Saturday, July 9, 2011

Four on the Fourth - A Race Report (finally!)

At long last I have run a race again!  This injury has been the worst I've faced so far in my 8+ years of consistent running, and at one point in March I thought I was going to have to give up the sport.  Thankfully, that is about the time I started healing.

So I signed up this past spring for Four on the Fourth - a new race in Roanoke that benefited the Boys and Girls Club (an organization I worked with a bit when I was a juvenile probation officer).  The race was on July 4th and was 4 miles long.  When I registered that seemed a long way off, but as the date rolled around I got nervous about racing again.  Very nervous.

The day before the race I battled stomach issues all day.  I knew this didn't bode well for my race.  I woke up feeling slightly queasy and debated taking some tums for breakfast.  Instead, I forced down my usual pre-race pb+j on whole wheat, which promptly sat in my stomach like a load of concrete.  Not good. 

Due to the heat the race started at 8 am.  It was already incredibly humid - as Virginia summers have a tendency to be.  When I picked up my race packet I was thrilled that instead of the usual race t-shirt they were giving away beach towels. 

I was impressed by the organization of a race - especially for the first year.  The race started on time, and it was hilly!  It started by moving over a bridge and into downtown Roanoke.  I adore racing through downtown Roanoke, so I was very happy about the course.  There were mile markers along the way, which was also nice, since I don't wear a watch - I just race by the heart. 

By mile 2 I was feeling mighty queasy.  Now I have never puked during a race and I sure wasn't planning to start.  Instead, I tried to focus on the goofball behind me that was singing various songs at the top of his lungs.  As we passed a water stop, where volunteers were saying, "Gatorade here!  Water here!" this guy said, "ALCOHOL!?  Which one's the ALCOHOL?!?"  Later, running up a terribly long hill, he yelled at a policeman that was directing traffic, "Doesn't this race have any longer hills?  This one's too short!"

By mile 3 my stomach was up and down.  I pushed onward, hoping for the best.  I wanted to pick it up in the last mile, but it felt like each time I tried my stomach got worse.  And like I said, puking was not an option.  So I backed off a bit and tried to just hold it steady until the end.  It was about 80* and the sun was blaring by this time, so I was really feeling the heat. 

I crossed the finish line in 32:47, which is an 8:12 minute mile pace.  It was a PR for me (mainly because I've only run one other 4 mile race, and that one I was pushing Pierce in the stroller).  Still, I was thrilled because it meant that I haven't lost as much as I thought from the injury - in fact, I'm just slightly faster than I was last summer.  Maybe there is hope for me yet!

After the race I had to sit and not move for a bit.  Sweat dripping off, my face the color of the beets from my garden.  I was so overheated!  I was finally able to sip some Gatorade, and was thrilled when I placed 2nd in my age group during the awards ceremony.  I won a cup full of red, white and blue candy as well as some Sparklers that the boys really enjoyed watching on the 4th.
In summary, it was a good race for me, in spite of the stomach threats, and I'm glad I ran it.  I love the course so much, that I've no doubt I'll be back for more next year!

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your race, Lisa!

Unknown said...

What a race! It sounds like it was hot and uncomfortable!

TexWisGirl said...

oh, lisa, that is great! 2nd in your age group in the first race run after your injury?! woo hoo!!!

TexWisGirl said...

oh, lisa, that is great! 2nd in your age group in the first race run after your injury?! woo hoo!!!

Steve Surratt said...

Congratulations! Glad your pbj stayed put.

Anonymous said...

Sounds great to me.

Jill said...

I must confess, I was holding my breath through your entire post. I'm happy to now say CONGRATULATIONS, Lisa! I'm so happy for you. Sounds like you've had a long, hard road and you've stuck with it and got 2nd place. Awesome!

Nicki said...

Just found your blog -- I am another runner in the area too! I thought about running this race, but never signed up. Sounds like it was fun -- big congrats on your PR and your award!! :)

Sonya @ Under the Desert Sky said...

I'm glad you made it through the race, despite the tummy issues!!

I like that they were giving away beach towels - cool! And candy! ;)

Chatty Crone said...

Congratulations and I sure hope you feel better today.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wow! Way to go!!! I am proud of you. Wish I have been one of the observers to stand on the sidelines and cheer you on!

Crow said...

My goodness Woman, is there nothing you can't do? Congrats on the race, and all the healing and strong will that went with it. You are amazing.

Sally said...

Good for you, Lisa! And, such a great organization to help! :)

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Congrats, Baby Girl and it WAS very humid that day...a good day to use your new towel!...:)JP

Nancy said...

Could the whole thing just have been nerves? I get awfully nervous before doing something out of my comfort zone. You did great.

Texan said...

Girly you did super! I would be thrilled with that time. Especially given it was 80 degrees and humid. That is some rough running. You really did wonderful!

I love the big beach towel instead of a Tshirt :O)... You go girl you did super and you be megga proud of yourself!

That pre-race anxiety sucks big time, pardon my french. I get it so bad!!!

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Yay for the race and nice beach towel too. Cute pic

Nancy Grossi ~ Churned In Cali ~ The Wife of a Dairyman said...

Congratulations Lisa! Placing second, injury or not is HUGE!

Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking said...

Oh Congratulations!! That is so awesome that you came in second! What a great job.

Reena said...

Congrats! Good time for you! My hubby, daughter and son just ran a 5K in Iowa. It also was nicely put together!

Anonymous said...

You are awesome!!

And Im glad you didnt puke. =)

Sarah said...

Way to run girl!! That is so exciting!!! I wish I were a runner...but I'm not, yet...I'm going to try though!!!

Jen said...

Great job!! I love running races! And the beach towel instead of a t-shirt is a really cool idea! Sorry about your stomach, though...that's no fun.

le Chef said...

Towel is WAY better than another shirt. Wish they had those when I was running. I started running at 5. In 06' a charming draft horse crushed my leg. Not much running these days, but I'm thinking I need to give it a go again.
That humidity is a killer.... ugh, I can see where your stomach was protesting. At my age I go for protein. I can't handle the heavy stomach before exercise. A small whey shake works well, with a carb booster the night before.
And that guy behind you .. if you did throw up - I would have turned to share it with him... just saying.

le Chef said...

Oh yes .. CONGRATS! ;)