Day of 6’s

This morning was a day of races for the Beattie’s except we were racing on different coasts.

Warren running in weather he enjoys running in…

Warren was running the MEC 10k at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, NS while I was running the Hatley Castle 8k in Victoria, BC. It was Warren’s first race of the season and he was unsure if he wanted to run and he flip flopped back and forth on the way to the run. The weather was sunny but very cold and he also hasn’t done a lot of running because of the snow and ice since he has been in Halifax. In the end he ended up talking himself into running. He didn’t realize it until after the race that the course he would run was a hilly course as well. It was to his advantage though because he does well on hills and passed people on his way up.

Overall he was the 6th person through and was happy with his time and the effort he put into the race. And I was very happy for him when I received his text after the race. I know that he was running in conditions that he wasn’t used to running in after growing up in Victoria but he pushed through and beat the time he had wanted to beat. Great job W!

Then it came time for me to run. It was an hour a bit before the race and my nerves started to kick in. They weren’t as bad as the last race but they were there. The race was being held at Royal Roads University and since I don’t live far from it I could leave later from home. So, to get me pumped up I put my iPod on washed up my dishes. I know…weird but it was distracting me a bit from thinking about the run. Sometimes I get too focused and then it just makes things worse. I had gone through the route and figured out timings based on last year’s race time.

I left the house with all my gear and headed to the race. There were a line up of cars headed as I drove through the gate entering RRU. I decided to park my car at the top of the hill in a small parking lot and just walk to the RRU Recreation Centre where the runners would be before and after the race.  As I headed down the hill the rain started. It wasn’t a bad rain but enough that it would be nice for it to go away. And it did thankfully it did.

Once I got to the gym I said my hellos to friends and then went to get myself ready to run. I wanted to get a warm up in before hand and make sure I did my running ‘ABCs’. Not long after it was time to head to the start. I ran into Mae and she and I chatted about our race from the previous year on our way to the start line. Last year she and I ran about the same pace but this year her running has really taken off and there is no catching her. Keep up the good work Mae!

My tunes and watch were set, we were given our countdown and away we went. The race starts on a bit of a downhill but then is hills for about 3-4k. As I was running I was seeing people around me that I knew and I liked that. I would tell them good job as I ran and they would encourage me as well.

After the out and back toward Belmont Park we rounded the corner and headed up the dreaded hill of the race. I repeated to myself what Grace had text me earlier in the day. ‘Run on the balls of your toes, push your elbows back and say I got this!’ Through heavy breathing I did just that and it got me through it…thanks G. Then came the part at the top that flattens out and is just awful. I wanted to stop but I knew if I did it would be harder for me to keep going and get started again. So, I straightened myself up, thought about my breathing and lifting my legs. The worst was over…sort of.

A little over the 4k mark I had checked my time and I was about 3 minutes slower than what I wanted to be. That started to get me a bit worried and wondering if I was going to make my time. I had thought about just slowing down and running the rest of the run as just an everyday run and not as a race or at least as a race for me. I then thought about me doing that and knew that if I did at the end of the run I would be upset with myself. There was no reason I couldn’t keep going, competing against myself and give it my all until the end. I smartened up and kept on going.

I reached the 6k mark and Rick and Dan from my run club were there. They were cheering away and encouraging. I needed that and let them know after the race I was thankful for familiar faces at that time. Little farther down the trail from them was a big downhill. Something I was looking forward to and only 2k left to go. I reached the 7k mark and I had 31:20 on my watch. I had 4:16 to get myself to the end if I wanted to meet last years time. I took off with everything that I had.

I came 6th in my age group and my finish time was 35:23.

I could see the finish line with people cheering along the sides. I could see the time on the clock and was ahead of  last years time. I crossed the finish line and was happy with myself for not giving up and I left it all on the hilly course.

Have you ever talked yourself through not giving up something?