The Race Is On!

Walla Walla College 5K Fun Run. It’s a fun run, all right, a small mix of students and staff and alumni and community. It’s where I PR’d last year, 24:58, and placed 2nd woman overall. So I had a goal – place this year, too.

Alumni weekend last year was Reg’s 25th reunion, and this year, my 25th reunion. Our daughter is a freshman this year, so we’ve been up to the college more often, and seen old friends. Alumni weekend brings more friends; several who were runners back in college and still are runners today.

Race morning was warm and overcast. My warm up was running from the friends’ home where we stayed to the gym, where the race started, just over one mile. I was given bib #27, and I started checking out the other women runners and walkers, trying to guess my competition. I met Lindsay, for she recognized me from last year – I was her competition, for she’d finished just behind me last year. She’s a student, also training for Coeur d’Alene Marathon the end of May. There were lots of people mixing running and walking, for a large group from the college will be running at Bloomsday in Spokane this coming weekend. I wasn’t too worried about most of them, but there were some student girls who looked a lot faster than me!

We got lined up, and the race director reviewed the course. There were 2 changes this year. First, there was a new path across campus going around the Ad Building, the first building that was the campus way back in 1892. The last few years have had a different path, for the Ad Building was completely demolished and rebuilt, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony had been Saturday afternoon. The second change was finishing around the track, instead of on the road.

I love the small races – it took a whole second to get to the starting line! Lindsay took off; I know she wanted to stay ahead of me. There were several women ahead, but I passed all but Lindsay going up cemetery hill in the first mile. I knew I was second woman at the top, and I pumped the downhill, to get as much space between me and the third woman as I could. I’m not usually competitive like this, but know what? It was fun!

I reached the first mile in 7:50 – yikes, that was definitely too fast! But cruising the long downhill after the up felt so good. I got a pace song in my head to work on staying smooth (Clint Black’s “Summer’s Comin’” is my regular training song – helped my pace the rest of the run). I could see Lindsay still ahead, and knew that this time I wasn’t going to be able to catch her – she was doing great out there! I did plan to keep her in sight as much as I could.

We turned on Bade Street, now a long stretch back to the campus. No one passed me, but I passed one of the college guys here, who’d also started too fast, and was taking a walk break.

I looked ahead, and Lindsay’s group had already turned toward the Ad Building. I was watching for the new sidewalk that was supposed to lead to the back of the building, and was to be marked with a flour arrow. I didn’t see the arrow, but it turns out there was more than one new sidewalk, and I picked the wrong one! Oops, zigzag a little extra distance to get back on course. Whew! Water station behind the Ad Building. I took a cup, and promptly spilled it down my front. Hmmm…thicker paper cups don’t squeeze as easy to drink from, oh well. Took another cup and walked a few steps so I could get water in me. Then back on the run again.

Stayed on the right set of sidewalks now to get down to College Street, then around the corner onto Whitman Street. Passed another college guy doing a walk break Another long stretch here, going along the north side of campus and past several blocks of houses. We passed the street where I’d rented a tiny studio apartment my senior year. We passed a house with huge old lilac bushes that smelled wonderful running by. Down to where the elementary school was on the corner, turning left, now headed back towards the track.

As I ran down the street, I could see Lindsay and her group rounding the corner on the track. Got to where the gate in the fence was, rounded the corner and crossed the wet grass to the track, now running to the finish. I could hear footsteps behind me, and it was the second college guy that I passed. He was pouring it on with a sprint finish, passing me. I didn’t have much kick, just holding the pace was good enough for me! I finished in 26:56 on my watch, just over 27 on the clock.

Grabbed some water, walked to the gym and back to the track, and compared running notes with Lindsay. We cheered the other runners and walkers in; they all seemed pleased with their times.

When the director handed out the first, second, and third place awards, they were trophies this year. Cool! My first trophy! They had someone taking pictures of us receiving the trophies, women first, then the men. Then some fun, when the men discovered that they’d been given trophies with women on the top, and the women’s trophies had running men on the top – we all traded. Got my T-shirt and trophy and ran back to the house where we were staying, and I’m already planning some speed work next winter to go for placing again next year!