I Got RADified!

The venue for the Color Me Rad 5K race which benefits the YMCA of Maine this morning was in Brunswick. This is the 2nd event they had this year in Maine. The first one was in Portland.

Team WES [composed of the Waterboro Elementary School Staff] was scheduled to go on the 3rd wave but Julie, Kelsie and I were late because we had to go around Sebago lake (thanks a lot to our reliable[?] GPS)... plus the unforgiving traffic... plus the half a mile walk from the parking lot to the start line all summed up to the wasted time we should have spent getting RAD. So we ended up joining the 4th or the last wave instead.

But despite the hassle it was indeed a fun day at the race. It was different compared to the other races I joined in the past for one particular thing - no timer. So I just ran as if I was training for my next race which is also true because I do have a race tomorrow. What was I thinking?

Anyway, the race was colorful and fun and exciting. The runners and walkers and crawlers and everything else in between had a blast going through all the color stations be it the color powder, colored water sprinklers, or color bomb... everybody was all smile and having fun.

Aside from the splash of colors here and there we were also happy how the volunteers cheered us up. They were so amazing. I have never experienced that kind of cheerfulness from volunteers before so it was really special.

And the finale where all the finishers gather around the stage while the organizers were throwing out freebies to the crowd was awesome too.

 Me with Julie

Me with Kelsie

When the crowd threw color bomb at each other all at the same time while dancing to the music was totally out-of-this-world. It was zero visibility. All I can see was the explosion of different colors. The crowd was engulfed in colorful cloud. And everybody was happy. And I swear to god, I will surely do it again next year.

Running for the birdies and close encounter with the Walking Lady

This year, my goal is to run 2 races every month. So far, I was able to do it. I started last March when I celebrated my 1st Running Anniversary. The Snowy Egret 5k at Scarborough is my 8th race for 2012 and my 2nd race for the month of May.

This is my first "trail race" for this year [and hoping to do more]. I didn't know it until I ran the race. It was a nice nonthreatening course. Though it was a little humid, the shady trail kept us cool.

The race is a replay of my Maine Mall 5k experience in terms of "running". I ran this race again when I was passed by an elderly lady about sixty-ish years old who was just walking the whole time.

 

Let me tell you about this amazing woman. I saw this woman probably more than 5 times already since I started running. She seems to be all over the place. LOL And each time that we ran, she would just be walking the entire 5k race. She walks with grace like a royalty. She walks in a choreographed rhythm as if she was walking on air. She is fast and unstoppable. She never shows tiredness. She is relaxed and poised.

The race course had a one long straight route where we turn around at a certain point. On my way back I saw her from a distance in her signature graceful brisk walking coming my way. I continued jogging while a woman kept passing me by just like the one at the Mall race. By that time I was already contemplating to do the trick I did before but not really sure if I really want to or not.

 

After about 5 minutes of not-stop steady jogging, I realized that the walking lady caught up with me and she was walking right beside me and started talking to me when an spectator said... "good job" to us. It was then I realized that I was really jogging slow or maybe she was really fast. Well, I wasn't really threatened by her until that Maine-Mall-part-2 woman caught up with me again. Just in time, I saw that I was already almost 500 feet from the finish line. So, I sped up agian... sprinted... and ran as fast as I could passing again a couple of people on my way to the finish line.

I clocked in 36:08 at 11:38 pace and placing 181st out of the 225 participants. At the finish line I finally got the chance to talk to this amazing woman and boy, she is one of the nicest people I ever met. She even gave me advice on race walking and told me that she would gladly coach me to race walk. Her name is Debbie.

I did RUN!

This race is very special to me for 2 reasons. 1. It was at the Maine Mall. [self-explanatory, lol] and 2. I ran! [needs explanation, wink]

Here's the thing. I always brag about my race. What's not to brag? I am so proud of it. As I have mentioned in my "The High-heeled Diva Page" I am not an athlete. I never ran when I was little and was always a loser in "tag-you're-it" games. I am also a self-confessed late bloomer in terms of running. And now that I am enjoying it - I am more than proud!

