Today's race proved to be VERY typical of an extremely bad habit of mine.....I was LATE! I spent the evening before the race being very low key....watching a movie at home before turning in early. I set my alarm and had my race clothes and pre-race breakfast all set and ready to go. I was awoken 15 minutes
after I had planned to LEAVE my apartment by a text from my running partner, wondering why she had not yet heard from me. I was COMPLETELY thrown into a panic! At least all that night before planning would pay dividends....it got me out the door in 7 minutes! That still didn't put me in a very good place though. I had to travel from Fairfax to Hartwood (a trip Google maps says takes about 1 hour and 8 minutes) with only 1 hour and 8 minutes until the race start time! I did not type either of those numbers incorrectly! You are reading it right....I had the EXACT amount of time to get to the start line as minutes left until the race started! I am certainly not proud of the maneuvering I did to get to the start line on time....and I know my parents read this blog....so let me just say "Sorry Mom and Dad"....yes I know better....but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. There was NO margin of time allowing me to run into any traffic....so I am grateful it was a Sunday morning in early August...and there wasn't any. I sent my running partner a final text that I was on my way...and that I would be there to run with her....even if it meant we had to start a little after the gun went off.
There is a funny thing you should know about my running partner, Julia. Until I got to the start line (25 sec before the gun), she and I had NEVER met. We "met" virtually when
Julia became a part of the Ragnar team I was on last year for the coming January. All of the teammates friended one another on FB and when Julia and I realized we lived so close to one another, we discussed running together. I was looking for a race to help me meet my 100 miles of racing miles for the year and this one was in her "backyard". So she agreed to run with me. We texted and facedbooked a lot heading into the event but this would be the first time I would ever meet her face to face. You can imagine the impression I was making on this almost perfect stranger. I had talked her into running a 10 mile race and then (from her perspective) might not even make it! It worked out well for me that she had picked up my packet and race number the day before. All I had to concentrate on was getting to the start. She could hand me my number and we could take off. So while I "raced" to get to the start....she waited for me :)
I arrived at the start line in record time and dashed to the start. Julia's husband handed me my race number and I met up with my partner at the back of the pack. I hurriedly put on my hat and number and got my ipod ready for the run. The run itself was rough. Ten miles of lots of hills (and if I have never said it before....I HATE hills). But for the next two hours Julia and I ran and chatted. I highly recommend this method of getting to know one another if you are a runner. It was one of the most unique friendship experiences I have ever had and I am happy to have finished my first 10 mile race
with a friend at the end :) As we neared completed the very large circle we ran and came toward the finish, we were a little surprised by the 3/4 mile trail portion of the race.
After 9 miles of hills and heat, we headed into the woods. It was cooler temperature-wise to be under all the trees but trying to run that last bit while trying NOT to trip over tree roots was a whole other experience I was not ready for. Still Julia and I pulled through....encouraging each other through the end. Finally, we crossed the finish line.....two hour and 1 minute after we had started. A slower time than I think either of us really wnated to finish with...but the point is we finished! And then we celebrated by filling our commemorative cups with the free serving of beer and toasting our accomplishment and new friendship!
