I finally did it. FINALLY! My big 2019 goal. I may have done it in 2020, but there's something poetic about going under 20 in 2020, right? After running 20:00 in NOLA, I stepped away to get back to trails. Pacing Terry at Western States to a sub-24 hour race was an incredible experience, but unfortunately Ultra Tour Monte Rosa in Italy/Switzerland was CANCELLED race day due to weather. I came home anxious to run a 100k race, but ultimately decided I didn't want to go through the recovery so I jumped right back into 5k training and signed up for the Houston 5k. My last sub-20 attempt in December 2019 was thwarted by a bad cold that I still wasn't over on race day, coupled with rain and big winds. It just wasn't to be. I ran a 20:43, which was so far from 19:59 that I wondered if I wasn't as in shape as I had originally thought.
Despite those doubts, I went to Houston... not calm- definitely not calm- but it felt a little easier to find the positive words in my head. There's also something to be said for having failed SO many times that you know you'll be okay if it doesn't work out again and just keep on trying.
I knew the weather was going to be challenging, 98% humidity and 69 degrees, but it would be almost identical to the weather in New Orleans when I ran 20:00. So while disappointed, I knew I could still do it. I also knew I had to run without a shirt. My coach, Heather, had suggested it in NOLA, but I just couldn't gather the confidence, and I always wondered if that would have made a difference. This time I would ditch the shirt. I scoured the #sportsbrasquad on instagram for encouragement and decided no matter how the race went, I would at least get this victory. I doubted my ability to go shirtless right up until race day when I threw it off and put it in my drop bag. But once it was off, I ignored anybody looking at me, did my strides and drills and just slithered my sticky, sweaty naked-feeling body through the corral to the first few rows of racers. Take your marks... BANG!
Despite those doubts, I went to Houston... not calm- definitely not calm- but it felt a little easier to find the positive words in my head. There's also something to be said for having failed SO many times that you know you'll be okay if it doesn't work out again and just keep on trying.
I knew the weather was going to be challenging, 98% humidity and 69 degrees, but it would be almost identical to the weather in New Orleans when I ran 20:00. So while disappointed, I knew I could still do it. I also knew I had to run without a shirt. My coach, Heather, had suggested it in NOLA, but I just couldn't gather the confidence, and I always wondered if that would have made a difference. This time I would ditch the shirt. I scoured the #sportsbrasquad on instagram for encouragement and decided no matter how the race went, I would at least get this victory. I doubted my ability to go shirtless right up until race day when I threw it off and put it in my drop bag. But once it was off, I ignored anybody looking at me, did my strides and drills and just slithered my sticky, sweaty naked-feeling body through the corral to the first few rows of racers. Take your marks... BANG!
I tried so hard not to go out too fast and my watch lapped a perfect 1:36 first quarter. I picked it up a little bit and then saw my coach Heather and her husband James McKirdy, whose yelling and cheering really pumped me up! My watch lapped a 1:23 for the second quarter, which made me halt a little bit, but I was also very suspicious of that number. The pace on my watch was all over the place, and looking at the data after the fact, you can see it was wonky in that first mile.
I tried to concentrate on keeping a steady, reasonable effort without the help of my watch. The next quarters ticked by:
1:34
1:34
1:35
1:37
Then, there it was. A side stitch. I (and Heather too) had anticipated this with the high humidity making it harder to breath. I followed her advice to think about ANYTHING else. I thought about my feet and my stride, my nose, my shoulders, etc. I knew I had a fast start so I wasn't out of hope yet.
1:42 (ack! speed up!)
1:37 (I can't, the side stitch!)
1:40
1:41 Oh no. I started to worry a little but tried so hard to keep my self talk positive and encouraging, 'don't give up!'.
1:43. I started imagining talking to certain people about how it just wasn't meant to be again. I saw it slowly slipping away. No way I could go sub 20 with 4 quarters in the 1:40's?? As I approached a water stop I seriously considered throwing in the towel and stopping for some water.
But then I saw Heather and James again, and they were screaming at me to go for it, keep going, finish strong, and I could hear them still yelling well after I had passed them. It totally got me going again and out of my fearful head space. I then looked down at my watch and realized 2 things. One- I was going to hit 3 miles in under 19:15, the time I knew I had to be at to go sub-20 if I was able to sprint, and two- IT WAS TIME TO SPRINT! I always wait too long to start sprinting! My watch lapped 1:27 and I took off.
I watched the clock the whole last 20 seconds and when I crossed that finish line, and knew I had finally done it, it was just surreal. I caught my breath and then low grade cried/teared up the whole walk through the chute.
I did it.
I FINALLY EFFING DID IT!!!!!
I did it.
I FINALLY EFFING DID IT!!!!!
4 days later I was still tearing up thinking about it. By far the highlight of my running "career". I know it might be hard for some to see how a 5k could be my highlight, but I have never worked so hard for so long or had so many fails at one single running goal in my life. Knowing I finally went sub-20 on a less than perfect day just makes me want to burst. I am SO happy, and I hope to take this fitness to the half and full marathon and see if I can get some PRs there too.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement, huge thanks to coach Heather of course, and to my friends who don't run for putting up with my obsessiveness, even when they thought I was nuts (and maybe in over my head). <3