The Jimmy the Greek Maine Mall 5k for Lyme Disease is one of the most memorable races I had so far. It is the race that made me realized what I am capable of doing. It is the race that I had outdone myself in terms of my assumed physical limitation. And yes, I had to admit that - it is the only race that I actually "RUN"! Really, I ran because I would usually just jog and walk to the finish line.

Let me tell you a funny story. I came unprepared for the race to be honest with you. I just wanted to have some valid reason to be at the Mall. [wink] But kidding aside, I did hope that I would somehow break my PR but didn't have any plan of doing anything stu*id. I just told myself... "okay, let's try to jog the whole race without stopping even for a drink". I thought that would be a good idea... just get it done with and go shopping." So I started with a slow pace as my usual warm-up and then went onwards with my usual steady jogging pace. About half way around the race, a woman passed me and after about 20 yards, she started walking. I was okay with it, at first since I didn't have any plan of passing and outrunning anyone this time. I just wanted to get over it.


But within about a mile stretch that same woman would do the same thing over and over again. And over and over again I passed her too since she would be walking out of exhaustion after exerting all her effort to outrun me. At first I was thinking she maybe just doing an interval run. But then, I also thought, "why would I do an interval run when I am in a race?" Oh well, I just brushed the thought off and continued running. About 300 feet from the finish line I heard her footsteps again. This time, I was already irritated so when she was about a foot away from me, I sped up. I sprinted to the finish line passing 3 people ahead of me. I ran as far as I could without looking back. I crossed the finish line breaking my last PR by almost 3 minutes. I clocked in 34:57 at 11:21 pace. I placed 202th out of the 244 participants and yes... she ate my dust!

Oh boy, the crowd went crazy when they saw me speeding up and passing 3 people. They were cheering and it felt so good.

See my big smile after I sped up to the finish line, passing 3 people ahead of me and outrunning that woman who ate my dust? LOL

Yes, I ran, this time. And maybe, I would be running too [since I realized that I can really run] in all the future races I will be joining in. After all it is a running race, isn't it? How cool is that?

Standing Tall in my Stillettos and Running Steady in my Sneakers

Yay for myself. This is the new page in my running career. hahaha I know, there is no such thing. This year, I have a plan. A huge one. Well not really huge because I am scared of huge thingies.

Since I enjoyed running, I plan to continue running this year. Sounds like a plan, indeed.

I don't really know how I came up with the idea of running. But whatever made me decide on it, it's working for me. Yes, it all started with a walk and then pacing up... I started enjoying the feel of the cool Maine breeze on my checks every time I run. Next thing I know I ran seven 5k races last year. Yay, indeed!

Yes, I ran 7 5k races and I am so proud of myself. It was the most fulfilling decision I made with my health. I have given up on my Yo-Yo dieting and I just decided to take charge of my health by being active. And little did I know that I will enjoy and love doing it.

So now, it a new year to train... a new calendar to schedule my race dates... and a new way of looking ahead to more races.

Yes, I have plans and I am planning ahead. So let's pick up the pace!

Pre-5K Blues

It's 3 days to my next 5k. It has been raining since Sunday afternoon and I have not ran since Friday. I planned to run on the trail where we camp but Hubby and I were busy gold panning down the river for 2 days. Hay.

We have been camping up the mountain all weekends this summer. And I had to admit I am enjoying it not because I love it but because it is the only time I bond with Hubby. He is always busy at work and the only time we have for ourselves is the weekend.

So when I am not helping him sorting rocks out in the sluice or preparing our meal or chasing butterflies... I am running on the trail. So on the weekends, my running track is anything that is accessible by foot...

 

and it is marked so I know how far I already ran.

