Race Bibs + Rain = Happy Pokey

You know you have TRULY become a runner when you have a near nervous breakdown about the silliest of things ~ being out of Gu packets, having your Garmin die on a great run, getting ready to head out for a long run and finding that your favorite shorts are still in a smelly pile on the bathroom floor ~ you know, running stuff.

Today I had a major meltdown over something new: a race bib. I got a great idea from the Spirit of the Marathon movie about keeping all my race bibs on a metal ring, in order of their occurrence. I figured that surely this beats keeping them all tacked to the side of my refrigerator, so today (after finally purchasing the metal binder ring at Target) decided to organize all my race paraphernalia.

Now imagine my distress when I discovered that my bib from Big Sur ~ my very first half marathon ~ was MISSING! I knew in my brain exactly where it was ~ I had made sure to put it in my dresser drawer for safe keeping with all the other Big Sur stuff ~ and it was GONE.

I went in to a tailspin…..tearing apart drawers and their contents, calling hubby asking if he knew the location of my precious piece of paper, and just generally being a lunatic. How much would that suck to lose the bib from your very first half mary?

Thankfully, I am not being committed to the institution just yet ~ the bib had somehow snuck out of the top drawer of my dresser and into the second drawer which houses some of my running wear. It must have wanted to feel at home ;) WHEW! Dodged the insanity bullet for another day.

Here’s what my bib ring looks like:

Obviously, I haven’t run a lot of races, but I think it’s a nice start.

In other news, my plan this week was to work on short runs (I guess I mean, like actually have some weekday short runs ~ I’ve been slacking on this the past few weeks) because I won’t have a long run this weekend since I’ll be out of town. We are heading to Rockford, Illinois area to visit some of Hubby’s extended family and get to meet our cousin’s new baby boy! I am excited – but being gone really requires some additional planning on my part.

Today’s plan called for some slow, consistent running. Translation: No walk breaks.

So I headed out about 4:30 pm (a totally new running time of day for me) since hubby was home and holding down the fort ~ and I planned to cover up Garmie and just trudge along at the slowest pace possible – and run for 3 miles continuously. I have run 5 mile Pokey-runs with no breaks before, but it is time to start making them a habit.

It was very cold and windy outside ~ mid 40 degree temps and cloudy following a ton of rain earlier in the day. But being in AZ, I headed out wearing my running shorts and a couple of layers on top. I figured it would suit me well.

So I trudged down the road, reminiscent of my very first days as a runner ~ pulling down close to a 13 minute pace (or so I thought - I didn’t look at Garmie until I got home). Yes, folks….it IS possible to run that slow ~ trust me, I know all about it.

Mile 1 was slooooooooow and good. Everything felt good – legs, mind, breathing. I knew after that point that there would be no reason for me to walk today.
Mile 1: 13:08

Mile 2 became a bit eventful. I was still scooting along and feeling great. My only problem was about Mile 1.5 when it started to rain. UH-OH. It was a good thing it was time to turn around and head back. The rain wasn’t bad, and funny enough I found it a bit motivating. I had no real idea of how motivating it would be until a bit later.
Mile 2: 13:04

Just after the completion of Mile 2, the sky totally opened up. The wind was blowing, the rain was pounding and I was FREEZING. I pulled my top layer shirt over my iPod and cell phone that was strapped to my arm, pulled my visor down and GOT MOVING.

The next mile was a total hoot. I got honked at, stared at, and offered 2 rides along the way. I was drenched from head to toe. My shoes were soaked and I could barely see thru my sunglasses because of all the water. I knew I was moving fast ~ and even chuckled to myself along the way. What else was there to do but laugh???

The last .4 mile was the worst, turning north right into the wind and rain. My visor was nearly over my eyes at this point and I kept my eyes on my feet. Then it happened: HAIL. There were small, half-a-dime sized hail pelting my legs and my neck – and sticking to my shirt. I was covered in white dots!!!! It hurt like mad hitting my neck (my shirt was a v-neck), and my only consolation was being less than half a mile from home. It was a HAIL of a run!
Mile 3: 11:15

Did you all see that?

It wasn’t a typo.

Today I ran my fastest mile ever ~ in the cold, rain and hail. Who knew that is what it would take to get this Pokey moving? That being said, I also had a great, slow warm up period, which I’m sure was also a big help. But it is definitely amazing the motivation that the elements can provide.

The best news of the day? 3 miles, baby ~ all the way ~ no walking.

Now if I wake up tomorrow and don’t have pneumonia, then this will definitely get chalked up as a FANTASTIC day :P


Short-Wet-Pelted-by-Hail-Run:

Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 37:27
Average pace: 12:29