I titled my race report "third time's the charm" because I registered for two other races for today that did not happen. (What are the statistical chances of that happening?) I signed up for the 5,000m in the Highpoint meet and the 5,000m in the UNC meet. I only planned to run one of them, and earlier in the week had decided on the Highpoint meet and paid for that one. However, I received a call from Highpoint mid week letting me know that the meet would be moved to Sunday night since rain was expected on Saturday. I was not happy that the race was moved to a completely different day. I had other plans on Sunday night and would not be able to race then. I then figured I would just run the 5,000m at the UNC meet, however, when I checked the revised schedule for the UNC meet, I noticed that the 5,000m had been removed from the schedule. I then learned that I was the only person signed up for the race so it was taken off the schedule. UNC offered I could switch to the 3,000m. I was nervous about switching to the 3,000m because I have not run a 3,000m in a little over 10 years and was concerned that I would not have the speed for that race. I do not consider myself a 3,000m runner. However, at the end of the day, I figured the 3,000m was my best option for a track race.
Race day: My race was scheduled for 8p. I decided to go up to UNC about 2p to find the track and paid my entry fee. I am directionally challenged and had trouble finding the track. When I did find it, I could not find parking, and it was pouring down rain. I finally found a spot to park and went to track only to find out they were on a weather delay. I asked the women who I checked in with for information on the delay but she did not have any information. I went back home. I came back a few hours later, the rain has stopped, and the meet was back in action. They skipped the break in the meet and my race started just a few minutes after 8p.
When I checked in for my race I was not on the list for the 3,000m so they added me on to bottom and gave me hip number 14. However, when I got to the starting line the man lining us up did have me on his list either so he decided that I could not be 14, and I had to be the last person, 18. I changed my hip numbers and went to the last lane. The man lining us up was not pleased that I was not on his sheet and I felt bad that I was causing his so much frustration.
Furthermore, since the meet was running behind, the meet officials decided to combine the men's and women's 3,000m. This means we had about 30 people starting at the same time. We were informed that the men would start on the waterfall start and we would start a little behind them. We probably started about 2 meters behind the men which is where we were told to start.
The meet officials finally got us lined up and the gun went off. I came through the first lap in about 76 seconds and the 800m at 2:43. I had no idea what I should be running since I am not used to the 3,000m, but I was excited that before I knew it we only had a mile to go. I wish I had looked at my mile split, but just did not think about it since this was such a fast race. I actually did not look at any of my splits for the laps after the second lap. I ran in the lead pack for the race. It was a tight pack and I just tried to maintain my position and not trip over someone feet. I finished 4th. My official time was 10:07 for the 3,000m. (I clocked myself at 10:05 so I guess I started my watch 2 seconds late.)I did not really have a time in mind that I wanted to run. It would have been fun to break 10 mins., but overall I am happy and I had fun running the race. I still do not consider myself a 3,000m runner though. The winning time was 10:04.
I ran two track meets and really enjoyed both. I'm bummed my mini track season is over. I had so much fun being back on the track.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Emotionally Tied to My Jeans
For all the women reading this post, you know how difficult it is to find the perfect fitting jeans. It seems so unfair that men can walk into a store and come out with a pair of jeans a few minutes later. I’ve always had a hard time finding jeans because I’m not cut like the “average” person. (I realize that average is a relative term.) My Mom has always said I’m shaped like a box, making it a little better by saying I’m a cute box. Jonathan seems to be in agreement about my box shape. All this to say, in the past, I have spent hours in the store trying on jeans. Sometimes I still walked of the store not completely satisfied with my purchase.
In college I found a style of Gap jeans that I felt like fit well, and I kept buying this same style of jeans. I’ve gotten rid of most of these Gap jeans because they are quite tattered and do not fit that well. I’m not sure that they ever fit that well, they were probably always a little too baggy but I went through a phase where I did not want to wear anything too tight. I have one pair of these jeans left. As I have been getting rid of old clothes in preparation for our move, I just cannot seem to part with these jeans. I remember how hard it was to find these jeans and that I actually felt comfortable in them. As silly as it may seem, for now, I think I’ll hang on to these jeans. They remind me of so many memories and they do make for a comfortable pair of jeans to lay around in on a lazy day.
In college I found a style of Gap jeans that I felt like fit well, and I kept buying this same style of jeans. I’ve gotten rid of most of these Gap jeans because they are quite tattered and do not fit that well. I’m not sure that they ever fit that well, they were probably always a little too baggy but I went through a phase where I did not want to wear anything too tight. I have one pair of these jeans left. As I have been getting rid of old clothes in preparation for our move, I just cannot seem to part with these jeans. I remember how hard it was to find these jeans and that I actually felt comfortable in them. As silly as it may seem, for now, I think I’ll hang on to these jeans. They remind me of so many memories and they do make for a comfortable pair of jeans to lay around in on a lazy day.
Race Report from Duke Track Meet
This past Saturday I ran in a track meet at Duke. Here's my race report.
