Virtual Mile + A Little Humble Pie

I really had not even remotely planned to run the virtual mile race (which happens to be sponsored by one of my fellow Zonies), until somehow some inspiration spilled over from Pat ~ and made me slap on some running shoes at 9pm last night and head out the door. It also helped that I had missed my short run on Tuesday night (due to an explosion of craziness at my house that night) so I needed to make up the run any way. I am committed to NOT missing a scheduled training run. I need to make it up some how, some way.

The mile really isn’t my favorite running distance. Especially the FIRST mile of any run ~ it is always the total WORST for me. It seems to take forever for me to find a groove ~ which if the planets align properly, sometimes happens between miles 3 and 4. So that explains why a 5K distance never works out well for me either. Maybe I am really a distance runner at heart????

Last night's run was also in celebration of my RACE-aversary, which as Wes articulated ~ really should be celebrated with a RUN. So I donned my Bridge to Breakwater shirt in honor of the occasion and headed out. It was still somewhere near 90 degrees at the time. No sun obviously, but toasty.

And to totally buck the system, I even took my least-favorite running partner out with me: Mr. Garmie. I had to dig, mind you, to find him after a long summer of 4-5 mile per week, Garmie-less runs….but we rediscovered each other after a relatively short search. I had asked hubby for assistance in locating my friend and all I got was this:

Me: I’m looking for my Garmin

Hubs: Oh, that watch-thing?

Me: (in utter disbelief, covering Garmie’s ears and walking out the door) I believe he prefers to be called a PERFORMANCE DEVICE.

Sheesh!!!! Non-Runners.


So the plan was simple: one mile out, one mile back. Shower. Bed. Sweet Dreams.


So I ran. And ran. And RAN….

I even passed a jogger up ahead of me ~ and believe me when I say that this kind of stuff NEVER happens. I am always the passEE, never the passER.

Garmie was tired, almost running on zero battery power….just like me. We made a perfect pair last night. I glanced at him 3 or 4 times during the first mile ~ and was elated to see a 10:18 or 10:20 smiling back at me. I was convinced that I was going to ROCK this Virtual Mile race with my fastest mile split ever. The fastest mile I had ever run was in June over in San Diego ~ about a 10:48 with hills ~ and I knew I was trucking along at a much faster clip last night.

It takes a lot for me to run that pace and not allow myself to stop. I thought of all the blogging buddies that might be running a Virtual Mile right along with me. I told myself that I should be able to do ANYTHING for 10 minutes.

When Garmie screeched loudly at me over my huffing and puffing, I came to a halt. I was excited to see the final verdict.

That’s when a big piece of Humble Pie came falling from the sky and landed squarely at my feet: 11:05.

I was in utter disbelief! Didn’t even break 11 minutes?? All that effort and I couldn’t even beat my June split? I believe a string of profane sayings came out of my mouth ~ or at least went through my head ~ as I took a quick breather and turned around for the jog home. I donned my usual comfort pace, turned off Garmie, and went over it all in my head again.

I tried to convince myself that maybe Garmie had a bad night. I mean, after all, he was totally on almost nothing for battery ~ so it can happen, right? I’ve read many accounts of other runners with messed up splits. Right? Or maybe it was too cloudy and the satellite didn’t pick up properly. Right? There had to be a reason. Maybe Garmie was just paying me back for the watch remark from Hubs? I wouldn’t blame him for being angry, you know.

But sadly, I am a logical person and while I believe that Garmie can mess up individual mile splits on a longer run, or even be vindictive on a whim, I happen to know that TIME is TIME and there was no way to dispute that it took me 11:05 to run the single mile. It was 11 minutes and 5 seconds after I had left home, and that could not be disputed.

It was time for me to eat the Humble Pie that had been served to me and make my way back home. I analyzed many things on that last mile ~ perhaps that maybe I should have timed my SECOND mile for the race, after having a chance to warm up…..or perhaps it was the heat…….maybe it was my new shoes not being entirely broken in…….maybe………maybe. But by the time I got home, I had a new appreciation for who I am as a runner….as well as who I am not.

I am not fast, but I AM a runner.

I am a runner that has to work hard all the time and not take things for granted.

I am a runner that has run 4 miles a week for the past couple months, yet expected to knock out a stellar mile on a whim.

I am a runner that has to do short runs in the late evening hours after all the work and family obligations are satisfied.

I am a runner that just a couple years ago would not have been able to run continuous mile at all, at any pace.

I am a runner that shouldn’t compare myself to others, but relish in my own accomplishments instead.

I am a runner that not long ago was still running 12-13 minutes splits, no matter how short the distance.

I am a runner that despite what I often believe, is making slow progress on a regular basis.

I am a runner committed to setting goals and reaching them.

I am a runner that will continue to be inspired by others.

I am a runner...

I could go on and on about all the things I learned about myself last night in 11 minutes and 5 seconds. And instead of coming home disappointed and deflated, I came home renewed and inspired. I have many, MANY things to work on in the coming months ~ last night gave me a very clear indication of that. It was both a wake-up call and a reaffirmation.

So thanks Reid, for the idea of this Virtual Mile ~ and to my buddy Pat, who without even knowing it, in an indirect way gave me the mental push I needed to go give it a try.

Today I officially registered for both the PF Chang’s RNR Half next January, and the Surf City Half in February.

The goals are officially out there again ~ now it is just time to do the work.