The "I'm an idiot" 10k Race Report

Yes, that's right, I'm an idiot. I showed up to my 13th race, a 10k, without a key piece of equipment - sneakers! Who does this!? I diligently packed my bag the night before: t-shirt, tank, bra, shorts, TWO PAIRS of socks!, body glide, visor, ipod, bottles.....missing something?? ah, sneakers, you idiot!

So I showed up at the race parking lot at 5pm for a 6pm race start. I was psyched that I was early enough that I could pick up my bib, do a little warm up, and get to the start without a hassle. It was then, that I looked in my bag for my sneakers....they were missing. Panic stricken, I dug around my car.....no shoes! I was wearing keen sandals and found an old pair of hiking boots in the trunk I keep there for emergencies....neither are good choices for a 6 mile run! So I called home (25 miles away)....and left a message. Matt was going to come down to the race around 7pm to see me finish....so he would be home soon. 10 minutes later, I got a hold of him, and not so calmly explained my issue. He said he would grab my shoes and be down to the race in about 45 minutes. By this time it was 5:40. I would have to start the race in either keens or hiking boots! I told Matt to meet me between mile 2 and 3 and then hung up and took a deep breathe. I tried the Keens first and did a short little jog. Keens are great for walking, but very bad for running!! My knees immediately started hurting. I then tried the hiking boots. Better because of the inserts in them for added cushion - so I decided to go with the hiking boots.

I made it to the start and got ready. My plan was to run/walk until Matt showed up at mile 2. Of course, in the excitement of the race, ran the first mile and then run/walked the second! By mile 2 I was beginning to hate those hiking boots....they were hot, cramped and made my back hurt. Then, like an oasis, Matt showed up with my sneakers!

I ran over to the car, threw myself on the ground, and tore off the hiking boots. I tossed on the sneakers, fumbled with the timing chip, and I was off! I felt light as a feather! But that didn't last long!! I had done something to my back running in those hiking boots. I was very uncomfortable and kept stopping to stretch and twist my back. It was a slow go, but I made it to the finish...never stopping for longer than the distance between two telephone poles (that was the deal I made with myself. If you walk, you only have the distance between poles - thats it! It worked!)

Low and behold - I finished a full 40 seconds faster than last years 10k! Go figure! Imagine my time if I had run in sneakers the whole way!

That's me in the orange shirt and hiking boots!


Here is me "with sneakers" at mile 5.5!