Romp and Stomp 5K

So this race was the start to our Annual Celebrate the Life of Porter' Life Day (here and here).  It was a cold 39 degrees when we got up with winds going at 25mph.  Being that neither of us have run this year in anything colder than 55 degrees, D and I weren't sure what to wear.  The wind kind of settled it that is was going to be a double layer day and gloves.  Seeing that we were "only" running 3 miles, if we got to hot, we could suffer...

Let's back up.

On schedule was a 12 miler day.  We had planned awhile back that we would do the race and then continue running.  No big deal as we have done this once before.  Tuesday, we went running. My calf was tight.  D's quad was tight.  Wednesday we didn't run (or maybe I got the days wrong, but whatever), because my knee hurt in the knee cap.  I took a lot of Advil and cursed it.

Thursday, I decided I would run 3 miles at the gym.  I walked .5 with no issue.  Started the treadmill to run, and didn't last 30 seconds.  The pain shooting from my knee cap was not ignorable.  I stormed out of the gym.  D was in the parking lot.  I had tears running down my face from anger and disbelief.  More advil.  I got home and walked Scuttlebutt.  Ran up the street for 10 seconds and felt fine.  WTF had just happened.  D thinks it was the treadmill.

Friday was Halloween, which meant traffic would be insaner trying to come home from work.  D went and got our shirts and numbers, and I had a beer with a work buddy.  Then met D for another beer (tradition) in Cabbagetown at Milltown.

It really is pink

So back to Saturday morning.  We were no longer running 12 miles.  Just this 5K. We got ready.  I had 3 goals.  Goal A: To finish the race.  Seriously I was terrified about my knee.  Goal B:  Get a sub 40 minutes. It seemed like awhile since this had happened.   Goal C: To get a PR, although I had no idea what that number was.  So we got to the Romp and Stomp 5K.

Yes, we were cold!

Lots of people there all bundled up.  D and I huddled together.  I just put on my music and listened. Finally we were able to start.  We said good-bye to each other.

The race went up a hill on Carrol Street.  We turned and continued up a hill on Wylie.  It went down and past the Krog Street Tunnel and then back up.  The cold air was in my lungs, and I was having a little trouble breathing.  I checked my watch and it said I had gone .4 miles in 4 minutes.  That could not be right. I don't run that fast.  Wylie flattened and then we ran onto Flat Shoals.  My watch hit 9 minutes and I walked.  I was already at the Coffee/Dog shop.  I was confused of how I got this far.  I resumed running , turned and my watch dinged Mile 1, with the Mile Marker.  12:30.  Good job, AL!

I continued running.  Most of this area is down hill.  I was pretty sure I would have to run up 1 hill in the next 9 minutes.  Why are there so many people around me?  I never run with people.  This lady looks like she has a nice pace.  I'll run behind her.  I wonder if she realizes you can see through her pants.  I wonder if that means you can see through my pants.  Ah, this hill.  Ah 9 minutes...I can walk the hill.

I got to the top, turned and decided to do the 2/1 intervals.  There was more uphill.  I passed a ton of people including see-through pants lady, and wanted to stop, but thought of my friend Starunner who always says, "You can do anything for ___ minutes."  By the time I got to the top of the hill, I had a minute left.  I ran that and was back to Wylie to do the sharp turn.  Decided to add another minute to the run interval because the street was downhill.  Got to the 2 mile marker at 25:10 (12:40). Continued, turned and was back on Carrol Street.  I walked a minute here and resumed running. More uphill, grrr.

Being ever so classy, all I could think was that I shot my wad too early.  My legs were tired and I knew the rest was pretty much up hill (although, really these hills aren't anything...).  I finally finished 2 minutes, and was at the Krog Street Tunnel, and went to walk/run through it. There had been some controversy with the tunnel the week before.  The plus side of all the controversy is that the tunnel smelled clean and I could breathe while in there.  The artists had gotten a lot of art back on the walls as well.  Got to the end and turned around and came back.  Finished another 2 minutes right outside, in time to walk up a hill.

I don't think I walked a full minute, because I knew I was close to the finish line.  My watched dinged I had run a mile, but I knew that wasn't right, since there was no way I ran it in 10:44.  I passed Mile Marker 3 (no ding on my watch) at 38-something.  I turned and saw D.  I really wanted to finish before 40 minutes.  I ran as hard as I could for the last .1 miles.  I crossed the finish.  I stopped my watch.

It read 39:30.  Woohoo!  2 of my 3 goals met.  When I went back and looked.  It was my fastest 5K since the Romp and Stomp in 11/03/12.  So yay!  

We got in the car and went home to rest up to take SB out.  Unfortunately a family emergency arose. So the Celebration of Porter's Life will be this weekend.

39:30 PEOPLE!!  Finally this running thing is paying off.