And guess what... I sometimes get the opportunity to meet deer and moose on the track too. How cool is that? Too bad I don't bring my camera when I run so no pictures. Hayyy.

 And yes, I ran on my aqua shoes too. hahaha

Well, I have only 3 more days to train and worse come to worse. I will just walk all the way to the finish line. hehehe

Everybody's a Winner

It was huge. It was spectacular. It was epic. That is how I describe the 14th TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race held at Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

I car pooled with another volunteer I met during the Volunteer Appreciation Party last Tuesday. We left Standish early to avoid traffic. We reached Fort William around 6:30am and the parking lots were already piling up with cars. Well, we don't expect to see a lot of people there because the race will start 10 kilometers away from the Portland Head Light. This is where the Finish Line is. So the huge crown was somewhere in Cape Elizabeth near Crescent Beach State Park on Route 77 where the race starts.

I volunteered for the Water Finish. It may seem an easy job but boy, the task did give my "biceps" a hardcore work out. We laid out 6000+ water bottles. Transferring boxes after boxes of those water bottles from the delivery truck to the tables was like doing hundreds of repetitions of biceps curl with 30-pound dumbbells.

Volunteering has it's perks and benefits. We have free t-shirts. Yey.

 Excellent spot to greet and meet the runners.

 Easy access to the porta-potties. hahaha

 And yes, a great vista of the famous landmark - the Portland Head Light.

Needless to say, the event is a 'runner's dream race', if you live in Maine. It is an important race if runners from 49 states participated in.I believe it is a very significant event when there are 6000 plus runners who signed up.

 [Photo Credit: TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race]

And it is indeed a highly-recognized event  if there are 11 countries represented in the event.

At the end of the race, we did recognize and acknowledge the winners - the oldest at 86...

the "wheel-chair bound" athletes,

the Elite runners,
the resident runners,

the just-for-fun runners,

the families,

 the supporters,

 the spectators...

 and of course, the volunteers.

At the end of the race - everybody's tired...

and yes, - everybody's a winner too!

If you can't join them... volunteer!

Right after I crossed the finish line during my very first 5k, I vowed that I will join another race. Yeah, right!

So I went straight home and searched the internet for another race. And there it was... the most prestigious race in all of Maine - the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10k Road Race. Seriously!

Okay, I may be too overwhelmed. Really! Crazy is more like it. But yeah. I signed up for it. It was a lottery so I was hopeful that I will win. Good thing I didn't! hahaha it was only after two days that I realized that running is not as easy as I imagined it to be. It takes a lot of practice, discipline and determination. And what I only got is just determination. hahaha

Anyway, I didn't get in so I was thinking there is another way to be a part of it. You see, this race is very significant and important to me because of several reasons.

1. It is prestigious. It will be covered by our local television network and it will mean I might be featured in TV. It doesn't matter if it said - One runner crawled all the way to the lighthouse.
2. The event is the biggest in all of Maine. Participants will sum up to about close to 7 thousand-ish. It means that spectators and supporters alike wouldn't even realize how slow I was because they would be too tired cheering and congratulating the first 6,999 finishers. LOL
3. The venue meant so much to me. The Portland Head Light is where I was married 4 years ago and I have never been there again since I said "I do". I want to visit it again in full sweat. LMAO

But, yes... none of those things I mentioned above will gonna happen because I didn't get it. So where did the "determination" part go? I volunteered!

Yes, I am part of the race... not a runner but a volunteer. This is my first time to volunteer so I am excited and nervous at the same time. And yesterday... I attended our Volunteer Appreciation Day and met some of the volunteers. Yes, I partied last night. There were lots of food, drink and music. It was an awesome event.

The race will be on Saturday, the 6th of August and I will be right there in the finish line handing cold water bottles to finishers. And yes... I will be there at the Portland Head Light - in full sweat.

 

 [That's the Portland Head Light from the distant. That's where the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10k Road Race will end. This was taken where we were having the Volunteer Party.]