Thwarted by Joe Birch.

(Note on my use of the word "tomorrow" in the previous post...I did intend to post "tomorrow" when that post was written, but then I lost my internet connection for the better part of 48 hours. Man, is there a story behind that and man, am I not going to write that publicly on this blog.)

Today was the 36th annual Overton Park 5 Mile Classic. Megan didn't run it with me, but she and Jonathan were wonderful enough to make me a "Go Becky!" sign and stand strategically throughout the race course while I ran for close to an hour. 56:52 was the time on my watch, which is the fastest I've ever run 5 miles. That's about 4 minutes faster than I ran the race last year and I miraculously ran each mile faster than the one before it.

Due to a scarcity of porta-potties, I did not get a chance to pee before the race. I was extremely concerned about this. But in the end I did survive.

The first mile was a little stiff, the second better, the third I hit my stride, and by the fourth I was passing people right and left. The only downside that I've been able to find so far in being a mediocre runner is that you are constantly being beaten in races by people who walk a ways, sprint past you, then walk some more. All that effort to keep a steady pace and never stop and we mediocre runners are consistently passed by TERRIBLE RUNNERS who get way better times simply because they can run fast over very short distances. The longer the race, though, the fairer the playing field. It's much easier to sprint and stop over 3.1 miles than it is over 5 (or 6.2). So today, when Megan yelled out between miles 2 and 3, "There are people walking ahead of you!" I calmly yelled back, "I've got this!" Yeah, suck it walkers. I passed throngs of them in the third mile.

Along the fourth mile, I started to pass people who were actually running. And then, 4.5 miles in, I saw a guy in front of me holding a steady pace, just about what I was running, and I thought, 'hold up; isn't that local journalistic celebrity/Action News 5 anchor Joe Birch?!' And it was!

Joe has run a lot of races in the Midsouth and I've never come close to beating him, or finishing near him, or even seeing the back of him at any point during any run, ever, so I figured it was a good sign that I was keeping up with him this time around. I focused on the back of his head and moved closer...closer...sailed right past him. A small victory, perhaps, but you'd be amazed how little cognitive function is going on in your brain after running for 4.5 miles, so it was a big deal in my head.

I got further and further ahead...and it was right there...I could see the finish line...but I could also hear Joe Birch say to someone next to him, "I'm going to pick it up here." And sure enough, a tenth of a mile to go, there goes Joe Birch cruising past me to finish several seconds ahead. WHAT THE HELL.

I hope my look of indignity is visible in Joe Birch's finish photo.

(Just kidding...Joe Birch is awesome and kudos to him for a strong finish.)

And that was the race. NOT BAD. Now I just need to remember to stretch (and stretch and stretch) today so I don't wake up tomorrow with locked knees and the gait of 98-year-old woman. (Oh, it's happened before.)

Two in a row!

I've never quite understood how it is that, in running two nights in a row, the first night is always worse than the second. It makes no sense. I've never tried three in a row, because that seems foolhardy, but I'll do it one of these days just to see how it is. Not this week, though, because I have a race on Saturday.

This was the last run of the week, then, and today's complaint: Last weekend I did a surprisingly juvenile job on my sunscreen application before sitting by the pool for two hours and reading Harry Potter. The result? Patches of burned skin at random intervals all over my body. One such area is my stomach right where the elastic of my shorts hits. Not. Comfortable.

It was an okay run today. Not the best ever but, you know, you take what you can get. Two miles, 22:21 (11:20 on the first mile; I'm nothing if not consistent), and the hills were split evenly between the good and the bad. Half the time I felt weightless. The other half I felt like DEATH. But the last hill fell on the side of weightless so...progress (?).

More on cross-training tomorrow. I should probably do something towards that tonight and maybe if I write it here, I'll be guilted into doing it!

Was it easier to run two miles knowing that I was going to blog about it?

No.

Nor was I doing myself any favors with that casserole stuff I ate before I left tonight (which was supposed to be made with ricotta but I substituted goat cheese...PROBABLY NOT THE BEST IDEA I'VE EVER HAD).

And then my iPod, without warning or provocation, died suddenly at about 0.1 miles. Having already started running, and far away as I was from my car anyway, this left me to run the remaining 1.9 miles with my earphones in place and iPod around my arm but (tragically) no music.

There were certainly things about this run that could have gone better.

Yet, oddly enough, my pace was unaffected. I did 2 miles in 22:27 (11:19/11:08) which, frankly, is about as fast as I can push myself to go under any circumstances.

So WELL DONE, SELF, for triumphing in the face of great obstacles. I always want to stop after a mile and a half and usually I pick some peppy song to take me home. Today, I was propelled to the end only by sheer willpower, and also a burning desire to get home and take a shower before NOVA started at 7:00.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I've earned myself a Bud Light.