Race Report for Duke Invitational 5,000m
Prologue: We are in the process of moving. Typically I get fairly nervous a few days before a race, however, I was so consumed with moving details that I did not have a chance to get nervous until a few hours before. Also, when I get stressed I get a stomach ache and have trouble sleeping. I experienced both of these signs of stress the week before the race. My stomach aches during the week prior to the race coupled with getting stomach pain in my last race, made me wonder if I stomach would pose a problem during the race.
I did have a few good weeks of training since my last race and those weeks gave me some of my confidence back. Also, my legs felt rested from an easier week prior to the race.
Race:
I arrived at the meet in plenty of time to warm up. I picked up my hip numbers at 6:30p and my heat was set to go at 6:45p. When the man in charge of giving us our hip number called out my name he said, "Sarah Lee, number 16" then he looked at me and said "I love your cakes." I resisted the urge to say something sarcastic. Even since I got married and became Sarah Lee, I've heard many jokes about my name. None are original. After getting my hip numbers, I did some final stretching and strides before my race. I had forgotten how crowded it is down on the track which made it a little harder to do my strides.
I was in heat "B" of the 5,000m and it was a very full heat. I did not go out fast enough and got boxed in early. I had to run around the outer edge of the pack a few times to get a better position which I'm sure wasted some energy. I had trouble moving around too much in the first few laps, but after those laps, the pack broke up a little. I stayed with the lead pack for the first mile. I came through the first mile in 5:40. After the first mile, one women took off. She ended up getting first. I thought about going with her but she seemed to be pushing a fairly hard pace. She did not hold that pace the entire way, but I did not know what she was going to do and we still had 8 and 1/2 laps left. I stayed with the pack behind the leader. I wish I could remember more of my splits but I cannot. For the rest of the race, I just sat back with a few other women and then kicked with a lap to go. I found it very helpful to have others do the pacing and I could just focus on watching the lap count drop.
I finished in 17:53. I was pleased to run under 18 min. and would love to run a little faster this Saturday to finish out my North Carolina experience on an especially good note.
On a personal note, I am happy to be getting faster. Running healthy is a great feeling. At different points within the past 10 years, I have not been able to train well (or at all) for a variety of reasons. It feels great to be back at a point in life where I can work toward accomplishing the goals I was unable to strive for at other times in life. I'm thankful and now running well had deeper significance for me. I still have not made the exact times I want to reach, but I feel like I am on the correct path to get there.
Two more North Carolina races to go: a track meet this Saturday and the blue cup on 4/20 (a friendly competition between the MBA students at Duke and UNC. My husband is at Duke and spouses get to participate so I plan on running in that race.)
Thanks for reading my race report! :)
Race Report for Duke Invitational 5,000m
Prologue: We are in the process of moving. Typically I get fairly nervous a few days before a race, however, I was so consumed with moving details that I did not have a chance to get nervous until a few hours before. Also, when I get stressed I get a stomach ache and have trouble sleeping. I experienced both of these signs of stress the week before the race. My stomach aches during the week prior to the race coupled with getting stomach pain in my last race, made me wonder if I stomach would pose a problem during the race.
I did have a few good weeks of training since my last race and those weeks gave me some of my confidence back. Also, my legs felt rested from an easier week prior to the race.
Race:
I arrived at the meet in plenty of time to warm up. I picked up my hip numbers at 6:30p and my heat was set to go at 6:45p. When the man in charge of giving us our hip number called out my name he said, "Sarah Lee, number 16" then he looked at me and said "I love your cakes." I resisted the urge to say something sarcastic. Even since I got married and became Sarah Lee, I've heard many jokes about my name. None are original. After getting my hip numbers, I did some final stretching and strides before my race. I had forgotten how crowded it is down on the track which made it a little harder to do my strides.
I was in heat "B" of the 5,000m and it was a very full heat. I did not go out fast enough and got boxed in early. I had to run around the outer edge of the pack a few times to get a better position which I'm sure wasted some energy. I had trouble moving around too much in the first few laps, but after those laps, the pack broke up a little. I stayed with the lead pack for the first mile. I came through the first mile in 5:40. After the first mile, one women took off. She ended up getting first. I thought about going with her but she seemed to be pushing a fairly hard pace. She did not hold that pace the entire way, but I did not know what she was going to do and we still had 8 and 1/2 laps left. I stayed with the pack behind the leader. I wish I could remember more of my splits but I cannot. For the rest of the race, I just sat back with a few other women and then kicked with a lap to go. I found it very helpful to have others do the pacing and I could just focus on watching the lap count drop.
I finished in 17:53. I was pleased to run under 18 min. and would love to run a little faster this Saturday to finish out my North Carolina experience on an especially good note.
On a personal note, I am happy to be getting faster. Running healthy is a great feeling. At different points within the past 10 years, I have not been able to train well (or at all) for a variety of reasons. It feels great to be back at a point in life where I can work toward accomplishing the goals I was unable to strive for at other times in life. I'm thankful and now running well had deeper significance for me. I still have not made the exact times I want to reach, but I feel like I am on the correct path to get there.
Two more North Carolina races to go: a track meet this Saturday and the blue cup on 4/20 (a friendly competition between the MBA students at Duke and UNC. My husband is at Duke and spouses get to participate so I plan on running in that race.)
Thanks for reading my race report! :)
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