Now that we’ve completed Dash & Dine #1, here is my race report. Mine might be different than the usual race report (as if anyone else went home to write in their Dash & Dine diary).
Easy. I signed up a long time ago so all I needed to do was pick up my bib. Keep your bib. It’s your bib for the series. That’s slick. Now all I have to do is show up. No waiting in line. Now I have more port-o-potty time.
Warmup. Matt from Revolution Running lead us in a FREE coached warmup. First we ran and then we did drills. It was my first coached warm up and I’ll admit, my first real warm up. Matt was nice and helpful. It was fun. And he’ll be there again next Tuesday.
Fun. I want to be very clear. I am not that person who says “I’m just out here to have fun. I don’t care about my time.” That’s not me. I do care about my time. I want to get faster and stronger. Of course, at some point I won’t get faster, things will level out. But for now, there’s room for improvement. But it does have to be fun. Even after childbirth they handed me a beautiful baby. Suffering is fine as long as it’s served with a side of fun. Friends, kind spectators, food afterwards and a welcoming finish line; all ingredients for a fun evening.
My time. Okay, here it is. My time was 14 seconds slower than my fastest time last year. Which means I am 14 seconds slower than my peak time which was at the END of the Dash & Dine 5k series. The good news is that my last mile was faster than my first two. Can I go out a few seconds faster on the first mile without losing it? Can I go a bit faster on the second mile if there is no headwind this time? Maybe. Or maybe #2 will just be slower. What then? Who knows. Perhaps that’s part of why we line up. It’s an unknown and in this life of immediately knowing whatever we need to know whenever we need to know it (goodbye microfiche, hello Google) we line up not knowing how it will all work out. And like when some of us get married or take our car into the shop, we hope for the best.
Honesty. I’ll be honest. There are some people out there that are fast. Like 18, 19, 20 minute 5k fast. You can’t see me, but I’m clapping for them. For the rest of us, we line up, we run and we finish. Our time is our time. It’s a number on a clock. It’s not a statement about who you are as a person. It’s not a determinate of how long you’ll live or how much you will be loved. It’s not a hint as to how nice you are or how you will be remembered. It’s a number and it’s your number.
I hope you’ll come out for the next Dash & Dine on Tuesday. I’ll be there and I’ll probably be talking loudly at the start and laughing at the finish. If you need a pep talk, come find me.
See you there!
Cheri Felix has been running for three years. Once she got over the “I’m not a real runner” bit, she fell head first in love with everything from 2-10 miles. She plans her spring around The Dash & Dine and her three kid’s schedule. When she’s not running, she’s life coaching people and contemplating the never ending pile of laundry.