Read it and weep: A week of firsts

I kicked the new year (2013) off right this week by going to bed around 11 on NYE and running my first ever 10k the next morning, in conditions that can be generously described as suboptimal. It was very rainy and very wet and rather chilly, but I made it and it was great. I averaged in the mid-10s and came in 20/38 for my age group. I followed that cold, wet effort up with two 3-mile days on Wednesday and Thursday. I was grateful for the rest on Friday, though we walked the doggies for 2 miles, jogging some of that because Charlotte was feeling frisky.

Then, Saturday.

Oh, Saturday, what a day it's been. I ran with C and we had a great time, despite cursing the cue sheet and sparse map. The wretched directions were the focus of our abuse for the simple fact that we got lost. We got lost four and a half times. Let me count the ways:

0.5 We followed the half marathon team (running a scant 3 miles) for about a tenth of a mile before I realized we were to have gone straight out of the lot instead of turning right. As this was due to following a crowd, and as a coach had also done the same thing, it only gets counted as half lost.

1.5 We ran too far down Peachtree, missing the turn for Rivers Rd. Whoops. The cue had us getting to Ptree Battle anyway, so we backtracked a bit (about a block) to it and then pick up the course there.

2.5 We overshot a turn around point after a loop around the park. The directions had us turn left on a road we'd already done, and then turn back at a side street that we didn't see. We recognized the loop as the one we'd just done and as not being the way back to the water stop, and realized we'd overshot the sidestreet by about a quarter-half mile.

3.5 We missed Rivers Rd. AGAIN (it's labeled Habersham where we would actually pick it up), and took Ptree Battle back to Peachtree instead.

At this point we had already resolved just to run the 10 miles we were supposed to do and then walk back to the church, otherwise knowing we would be running 11-11.5 miles.

We hit 10 miles, start walking, triple-check the directions back, and 4.5 overshoot Valley Rd. by about 1/3 of a mile. Seriously, it's a syndrome with us. We had to ask a cabbie, and then a local, how to get back.

Yes, we had a map and directions with us. No, it's not as easy following directions when running, because your head is bouncing and the paper is bouncing and it's really easy to miss a line and to miss a line 5 times. The map wasn't helpful because all of the streets weren't labeled or included.

Fortunately, we had only averaged an 11 minute mile while running, so we were energetic and in pretty good spirits for all of this. The high hit me while we were missing the Valley Rd turn and I thought the whole situation was hilarious. We finally made it back, worried we were going to be scolded for not having our phones and for getting stupidly lost. The coaches were there and thought the whole thing hilarious (or at least acted like they did, thank goodness). As I also thought it was hilarious, it suited my mood perfectly.

I'm am thankful for C's company and conversation on the run, we went a lot slower than she (and I, honestly) would have liked, but I felt great, still had some left at the end, and I had a great time. Next time, we bring our phones.

Stats:

Average pace: 10.47 min/mile (10.58)
Distance: 10.2 mi
Time: 1.49.30 (1.51.31)
Average Heart Rate: not worth putting, because it said over 200, and I'm still alive so that can't be right.

And that, friends, is how I ran my longest distance ever (to date).

We came in so far behind the rest of the team that everyone who had
met for breakfast had already eaten and left when we got there.