggedy sweats. It mattered that I showed up and ran the race.

The man who won the Kerry Classic 5K in 2003 finished in 15:43, with a split of 5:04. I can’t even imagine running a mile in five minutes! I was in 199^th place with a time of 29:18. My goal was to finish and to know I finished under 30 minutes was actually a great time for me – even if the turtle beat me.