Back into Running and Racing: Lost Dutchman Half-Marathon |
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Last year, I rekindled my relationship with distance running. It's always been an on-again-off-again thing for running and me, but just like an old friend it is always pleasantly easy to start it back up again. Even after a couple years off. Not to mention a few extra pounds of baby weight.
Running, for me, has always been primarily about relationships. What saturates my memories of running are teammates, my first 'dates' with Mark
The Lost Dutchman Half-Marathon was a fantastic leap into the world of distance racing. It is a smaller scale race, and quite picturesque, winding through the neighborhoods and trails near the Superstition Mountains in East Mesa, Arizona. I am a fan of this race on my Facebook page! There is something for everyone- a marathon, half-marathon (probably the most popular of the events), a 10-k, 8-k trail run, and a 2-mile family run/walk. While running might be about relationships, racing is definitely more about reaching an individual goal and pushing yourself to do your personal best. I love the combination of the two. Standing with Cortney at the starting line of Prospector Park in the cold dawn of race day made it feel like a normal long run on the weekend. We strode off mid-pack at the starting gun, and worked our way onto the dirt beside the street. I remember a ton of weaving through the first several minutes. Really, we were just trying to run the race at our workout pace, which would put us finishing at about 2 hrs. 15 min. Finding our stride took us about a mile. Or so we thought. "Geesh," Cortney grinned at the first mile marker as she checked her watch. "We're going 7:30 pace right now. Do you think we should relax a little?" The great thing about the whole race was that it felt relaxed. We found our groove (slower than 7:30 pace), kept our breathing steady, and let our legs carry us for the rest. In the first half of the race, the course headed East, so for a few miles I stared at the beautiful rock formations of the Superstitions just as the sun began to peek over the top. I started to notice towards the half-way point that I still felt strong, and that I was passing a lot more folks than the number who were passing me. An even bigger thrill was seeing my parents, who I knew were going to be cheering somewhere, at the 5 mile, 8 mile, and then the 11 mile point. It reminded me of high school track meets all over again, which is good for something to think about during such a long race. Cortney and I finished the 13.109 mile race under 2 hours, and we ended just five minutes apart. We were thrilled with our accomplishment, and to my amazement I finished 9th place in my age category among women, with over 450 women total in the race. We blasted our goal by over 20 minutes, which was the coolest thing of all. Amazingly, I was still smiling as I kissed and hugged my parents after the finish line. Even though Chloe wasn't part of the race itself, I think doing this Lost Dutchman Half-marathon was Adventure Parenting at it's best. I'm glad my daughter can see me accomplish something new, and when she is older I can't wait until she is right there with my parents, screaming her head off for mommy. Maybe this is one way I have to teach her that part of adventure is trying new things and making personal goals. And who knows, when she is a teenager perhaps we will get to conquer a race together. |
(that was his line-- hey uh, could you show me a few pointers about running?), and the serenity of the road or trail which gives me time to sort out my thoughts. Just in time for my next running chapter last fall, we got a new cross country coach/counselor at school, and she and I got along right away. Cortney and I had similar running pace and goals for our training, so we quickly got into a weekly running routine. Through the miles and stories during our dawn runs, we got stronger. And my new friend inspired me to take on a new challenge.
