Encouragment for that final push

As I sifted through my mail, a collection of catalogs and bills, there was a card from my sister-in-law.

Curious, I thought. Maybe she was getting a jump on my birthday which is at the end of the month.

Hmm.

Nope. She sent me a congratulations card as a way to send me off into my final four weeks of training before my first triathlon. She and my brother will both be at Keuka to cheer me on -- and more importantly to eat pancakes with me after I finally catch the wizard.

That note of encouragement made me dance around my kitchen and it literally helped pump me up for Friday night's race.

See, I am not a good night person, which I know is detrimental since I am a sports writer and sporting events tend to take place at night. I'm a morning person. I like to get up, get going and start my day. Maybe that's because I'm not awake enough to fully understand everything I'm undertaking. Also, that lack of patience rears it's head and I just don't like waiting around for things to start.

So that card helped get me through the afternoon until it was time to leave for the Lisa's Legacy 5K in Lackawanna. I also got an email from my friend Jenny who asked if I was looking to run a specific time. Under 30 would be great, I replied, but I really was just looking for a strong run.

Go for it, Jenny told me.

So I decided I would.

But this time I would be smart about it.

I took the first mile through the Holy Cross Cemetery slow. I basically ran at my easy pace and allowed others to fly past me if they wanted to. No worries on my part. I got to the one-mile mark in about 10 minutes. Perfect I thought, especially since I did not realize the back part of the cemetery was a bit hilly.

Then, I picked it up for the second mile and passed a few of those people who sprinted out the start. (Hey, if you can sprint 3.1 miles, I have nothing against you, but it's just not the way I roll. And as some of my new triathlon friends pointed out, people don't realize that 3.1 miles is a long way to run hard.)

I felt strong and steady and caught a glimpse of Sherpa as I rounded the corner for the second half loop. At the second mile mark, my time was somewhere around 19:10. Good, I thought. I picked up my pace. I kept as steady as I could because the wizard was about to show up. He always does at this point.

But I knew I could battle through the blows. I knew I could catch the wizard. On the final turn I picked it up a bit and felt pretty good. I even helped a younger boy out who was running and grabbing his side.

"Are you cramping?" I asked him.

"Not yet," he said.

"Try putting your hands on top of your head and see if that helps," I told him.

He grabbed the sides of his head with hands.

"Wow, that feels better," he said. "Gee, thanks!"

"No problem. We're almost there!"

And I kicked it up again. I was running strong. I wasn't going to catch the people in front of me but I could see the clock ticking.

I sprinted through the pain. The clock read 29:52 as I crossed the finish line.

Yes.

All those baby steps are paying off.

Comments

[Jenn]

I'm glad it helped give you an extra push! Even if you didn't need one, it can never hurt to get one. Train on!