Yesterday morning, I woke up bright and early to run the 20th Annual Dreamcatcher Classic, a road race to celebrate the life of Julie Rodick, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of 30. Her family established this race 20 years ago as “a way to bring people together in Julie’s name and because she liked Indian Culture.”
Before the race, I fueled up with a two-ingredient pancake with peanut butter and half of a glass of Dandy Blend with almond milk. (I only drank half of a glass because I didn’t want to pee a zillion times before the race). Mal was still in bed (he wanted to sleep as long as possible), so I read an issue of Runner’s World for a little running inspiration while I ate breakfast.
After breakfast, I took Murphy for a walk.
And then I got ready to run! I rocked my Pink Ribbon 1/4 Zip Top and SmoothFlex Runs from Reebok.
Once Mal and I were ready to go, we drove to the Weymouth Elk’s Lodge for the race. It was a smaller race (only about 1,500 runners), so we had no trouble finding parking on the street.
We didn’t want to wait around in the cold, so we got there about 15 minutes before the start of the race. (Ok, it was about 45 degrees, so it wasn’t that cold, but still”¦.)
About 5 minutes before 8:00 AM, the race director asked everyone to line up at the start line. It was kind of crazy for a few minutes, but, eventually, everyone settled in.
Quick photo before the gun!
And then we were off!
Within seconds, I lost Mal in the crowds. Not that I was planning to run with him (he’s insanely fast), but I thought maybe I could keep up with him for a half mile or so. Between the crowds and his speedy legs, it just wasn’t going to happen. But, not even 10 seconds later, I heard someone call my name. It was Kerrie, my CrossFit/running buddy! Hooray! Kerrie and I ran together at a speedy pace for the first couple of miles, but I couldn’t keep it up, so I lost her after the second mile.
- Mile 1: 7:45
- Mile 2: 8:03
As I approached mile 3, my shins were burning! I’m not usually someone who deals with shin splits, so the pain seemed to come out of nowhere. I wasn’t wearing new sneakers, so maybe I was running funny or something? There were a bunch of rolling hills on the course, so maybe that was it? I still have no clue where the heck my shin pain came from. I’m sure it slowed me down a little bit, but it was more annoying that anything.
- Mile 3: 8:28
Between miles 3 and 4, I really started to struggle. The course had a few more hills””nothing crazy, but just one after another. I felt tired and blah””my legs were heavy and my stomach started to get a little iffy, which, of course, wasn’t a good combination for race day. Blah.
- Mile 4: 8:29
When I saw the final mile maker for the race, I started to feel better””well, sort of. I guess I just knew the race was almost over, so it was easier for me to deal with my discomfort. I picked up the pace and actually passed at few people on the final half mile. Usually, I’m the “road kill” at the end of the race with everyone passing me, but I cruised along and picked off a few runners!
- Mile 5: 7:45
I finished in 40:36 (8:07 pace), which is a good time, but I wish I had pushed myself more, especially with regard to the mental aspect of racing. Physically, I struggled, but, mentally, I just wasn’t into this race. It was Thanksgiving morning, so I wasn’t thinking about a PR or racing strategy. I just ran as fast as my body would allow and barely looked at my Timex GPS watch or paced myself. Maybe if I had paid attention to my time, I could have possibly broken 40 minutes? Who knows, right? I guess I have a goal for the next 5-miler I run!
After the race, Mal and I headed to J.P. Greers to meet some CrossFit friends, who also ran the race, for a celebratory drink.
J.P. Greers opens early on Thanksgiving, so a lot of runners end up there after the race. The place was packed!
I ended up drinking a mimosa while I was there. (Doesn’t a mimosa at a bar in a plastic cup remind you of college? I can’t even tell you how many Andre mimosas I drank over the years!)
The Dreamcatcher Classic was a fabulous road race and an awesome way to start my Thanksgiving. I’ve always wanted to run a Thanksgiving Day road race and the Dreamcatcher Classic was a great one for my first!
Question of the Day
Did you get your sweat on yesterday morning before Thanksgiving dinner?
